Life in the Minors, Episode 6: Family
This week's episode of Life in the Minors, as heard on this Saturday's One-on-One, can be heard below.
Episode 6- Family
Brooklyn Cyclones
By Joey Dayon
As the Brooklyn Cyclones wind down towards the end of the season, many of these minor leaguers are feeling the wear and tear of the schedule. One very important way of getting through the tough times of the summer is by communicating with family and friends.
For the Cyclones, it is key to stay in constant contact with family and friends to seek advice, boost morale, or even just find some familiar voices to help calm them down.
Brooklyn infielder Reed Gamache leans on his parents and brother for support. Before each game Gamache texts his father, but they don’t say much to each other in their messages. Both of them know the meaning of the texts go a long way and it helps the mini-Met get mentally prepared for the game. Gamache also looks to older brother Dan for advice on his journey through the minors. Dan has played in the college ranks and is currently a minor leaguer as well.
Like Gamache, Brooklyn pitcher Colin Holderman seeks knowledge on the game from his father, who gives him advice on how to improve his game. Holderman also credits his mom tremendously for the aid she has given him throughout his life.
Brooklyn outfielder Jeremy Wolfe likes to talk to his biggest fan who has a great baseball mind- his grandfather. When Wolfe isn’t talking to family he likes to catch up with high school and college buddies through Snapchat and group text. They help= him relax and ease some of the weighted pressure that comes with the Cyclone schedule.
Whether family or friends, these Brooklyn Cyclones all have someone that is a big part of their success and a huge help for them to get away from the game.
Hudson Valley Renegades
By Chris Calamari
With a month left in the New York-Penn League season, the Hudson Valley Renegades are looking to finish the season off strong. It’s during this time that players look for advice from friends and family to help them through the rest of the grueling schedule. For some players, their families are not so close to the teams, making it more difficult to stay in contact with them. One of these players is pitcher Drew Strotman, whose family lives out in California making it hard to see them in person. While they can still give him tons of support over the phone, it is his host family that can also help him throughout the season. While Strotman finds that it is easy to stay in contact with his family a little each day, pitcher Mikey York finds it more difficult. York says that with his game schedule and the time difference between his hometown in Nevada it is hard to remain in contact with his family throughout the year.
In the most difficult of times players look to some of the most important people in their lives for help and advice. Catcher Zac Law seeks important knowledge from his fianceé and especially his father. During the season, he remains in good contact with his father to talk about how he can improve and how to handle tough decisions. In a similar way, Mikey York looks to his father who went through the same process, as he was a former big leaguer. York likes to talk to his father who completely understands the situations that he is put in. For Strotman, he likes to be more independent leaning on everyone a little for advice. Some players even talk to other players in the minor leagues like Mikey York who has a friend in the Mets farm system. As they are both going through the minor leagues, they both understand the lifestyle they are experiencing.
