Conner has his Queen, now aims for top
VERSATILE: At age 22, Canadians utility man is happily married and focused on making Blue Jays one day
Seth Conner is the Vancouver Canadians’ resident grown-up.
At 22, the right-handed catcher/ corner infielder is one of the older guys on the C’s.
He’s also married, which is a rarity at this level of pro ball.
Conner and Laura Queen, 22, who started dating when they were 14, were wed last September in Ash Grove, Mo., two weeks after Conner had helped the C’s win their third straight Northwest League crown.
Not a bad stretch for getting rings, eh, Seth?
“I got the most important one on my left hand,” said Conner, pointing at his wedding band.
You’re welcome, Seth. We’re here to help.
Queen is slated to come to Vancouver this week and remain here for the majority of the summer, before returning to Missouri State University to continue her studies toward becoming an occupational therapist. Conner’s billets, Jennifer Ettinger and Max Weder, have offered for her to stay with them, too.
He admits his teammates find the whole thing “interesting.”
“A lot of the lifestyle is contrary to being married at a young age,” said Conner. “But a lot of them really respect it.
“When you know you know. I was very content to be married.”
They had 300 guests at their wedding — her parents were both longtime school teachers in the area and he had countless buddies from baseball. Former C’s infielder Shane Opitz was slated to be in the wedding party at one point, but ended up being assigned to play winter ball in Australia.
Conner admits there are challenges with her coming to Vancouver. The C’s have one off-day in July and then four in August, with three of those tied to the Northwest League All-Star Game.
“But Jennifer and Max are awesome,” said Conner, who stayed with married couple during his time with Vancouver last season, “and, in my opinion, this is the best minor league city in baseball. The stadium, the fans, the way the front office treats you … it’s awesome.
“Laura loves baseball. She was raised around it. It does come with the territory now, but she enjoyed it beforehand, so that’s good.”
Conner’s off to a slow start with the C’s. Going into Wednesday, he was batting .167 (4-for-24) through seven games. Vancouver’s parent club, the Toronto Blue Jays, had picked him in the 41st round of the 2010 draft out of Logan-Rogersville high school in Rogersville, Mo.
He showed some ability at the bat during two seasons with the Bluefield Blue Jays, batting .296 in 49 Appalachian League games, with two home runs and 28 runs batted in. He started this season up a level from Vancouver, with the Lansing Lugnuts of the Single A Midwest League, but got into just six games in the first two months there, hitting .200 (4-for-20). The 6-foot-2, 205-pound Conner was drafted originally as a third baseman, and played first and third his rookie season in the minors in 2011.