In the end, Wild Things went as far as they could
Mark Marietta/For the Observer-Reporter
The season ended for the Wild Things in the Frontier League playoffs and with a loss, just like each of their other 12 trips to the postseason.
On the surface, that would mean another maddening postseason for the Wild Things. Or was it?
While the celebrating Friday night was in the visiting team’s clubhouse, where the Gateway Grizzlies were making plans to play in the Midwest Conference championship series, the Wild Things should have had disappointment mingled with a fierce sense of accomplishment. They should have been content in the belief that this Wild Things team was different from many of its predecessors.
This wasn’t a team that ran roughshod over the competition during the regular season then failed to meet expectations in the playoffs. This wasn’t a team that rode long winning streaks and hinted at being the best team in the league.
This was a team that had several strengths but also some major flaws and had to scratch and fight to win a lot of close ones. Of their 54 wins, 16 were by one run. They had the league’s best record in one-run contests and were 8-2 in extra-innings games.
It also had to come from behind to secure a wild-card spot. Washington trailed Lake Erie for almost all of the season’s final six weeks, only to make a charge over the last two weeks to pass the fading Crushers in the standings. The Wild Things had to play their way into a division title during the stretch drive.
There was much to like about this team. First baseman Andrew Czech led the Frontier League in home runs with 25 and is fourth on the league’s all-time home run list, only one round-tripper out of third place. Czech set a league single-season record with four grand slams.
Left fielder Wagner Lagrange had his third .300 season, hitting .319, and third baseman Tommy Caufield batted a career-high .321 despite battling an abductor injury that twice landed him on the injured list. Middle infielder Ethan Wilder played in the all-star game. Pitcher Jordan DiValerio won 10 games and at times looked like he was as good as any pitcher in the league.
“I have no complaints with anyone in that locker room,” manager Tom Vaeth said after the Game 2 playoff loss to Gateway that ended the season. “Those guys gave everything they had. We went as far as we could.”
This team, however, had flaws. The offense was inconsistent. Washington finished last in the league in stolen bases, which handcuffed Vaeth. His teams relied heavily on the running game in previous seasons. Washington played seven different catchers. The pitching staff, like almost every team in the league, was a mess early in the season. At the all-star break, Washington was in danger of setting the franchise record for worst ERA, but that problem was solved in the second half of the season and the ERA dropped sixth in the league.
This wasn’t a team that was tagged as a division winner when the season began. Lake Erie returned plenty, including the most pitching of any team in the conference. The Wild Things had two key pitchers from the 2024 team that reached the league championship series begin this year in the Mexican League. They also had another, who began the year in the rotation, leave for Mexico after only five starts, only to return late in the season.
This was a rebuilding year, especially on the mound, so winning a division title was a significant accomplishment.
Every year brings plenty of roster changes and new challenges. To take the next step, and win the organization’s first championship, the offseason priorities must include retaining as many of the current players as possible, upgrading several positions and adding some much-needed speed to the lineup.
“I saw a lot of promise, a lot of reason to be excited about going forward,” Vaeth said. “You never know who is coming back from year to year, that’s what makes the finality of it difficult. I had a lot of fun with this group. A lot of young kids got their first taste of this.
“We had to make a lot of changes this year. We had a lot of new parts and new guys who came in at midseason. Through all of that, we found a way to win a division and there is a lot of pride in that. We hope it’s a catalyst for next season.
Sports editor Chris Dugan can be reached at dugan@observer-reporter.com