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Wild Things have experience, same goal

4 min read
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Mark Marietta/For the Observer-Reporter

Wild Things left fielder Wagner Lagrange is one of the top hitters in the Frontier League. Washington opens the season tonight at Evansville.

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PARIS MALONE

Washington Wild Things

Closer Lukas Young and the Wild Things hope to celebrate many victories durign the 2023 Frontier League season.

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Mark Marietta/For the O-R

Outfielder Anthony Brocato is one of 11 returning players on the Wild Things’ opening day roster.

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Mark Marietta

Mark Marietta/For the Observer-Reporter

Wild Things starting pitcher Kobe Foster had an 8-1 record and 1.00 ERA over 10 starts last season, when he was named the Frontier League’s Rookie of the Year.

The objective for the Wild Things in the 2023 Frontier League season is clear: win 5 more games than they did a year ago.

Not in the regular season, mind you. That would be extremely difficult because the Wild Things went 62-34 last year and ran away with the West Division’s regular-season title. That, however, got Washington nothing in the playoffs.

Where Washington wants to show a five-game improvement is in the postseason. The Wild Things were swept in the best-of-3 division series a year ago by their current nemesis, the Schaumburg Boomers. Five postseason wins last year would have gotten the Wild Things that elusive first league championship.

“The way last season ended, that’s absolutely motivation for the guys who are returning,” said first baseman Andrew Czech, who is one of 11 returning players.

“The first year I was here we got to the championship series. That we didn’t get past the first round of the playoffs last year, that ate at me during the offseason. Nothing short of a championship is the goal.”

Washington begins its quest for a championship tonight in the season opener at Evansville. The home opener is Tuesday (7:05 p.m.) against the New York Boulders.

If the Wild Things are to improve upon last year and end a 20-season drought without a Frontier League championship, it will likely be the hitters leading the way. Washington returns six position players, including left fielder Wagner Lagrange, who was fifth in the league last year with a .346 batting average, and three others who will be spending their third summer in Washington.

The other returning position players are Czech, second baseman Scotty Dubrule, third baseman Ian Walters, right fielder Anthony Brocato and first baseman/outfielder Tristan Peterson. Czech batted .304 with 31 extra-base hits last year, Dubrule has a .337 batting average over two seasons with Washington, Walters hit 13 home runs a year ago, Brocato hit 24 home runs in a season split between Florence and Washington, and Peterson batted .302 in 32 games.

The Wild Things have added catcher Melvin Novoa, who was expected to be the team’s starter and cleanup hitter last year after playing at the Class AA level in the Texas Rangers farm system in 2021. Novoa, however, didn’t make it to Washington because of pandemic travel restrictions in his native Nicaragua. Novoa prepped this spring for the Frontier League season by playing for Nicaragua in the World Baseball Classic.

The biggest missing piece for Washington is shortstop Nick Ward, who with a .349 batting average and 19 home runs last year was a Frontier League MVP candidate until being sidelined by a late-season injury. Ward’s contract was sold to the Philadelphia Phillies organization in the offseason.

Nick Gotta, a veteran of five seasons of independent ball, was signed to play shortstop and should bring a high on-base percentage to the top of the lineup.

The pitching staff is much younger than a year ago, when Washington had former major leaguers Rob Whalen and Isaac Matson along with Zack Erwin, who came to the Wild Things at midseason from the Class AAA level.

“We made a conscious effort to go young with our pitching staff,” said manager Tom Vaeth, who is entering his third season at the helm. “So there are some unknowns there, but I like what we’ve assembled.”

The returning starters are lefty Kobe Foster, who was the Frontier League Rookie of the Year last season when he had an 8-1 record and a microscopic 1.00 ERA, and right-hander Justin Showalter (4-1, 2.59). Right-hander Spencer Johnston was acquired in an offseason trade with Joliet, where he had a 5-3 record and 2.70 ERA.

The bullpen is anchored by reliable closer Lukas Young (5-2, 1.64, 20 saves). Lefty Andrew Mitchell pitched the last two years at the Double-A and Triple-A levels in the New York Mets system, right-hander Christian James is back after striking out 50 in 52 innings a year ago and Stephen Knapp has been converted from a starter to a reliever.

“The term to use is this is a team of potential,” Vaeth said. “Of course, you never know what you have until you go through the grind. I do think we have more speed and athleticism than we’ve had in the past. The middle of our lineup, the 3 through 7 spots, have the potential to be the most potent 3 through 7 hitters I’ve had here.”

Like every season in independent baseball, there was some significant roster turnover with the Wild Things, but the goal remains the same.

“We want to be involved in playoff baseball in September,” Czech said.

And win five more games.

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