New Year, New Grizz: How Gateway Is Working to Meet High Expectations from 2023
June 3, 2024 - Frontier League (FL)
Gateway Grizzlies News Release
The first month of the 2024 Frontier League Baseball season has come and gone, and the reigning West Division champions have been doing what they can to keep pace with the expectations of yesteryear.
In 2023, the Grizzlies had a scorching hot 13-4 start by the time the team entered June baseball. The team had not lost more than two games in a row until mid-June when they hit a five-game rough patch against some of the top East Division teams.
The Sauget crew did not have that immediate spark out of the gate this season. Still, after an optimistic 8-4 road record with a 5-1 road series in Florence and Washington, followed by a 5-1 homestand leading into June, the tides are turning very quickly.
"There's ups and downs to every season, but I really do like the character of our guys," Grizzlies manager Steve Brook said. "I think there's a lot of positivity, I think there's a lot of energy."
On Friday night, Gateway capped off their sixth consecutive game and 13th win, officially tying the win total of the first month of 2023.
Last year, the Grizzlies offense was the dominant story throughout the season. Early new stars emerged on the scene, like outfielders Jairus Richards and Eric Rivera, as well as the hard-hitting veteran infielder Clint Freeman, all of whom left in the offseason. Trying to find consistent offensive power to fill those roles was not easy, but reigning Manager of the Year Steve Brook thinks players like Jack-Thomas Wold and Andrew Moritz have fit the mold just fine.
"I typically look for the same kind of player year in and year out," Brook explained.
Wold ended May with a.343 average, 15 RBIs, and five home runs, locking it down both offensively and defensively, setting himself as a mainstay.
"What I really liked about Wold two years ago, the main reason why we signed him, was he had a tremendous season in college at UNLV," Brook said.
The red-bearded first baseman, who was originally signed by Gateway in 2023 (before an injury that left him out for the season), was drafted to the New York Mets organization in the 2021 MLB Draft, but did not see much time in the lineup with their Single-A affiliate in St. Lucie.
"A lot of guys who go to affiliated ball after a good quality collegiate season, they tend to not get everyday opportunities; and when they don't get those everyday opportunities, it becomes really challenging to be successful," Brook said. "Now he's playing every day, and he's having a lot of success."
Moritz has shown moments of brilliance as well, especially on the defensive front. He has played in 19 of the first 21 games, flashing his leather in both left and center field, which has already ended him up in the league's featured top plays.
"He's a high on-base percentage guy that plays pretty solid defense and gives you a professional at-bat," Brook mentioned about Moritz.
The returners who contributed to the Grizzlies' early success last year, such as DJ Stewart and Gabe Holt, have been showing the new guys how it's done.
By the end of May of last year, Stewart had four home runs and 23 RBIs. This year, he stayed on par with the same amount of home runs, but about half the number of RBIs this May (12).
"I'm still trying to get sharper with my timing. I still feel like I'm ahead on some pitches, and just making sure I make the right decisions in the batter's box," Stewart said.
Although the third baseman ended the official month of May with 12 RBI, it was only a couple days later on Sunday that Stewart rounded out the homestand with a seven-RBI day involving two home runs in the rubber match series victory over the Evansville Otters.
"Overall, it doesn't feel too much different from last year to this year, just trying to focus on doing the same thing and just stay consistent throughout the whole season," Stewart mentioned.
As for Stewart's fellow second-year teammate, Gabe Holt had one of the most impressive starts last year, winning the first Frontier League Player of the Week from his 9-for-15 Grizzlies debut series in Florence that made him a mainstay at the top of the lineup every night. In his first month, Holt went 25-for-73 hits with 11 walks and five strikeouts. He was virtually impossible to get out.
"It's good to start good, build your confidence, and hopefully you can just carry it through on as the season goes," Holt said in an early interview in 2023.
Holt did just that, maintaining an eye-opening.435 batting average through 191 at-bats, warranting an All-Star selection last July.
This season, Holt returns from a season-ending injury caused by a ball that hit his finger on a bunt attempt last July. With high expectations for his return, Holt has had to overcome some challenges to re-emerge as the reliable bat he was last year.
"My toughest obstacle has been how I've been pitched this year with teams knowing me from last year, having to adjust and make small changes when needed," Holt said.
Finishing the first month of 2024 with a winning record (13-6) is no small feat to be overlooked, especially within a game back from first place in the West division heading into a month, and with a rigorous road schedule. The Grizzlies hope to carry themselves forward as they continue to do battle with some upcoming challenges in June.
"When we're traveling up to Ottawa in Canada, two trips to Washington, two trips to Lake Erie, you're looking at 11 hours for the shortest trips on those, you're looking at 20 to 26 hours on the Canadian trip," Brook said. "That does its toll when you're on a bus for that long and continually playing, and we've got to find ways to stay healthy and be right."
The baseball bears will face mostly interdivisional opponents in June, starting with a trip up north to Canada to play Ottawa and Quebec this upcoming week starting on Tuesday. Still, riding on the success of their turnaround start, the Grizzlies will stay optimistic.
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Frontier League Stories from June 3, 2024
- Ottawa Titans Sign Two - Ottawa Titans
- New Year, New Grizz: How Gateway Is Working to Meet High Expectations from 2023 - Gateway Grizzlies
- Rijo Is Frontier Player of the Week - New Jersey Jackals
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