DOUBLE PLAY
Isotope Garneau, a father of twins, balances family, baseball
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER
Father’s Day is doubly important for Dustin Garneau this year. It’s a source of great joy and perhaps a little pressure. Garneau, a catcher for the Albuquerque Isotopes, is getting his first taste of fatherhood this year. It’s a double dose. Garneau and his wife, Jacqlyn, welcomed twin sons to their family in September.
Now 8 months old, Maverick and Maddox Garneau are in full-blown crawling stage.
“You put them down and they’re gone,” Dustin said. “Our whole house is baby-proof.”
Professional baseball’s lengthy seasons are always challenging for players and their families, but 2017 has been like a steady diet of nasty sliders for the Garneaus.
The 29-year-old earned a spot on the Colorado Rockies’ opening-day roster and his family joined him in Denver. But Garneau played sporadically, hit .206 in 22 games and was optioned to Albuquerque on May 16. Jacqlyn and the boys did not come with him.
“They went back home to (Orange) California,” Garneau said. “It made more sense with the kids being little and not really knowing how long I’m going to be
here. I like playing in Albuquerque but it’s tough. I miss them every day.”
Garneau is doing his best to earn a return trip to Denver. Entering Saturday’s late game at Sacramento, he was hitting .341 with five home runs and nine RBIs in 13 games with the Isotopes.
But his situation in Albuquerque is similar to the one he faced with the catchingrich Rockies. The Isotopes have three catchers on their roster, making consistent playing time and at-bats tough to come by.
Garneau prefers to emphasize the positive.
“It’s hard to get in rhythm when you don’t play every day,” he said, “but that’s my situation with the Rockies so I need to learn how to handle it. The biggest thing is just simplifying my swing so it’s easy to repeat whether I’m starting, pinch-hitting or coming off the bench.”
Garneau and the Isotopes are on the road this weekend, playing a four-game series in Sacramento. It’s a Father’s Day bonus for Garneau, whose family will be at today’s game.
“That’s all the present I need,” he said.
Fatherhood has been a learning experience for Garneau, with the curve intensified by a factor of two. He said coming home to Maverick and Maddox (or a long-distance visit via FaceTime) helps him put aside the frustrations of a tough day at the ballpark.
“The biggest change for me besides having two new human beings at home,” Garneau said, “is that they’re always happy to see me. I can’t go home mad and I don’t. You really learn to leave the game at the ballpark.”
Garneau literally left the ballpark, Denver’s Coors Field, in a rush last Sept. 20 to be with Jacqlyn for the birth of their sons. He was getting ready for batting practice with the Rockies when he learned his wife had gone into labor.
The family is hoping for a similar gathering this fall. Jacqlyn is expecting the couple’s third child, another boy, in November.
Of course, Garneau’s baseball career would have to be going particularly well for him to be called away from batting practice this time. The World Series is scheduled to start in late October.
In the interim, Garneau’s primary focus is on playing well enough with the Isotopes to earn a return trip to Colorado — and some extra family time. Jacqlyn and the boys will rejoin him upon a promotion to Denver.
“You always want to get called up, of course,” Garneau said, “but there’s definitely a little extra fire for me this time.”