Witte looking to make the most of latest chance with PawSox
Popular 3B has spent much of season with Double-A Portland
PAWTUCKET – The PawSox took their annual team photo on Sunday. You would be hard pressed to find anyone happier to button up the red uniform top and carry a chair to shallow left-center field for the actual photo shoot than Jantzen Witte. That’s because it meant Witte was getting another shot in a Triple-A setting, an important fact that hasn’t always defined the 28-year-old infielder, who for the second straight year opened the season on Pawtucket’s roster. Nearly three months ago, Witte was optioned to Double-A Portland. It was a move that gnawed away at manager Kevin Boles, knowing that the PawSox were losing a good clubhouse guy and someone who was no stranger to these parts. Entering the 2018 season, Witte had respectively logged 100 and 80 games with Pawtucket in each of the previous two campaigns. “He’s a Triple-A player, but at the time, there was only a certain amount of spots and certain things that have to be done,” Boles said when asked about Witte prior to Rochester avoiding the sweep with a 6-3 win over Pawtucket on Sunday before 6,554. Witte was in the PawSox lineup for the second straight day, the reward for belting a home run as part of a four-RBI performance on Saturday night. Pawtucket was in the market for an infielder after Tony Renda was called up to Boston and turned to a familiar face in Witte, who hopes his third stint in Triple-A this season lasts until the final chapter is written about the 2018 PawSox. “Picture Day is something you don’t think about during the course of a season, but anytime you get a chance to come back here, it feels good,” Witte said. “I’m hoping to put together some games and
stick around a while.” Instead of dwelling on what surely was a bitter pill to swallow, Witte stayed the course and emerged as a key offensive cog in Portland’s lineup. He batted a respectable .272 with nine home runs and 45 RBI in 66 games with the Sea Dogs, all while hoping the Red Sox would grant him another chance to face International League pitching. “Whenever we’ve said to him that he’s going to Portland, it’s a tough conversation because we love him,” Boles said. “Even when he’s not here, he feels like he’s part of this club. It’s just the affect he has on guys.” Witte has always played a quality third base – he handled all five chances that Rochester sent his way on Sunday. A left intercostal strain forced him to spend time on Pawtucket’s disabled list in early May, n injury that may have contributed to a slow start at the plate. Witte was hitting just .217 with Pawtucket in 15 games before heading to Portland, where he last played in 2016. “When I was sent down, I was initially bummed,” Witte said. It’s hard to think about where you fit into the organization and believing that you’re better off focusing on yourself, but it’s about controlling what you can control.” Then Witte saw the silver lining – regular playing time, even if it was at the Double-A level. Not only did he receive game reps at his primary position, but the Sea Dogs also used him at second base, first base and the outfield. The 10 games that Witte logged in left field for Portland represented his first taste of outfield life as a pro. “I always felt that if I was given the chance at everyday reps that I would do well,” Witte said. Inside the Portland clubhouse, Witte emerged as the elder statesman, a distinction that goes with the territory of looking around and seeing players who are in their early 20s. Witte had spent considerable time around youngsters like recent PawSox callup and first baseman Josh Ockimey during spring training over the past few years, yet the Texas Christian University product understood that he was in a prime position to pass along some advice. “Being around Pawtucket the last few years, you’re around guys who have been in the majors and understand that you don’t need a ton of reps every single day to feel your best,” Witte said. “You can be smart and take 10 focused reps instead of 30. Maybe some of the guys who I was with in Portland watched me do stuff, whether it’s in the cage or taking groundballs.” Much to Witte’s dismay, Portland’s locker at Hadlock Field didn’t include a ping-pong table. With the PawSox are home, not a day goes by when teammates aren’t picking up the paddles and engaging in friendly competition. Regarded as a top tennis talent while growing up in Texas, Witte was one of the ringleaders when it comes to getting that day’s ping-pong competition rolling in the PawSox clubhouse. “The ping-pong table is nice, but being back here is nicer,” Witte said. This season may have not gone according to script, but Witte knows there’s still time to make amends in the same baseball port of call that requires no introductions on his part. “For whatever reason, it’s felt like a longer season than the ones in the past,” Witte said. “If you gave me the option, I would much rather be here. That’s not a knock on anywhere else, but I’d much rather be this much closer to the big leagues than down there.”