Eager manager eyes big turnaround
Former pitcher brings ‘youthful enthusiasm’ to struggling team
Before Mother Nature took a turn for the worse, professional baseball returned to Fort Marcy Ballpark on Tuesday morning with the first of more than a dozen preseason workouts for the Santa Fe Fuego.
Most of the team’s 22-man active roster reported for duty in preparation for the May 24 season opener against White Sands. Of those, just five were on last year’s team that produced the worst record in the Pecos League and the lowest winning percentage in the history of the club.
Back at the helm is the man who ended last season as a pitcher with the rival Trinidad Triggers in the league championship series, T.J. Zarewicz. He was Santa Fe’s opening day starter this time time last year but wound up as the manager by midseason.
A player at heart, he returns this spring with the sole mindset of turning things around for a team that was the Pecos League bell cow for its first four years. He spent the winter scouring the internet and working at tryout camps looking for fresh faces.
He brings with him a slew of rookies and pro ball veterans, orchestrating a roster of players he thinks will make the Fuego an instant contender in a league that’s threatening to leave Santa Fe in the dust.
“It’s a night-and-day difference and not necessarily because of the quality of guys,” Zarewicz said. “I mean, last year I thought there was a great group of guys but when there’s a little bit more instruction, when there’s a little bit more regimented schedule and a guy that they can trust, that’s what I want. I want to earn to respect and trust of these guys and if I do, we’re going to play better and improve.”
Among the new players is someone fairly local. Dylan Norris is a left-handed pitcher out of New Mexico Highlands who went 3-1 with a 4.95 earned run average in 15 appearances with the Cowboys this spring. He comes to the Fuego after Zarewicz approached NMHU coach Shannon Hunt about another player.
Like pretty much anyone else at this level of independent ball, Norris has big dreams while faced with the reality that a more lucrative career is waiting outside the sport. Drawing the standard $50-a-week Pecos League salary is enough to stem the tide of leaving the game — for now.
“Any time you get this opportunity, any time a door opens you better walk through it even
if it is just a foot in the door,” he said. “If you get that opp you better take it and that’s what I’m here to do.”
Of the returning vets is third baseman Matt Telesco, a lateseason addition who got a taste of what Santa Fe has to offer. The Fresno, Calif., native was one of the few players from a year ago Zarewicz decided to pursue. The fact that the Fuego manager has the kind of youthful enthusiasm most players are drawn to only makes it better, Telesco said.
“He’s a younger coach who’s got a lot of fire, a lot of energy,” he said. “It’s easy to play for a guy like that. He’s also very knowledgeable, which we all respect.”
TEAM NOTES
Open practices: Zarewicz is opening every preseason workout to the public. The team will be on the field twice a day leading up to the season opener next week. Morning workouts run from 10 to noon while afternoon practices are 4 to 7 p.m., and fans are encouraged to attend.
Housekeeping: A few minor upgrades have taken place at Fort Marcy, namely the completely rebuilt pitcher’s mound and a batting cage west of the right field area.
Zarewicz reconstructed the mound himself, using a tarp to keep it covered — something that the team has been asking for since its inception six years ago. The batting cage is a result of Zarewicz using his connections around town. The netting was donated by Capital High School while the footing for the support posts came from the city. The posts themselves were paid for out of Zarewicz’s own pocket when he found an outfitter just outside of town who offered him a good deal.
The infield skin also got a makeover as the basepaths were leveled and edged by a crew from the city.
Housing needed: Fuego general manager Yvonne Encinias is looking for host families. The message: The more families willing to take in a player or two, the better.
Anyone interested can contact Encinias through the team’s website at www.santafefuego.com.
Likewise, the team is in need of a public address announcer. The requirements are simple; be energetic, have a love of the game and be reliable.