CLEVELAND, Ohio -- By all accounts, Wayne Peltz is a quality visiting clubhouse assistant manager at Progressive Field. He works hard to make sure players' needs are met from before they arrive until after they leave. He and the rest of the staff receive tips.

Peltz's hobby, Lego artist, puts him in another league. When those same players see his mosaics, they are the ones treating him like a king. Some get out their checkbooks -- but not for tips. For payments.

Peltz has made an estimated 60 mosaics since he began five years ago, mostly of baseball players and/or their family members. His work largely has remained out of the public eye, his celebrity contained within the boundaries of Progressive Field and players' homes.

Not anymore.

Peltz's portrait of Stan Musial, the St. Louis Cardinals legend, is part of an exhibit at the Louisville Slugger Museum Factory in Kentucky titled, "Big Leagues, Little Bricks.'' The exhibit, which opened March 3 and runs through Labor Day, features 15 sculptures and portraits that used a combined 222,180 Legos.

Nathan Stalvey, exhibitions director and curator for the museum, said more than 100,000 visitors had passed through the Lego gallery as of July 1.

"The popularity has been even greater than we anticipated,'' Stalvey said. "People of all ages come in here and are absolutely blown away by what they see.''

Stalvey said the Lego exhibit is the first if its kind for the museum. It almost certainly won't be the last. Who knows what Peltz might have in store for the next one.

"Highlight of my Lego career, for sure,'' Peltz said. "I never would have guessed that something I did would be under glass in a museum. It's an incredible feeling.''

Peltz's road to Louisville is as improbable as it is remarkable, for he is the accidental artist. Creating Lego mosaics was not part of some master plan for life. Peltz, 33, grew up in Northeast Ohio and attended Brecksville-Broadview Heights High School. He dropped out as an upperclassman to care for his ailing grandmother. He eventually earned his GED and worked odd jobs for several years before getting a call late in the 2004 MLB season from his friend Willie Jenks, then the visiting clubhouse assistant at Progressive Field. Jenks needed help with late-night unpacking.

Peltz moved up the chain and enjoyed it. He was content. He wasn't seeking a side gig -- which, he thinks, had a lot to do with why it happened.

During the 2008 season, Peltz noticed index card-sized drawings periodically being handed to visiting players by the home clubbies.

"The drawings were awesome,'' Peltz said. "Players would drop everything to sign them. I said, 'Who did these?' I was jealous.''

They came from the hand of Tribe infielder Jamey Carroll. Little did Carroll know that he would be the inspiration for Peltz.

"I wanted something like those cards,'' Peltz said. "Something artistic. Something unique that maybe I could get a player to sign, instead of a common item such as a baseball.''

So Peltz went to work. He put pencil and pen to paper and began drawing. The fun lasted about 10 minutes.

"I realized I couldn't draw,'' he said.

Peltz remembered how much fun he had playing with Legos as a youngster. He checked out mosaics online and thought he could do it. Simple as that.

"Legos was the second thing I tried,'' he said.

Peltz had no training as an artist. Any art classes in school were for fun, nothing more. And the sketching phase of the process, as expected, was a hoot. "Unrecognizable shapes,'' Peltz said.

But when it came time to place the Legos, everything clicked. He began with a portrait of Jim Thome, one of his favorite players, in June 2009. Thome was a member of the White Sox. Peltz finished on Aug. 31, 2009 -- the day Thome got traded to the Dodgers.

"When I found out Thome was traded, I said to my buddy, 'That's awesome,''' Peltz said. "I was being sarcastic.''

Peltz needed 25 hours to complete the piece. With the permission of Jenks, now visiting clubhouse manager, he hung it on a hallway wall. Numerous players saw the Thome and were impressed. Peltz added one of Mets pitcher Johan Santana, another of his favorites. More kudos.

Then Tigers pitcher Dontrelle Willis came to town in 2010. The hobby was about to grow teeth.

"Dontrelle loved the Thome and the Santana and asked if I could make one for him,'' Pelz said. "I said, 'I suppose I could.' He asked, 'How much?' I really didn't know how to answer that because I never thought someone, let alone a player, would want to buy one.''

Peltz asked Willis to cover the cost of the Legos, plus a small amount for labor. Willis had none of it.

"He told me, 'What you're asking is way too cheap; you've got to charge me a lot more,''' Peltz said. "It's unbelievable to hear something like that. I said, 'OK ... I guess.'''

The next thing he knew, Twins pitcher Carl Pavano was asking to buy the Thome piece. Peltz declined to sell it, but he made a mosaic of Pavano and his baby.

It has been a whirlwind since.

Peltz's Lego credits include a 30-by-30 of Yankees lefty CC Sabathia and a 55x45 of Sabathia's four children. Peltz drove to Sabathia's home in New Jersey to deliver the latter. Peltz also has done work for, and delivered to the homes of, Nick Swisher in Florida and Justin Verlander in Virginia.

In 2010, Peltz completed a spectacular "Core Four'': attached portraits of Yankees stars Jorge Posada, Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera and Andy Pettitte. Peltz needed 100 hours.

"The biggest challenge was Posada's mask,'' he said. "It had to be realistic.''

Each Yankee signed it. Peltz has received numerous calls from prospective buyers, but he said he has no plans to sell. The Core Four hangs in a secure location in the visiting clubhouse.

In October 2012, Peltz was approached by Scott Green, a Cardinals fanatic. Green was aware of Peltz's skill and commissioned him to do a portrait of Musial. Peltz completed the 2,500-brick item in November and shipped it directly to Musial's residence to be autographed.

Musial died on Jan. 19, 2013.

"I'm told it was one of the last major things he signed,'' Peltz said.

Stalvey, when organizing Louisville's Lego exhibit, found out about Peltz through a Google search. He called and asked if Peltz would loan him the Musial piece. Peltz told him he didn't own it but would act as liaison between Green and the museum.

Stalvey asked Peltz what he wanted for having his work on display.

"I didn't want anything,'' he said. "I was more than happy to get nothing out of it. He insisted, so I told him I would like for the museum to give a behind-the-scenes tour for my wife and mother and me. To treat us like royalty for a couple of hours.''

Done. Among the items seen on the tour was Musial's original Louisville Slugger contract.

At the moment, Peltz is working on pieces for Phillies closer Jonathan Papelbon and Reds starter Mat Latos.

"The hardest ones I've ever done always are the ones I'm currently working on,'' he said. "Because I put a lot of pressure on myself to be better each time.''