Independent spirit has kept Font chasing his dream
Pitcher used time in Can-Am League to get back to MLB mound
SEATTLE >> Wilmer Font currently finds himself with a spot in the A’s bullpen, but there was a time where this opportunity to pitch in the majors felt like it may never come again for him.
Originally signed out of Venezuela by the Texas Rangers at 16 in 2006, Font spent eight years with the club. He was in the minor leagues for most of those eight years, with only a handful of combined big league appearances in 2012 and 2013. But after failing to see the results they wanted out of him, the Rangers decided not to tender a contract to Font and cut ties with the right-hander following the 2014 season.
Font tried to latch on with the Cincinnati Reds in 2015 as a nonroster invite, but the club decided to release him toward the end of spring training.
With the 2015 season about to begin and Font without a team, an unexpected offer came his way. It was the Ottawa Champions of the Can-Am League, an independent
professional baseball league with teams in Canada and the United States.
It was a strange situation for Font, but having no other choice he decided to accept the offer and
make the trip up north. Now living in a city in which a large segment of the population speaks French, there was certainly an adjustment period for Font.
“It was a little different because I was so used to the culture here,” Font said. “Over there it was different. But the team made the process easy. The league over there also had some pretty good competition.”
Font turned in a decent season for the Champions in 2015, going 10-4 with a 4.07 ERA in 20 starts. But with no offers or invites to spring training in 2016, Font remained with Ottawa the following season.
Through nine starts, Font went 2-2 with a 3.13 ERA, and struck out 61 batters over 60 1/3 innings. That’s when Champions manager Hal Lanier decided to place a call to the Toronto Blue Jays.
“My manager from Canada had some contacts with Toronto,” Font said. “He made a call to let them know they should take a look at me.”
The Blue Jays liked what they saw from the hardthrowing righty, and on July 4, 2016, they decided to purchase his contract from Ottawa and insert him into the minor league system.
After nearly two years in Canada, Font once again found a way back to a major league club. Only this time, he returned with the experience in Canada having helped him get a better understanding of how to approach hitters and have a matured mentality which helped him keep his emotions in check.
“I think it helped me get back to the shape I needed to be in and helped me find a door back in to the big leagues,” Font said of his time in Canada. “I kept a positive mind. It was that positive mindset that eventually helped me get back.”
Font, 27, arrived to the A’s last week in a trade with the Los Angeles Dodgers in exchange for minor league pitcher Logan Salow. He struggled through six relief appearances with the Dodgers, going 0-2 with an 11.32 ERA before getting designated for assignment, and those struggles continued in his first appearance with the A’s as he surrendered three home runs in Saturday’s loss to the Houston Astros.
Though he’s combined to allowed eight home runs over just 12 1/3 innings this season, the A’s front office saw something they liked in Font’s big arm, which includes a fastball that can reach up to 98 mph. It’s just a matter of getting control of the long ball issues in order to unlock that potential, which was seen with the Dodgers’ Triple-A affiliate last season when he went 10-8 with a 3.42 ERA in 25 starts, leading the entire Pacific Coast League in strikeouts with 178 over 134 1/3 innings.
“He has to keep the ball down and stay out of predictable counts,” A’s manager Bob Melvin said. “He has the ability to strike guys out and an explosive fastball in the mid 90s. He has the ability to start. There’s some ability there, it’s just finding the right place for him. Whether it’s starting or relieving, trying to get him in a good place. There’s some talent there.”