Wild Things bring back 3 players
The Wild Things received an unexpected boost to their lineup when Cole Fowler agreed to rejoin the team after a stint in the New York Mets’ minor-league spring training camp, the Frontier League team announced Wednesday.
Washington also announced that left-handed pitcher Colt Anderson and right-handed reliever Lex Meinderts will be back after joining the Wild Things late in the 2025 season.
Fowler, a lefthanded-hitting infielder, had his contract purchased by the Mets last month but he was released at the end of camp.
Fowler joined Washington in July of last year after a standout career at Division II Lynn University, where he hit 19 home runs and batted .472 last spring. In his first professional at-bat, Fowler delivered a pinch-hit two-run single in the eighth inning that gave the Wild Things a come-from-behind win at Windy City.
He also had another big hit in a late-August game when he smacked a three-run homer in the bottom of the eighth to give Washington an 8-5 win over Mississippi.
Fowler played in 25 games with the Wild Things, the majority of them at second base. He batted .341 with four home runs and 20 RBI.
Anderson (6-4, 175), an Oklahoma native, signed with the Wild Things in late July of last year after making one start for Evansville. Anderson played his final three years of college baseball at Rogers State in Claremore, Okla., where he won 14 games, primarily in a starting role.
With Washington, Anderson pitched in three games out of the bullpen and struck out four in 4.2 innings.
Meinderts (6-3, 200), a native of the Netherlands, joined the Wild Things last summer after being the closer on the LSU-Shreveport University team that went 59-0 and won the NAIA World Series. The Pilots were the first college baseball team at any level to complete an undefeated season. He had a 2-0 record and seven saves in the perfect season.
With Washington, Meinderts pitched in six games and had a 1-0 record.
Anderson and Meinderts give the Wild Things 19 pitchers who have signed for spring training, which will begin after the Frontier League holds its annual tryout camp and draft April 20-21 in Avon, Ohio.