Pittsburgh Pirates made the right call with Toregas

Wyatt Toregas embracing opportunity to share his wisdom and experience with future Pittsburgh Pirates.

 

In 2007, Lee May Jr., the hitting coach for Cleveland’s Double-A affiliate in Akron at the time, told Wyatt Toregas he would make a good manager someday. It’s hardly what any player would want to hear, especially one so close to the majors. Two years later, Toregas reached the stage upon which every little kid who has ever stepped onto a baseball diamond has dreamed of performing.

Toregas’ time in the majors was brief, but the Pirates clearly agreed with May. Faced with being considered emergency depth at the catcher position for whichever team would give him work, Toregas had a very difficult decision to make, risk endangering his health for the rest of his life or accept that he could prolong his career in baseball by other means.

[perfectpullquote align=”left” cite=”West Virginia Black Bears manager Wyatt Toregas” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]“I caught a lot, and my body just wasn’t working anymore.”[/perfectpullquote]

Ultimately, playing the children’s game was taking too much of a toll. In 2011, the Pittsburgh Pirates signed Toregas as a player-coach. He would end up being the first base coach for the Indianapolis Indians. Toregas and Kyle Stark expressed mutual interest in following May’s advice and trying managing. “It’s really hard to get into this, but I was lucky, in essence. But, yeah, I wanted to do it, probably in 2007 started thinking about it.”

In 2015, at the age of 32 and not even old enough to be the father of many of his players, Toregas was hired as the first manager of the West Virginia Black Bears. The one thing he was most concerned about entering that first season? “Inexperience.”

If the prospect of being a rookie manager bothered him, it doesn’t show. Toregas was the perfect choice for manager of the Granville, West Virginia club. He embodies the gritty spirit blue-collar people from the rust belt tend to rally behind. Hard work and sheer determination put him in a position to become a manager. A constant smile and ability to recognize the needs of the players, like so many veteran catchers, have made him an instant success and favorite with players and the media. “As a catcher, you’re paying attention to a lot of the same things that managers have to pay attention to, but I just think last year, every time something happened, it was the first time it ever happened to me.”

Managers at every level have to be aware of their players’ struggles, but it may be especially important at this level due to the difficulties faced with some players leaving home for the first time and most players getting their first taste of professional baseball. Toregas and his staff have to fill the role of counselor as much as coach, but building those relationships is viewed not only as a necessity for Toregas, but a priority. Resolving conflicts help the team, as a whole, stay even keeled through the ups and downs of the players, as individuals.

[perfectpullquote align=”full” cite=”Wyatt Toregas” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]“You’ve got to really make sure that you stay on top of what’s going on in everybody’s life. These guys have lives off the field, and a lot of times, what’s going on out there is what’s really going to effect what happens here.”[/perfectpullquote]

It wasn’t always sunshine and rainbows in the first season. On opening day, the Black Bears headed to the bat racks in the bottom of the seventh down 15-1. Tyler Glasnow had made a rehab start before a near sellout crowd, allowing three runs. Only Julio Eusebio escaped unscathed that day. With the first loss out of the way, the Black Bears swept a doubleheader two days later against Mahoning Valley to deliver Toregas his first win and winning record.

For much of the early part of the season, the Black Bears were a streaky team. That’s the nature of the business on an individual level, but on a team level, a lack of consistent play can be catastrophic. After the first calendar month of the season, the Black Bears were 13-16 and looking up at a difficult climb to make up being down seven and a half games to the Williamsport Crosscutters in the Pinckney Division of the New York-Penn League.

[perfectpullquote align=”left” cite=”Wyatt Toregas” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]“I think our staff did a really good job of staying calm, whether we were high or low.”[/perfectpullquote]

The Black Bears never managed to catch up to the Crosscutters, but they did turn around their season. For Toregas, the day is etched in his mind that started to turn things around for his club. On July 18, 2015, the Black Bears were 11-15 and losers of four of their last five. They traveled to Auburn to play four games in three days. They were scheduled for a doubleheader that day, and Toregas said the players were desperate for a day off after a late bus ride and early wake-up call.

When Toregas wasn’t satisfied with the effort in the morning throwing program, he reminded the players they were professionals, only to be met with a disgruntled attitude from some of the players. Toregas sent his players to the locker room. “We went out. We gave up six runs in the first inning of that first game,” Toregas said passionately. “We ended up losing the game 6-4, so we weren’t ready to play.”

[perfectpullquote align=”full” cite=”Wyatt Toregas” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]“This is what happens when you don’t prepare.”[/perfectpullquote]

Embroiled in their darkest hour, the Black Bears responded to the discontented coaching staff and began a nine game winning streak, starting with the second game of the doubleheader against Auburn. They peaked at the right time and shocked everyone when they eliminated Williamsport in the first round of the playoffs. The Black Bears swept Staten Island to capture the New York-Penn League championship in their inaugural season.

[perfectpullquote align=”right” cite=”Wyatt Toregas” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]“I had a blast last year.”[/perfectpullquote]

Toregas hopes to recapture some of the excitement from last year and mold a new group, many of whom still seem wild-eyed, albeit professional, talking to the media on Wednesday. While it’s uncertain whether the club will be able to successfully defend their title, it is certain the future is very bright for club manager Wyatt Toregas.

Note: The Black Bears open their season today on the road at Mahoning Valley. After being used almost exclusively as a reliever last season with the Black Bears and in the Gulf Coast League, Stephan Meyer is scheduled to start. A starter has not been named for Sunday when the Black Bears return home to host Batavia at Monongalia County Ballpark.

AUDIO – You can hear Tyler’s full talk with Toregas by subscribing to our podcast feed. CLICK HERE to subscribe

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