The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
Wilcox proud of Newtown roots
Kyle Wilcox wears his hometown pride as a badge of honor.
He wouldn’t be where he is today — a 2015 sixthround draft pick by the Seattle Mariners, in the midst of an excellent second season with Class-A Clinton as a versatile reliever — without the guidance of friends, family and coaches from Newtown.
“It’s unbelievable,” Wilcox said by phone last week. “I’ve had the best experiences in my life from Newtown. The people who have supported me throughout my career have helped me become who I am today. I’m very thankful.”
Of course, being from Newtown means that, wherever his baseball career takes him, Wilcox will always be asked about the horrific events of Dec. 14, 2012, when 20 first-graders and six adult staff members were killed in a shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School.
“It’s definitely something that people kind of associate with where I’m from,” said Wilcox. “I can educate people that don’t know much about it.”
Wilcox was just finishing up his first semester as a freshman at Bryant University when the Sandy Hook tragedy occurred. He didn’t have any direct ties to anyone at the school, but the news predictably hit him hard.
“Obviously, it’s a terrible event that happened,” he said. “It affected the town as a whole very strongly.”
And as for those conspiracy theorists like Alex Jones, who believe the entire tragedy was a hoax?
“That’s terrible. Those people are immature and insensitive. That’s not something that anyone should ever be mentioning or talking about.”
Wilcox, a 6-foot-3 righthander, had a terrific career at Bryant, going 10-6 with a 3.40 ERA over 43 games (23 starts). As a junior, in his second year as a full-time starter, Wilcox went 7-3 with a 3.24 ERA in a team-high 80.2 innings. He won seven straight decisions during the season and posted four starts of eight innings or more.
It was enough for the Mariners to select him in the sixth round, 185th overall, in the 2015 MLB draft — the third-highest pick in program history.
Wilcox reported to Class A short-season Everett and pitched well, notching nine saves in nine chances. Batters hit just .185 off him.
Last year, however, Wilcox spent the entire season with Clinton and struggled. In 36 appearances (nine starts), Wilcox went 4-5 with a 7.11 ERA. He returned home to Connecticut over the winter intent on making improvements.
“I knew there were some things that had to change after last year,” he said. “I worked really hard in the offseason, knowing I had to change to keep playing.” His biggest change? “Focus. Rather than results, I’m kind of more focused on the process, on the little things.”
Things like his daily preparation in the training room, weight-lifting, running, focus during catch and bullpen sessions. In fact, ask Wilcox about his numbers this season (3.45 ERA, .191 opponents batting average, 48 Ks in 31.1 innings) and he honestly doesn’t even know what they are.
“The important numbers in our organization are first-pitch strikes and 1-1 count percentages,” he noted. “It had never been drilled into my mind this way, that hitters’ batting averages are way down if you’re ahead in the count. Regardless of what I did last year, I’m always looking forward.”
Heck, Wilcox, who picked up his second save of the season on Wednesday, isn’t even worried about his role out of the bullpen.
“The best thing I can do right now is give my manager the confidence in me to go out and compete, every time he calls my name from the bullpen,” he added.
Wilcox is living in the present, getting used to living among the cornfields in Iowa, and simply trying to become the best player he can be.
“My goals every day are to have the same focus and positive attitude,” he said. “My goals are daily at this point. I’m optimistic about moving forward.”
Lessons he first learned while growing up in his beloved hometown of Newtown.
Schlitter Sharp
Another Bryant product with roots even closer to New Haven has been outstanding this season — and could be pitching much closer to home soon.
Guilford’s Craig Schlitter is 9-1 with a 2.40 ERA in 13 starts for Lancaster, the high-A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies. A 27thround pick by the Rockies in 2014, Schlitter boasts a 1.23 WHIP. Opponents are batting just .237 against the 6-foot righthander.
If Schlitter keeps up this pace, a promotion to Double-A could be on the horizon. The Rockies’ DoubleA affiliate, of course, is the Hartford Yard Goats, so it’s entirely possible Schlitter will be pitching at Dunkin’ Donuts Park before this summer is through.