WINNIPEG – Another baseball season is right around the corner as 26 players took to the field for the start of Winnipeg Goldeyes’ spring training. But even before the first bat was swung, the Goldeyes were down an infielder after newcomer Jordan Ebert had his contract purchased by the Colorado Rockies.
“I didn’t know that was coming.” said Goldeyes manager Rick Forney. “I got a call from the league office today, and said have you heard from the Rockies yet, and I said no, what’s up? They said Ebert’s getting signed. I said that’s great, let me find the kid. I hadn’t seen him or met him yet. He wasn’t here at the field yet. I had to call him at the hotel.”
11 players have returned from the Goldeyes championship run last season including the league’s all-time home run king Reggie Abercrombie. The former big league outfielder has contemplated retirement in the past, but is still going strong now at the age of 36.
“When I can’t hit a fastball then I’ll let it go.” Abercrombie said.
“But ’til now everything is going good. Mama is happy, everybody is happy, son is happy. Everything is getting paid, so I get the opportunity to still play winter ball, and still have the joy to play this game.”
“I’m always glad to have Reggie back.” Forney said. “As long as he wants to play, his skill set is unmatched by anybody in this league.”
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Forney is entering his 12th season as the club’s skipper and some of his toughest decisions at this year’s camp will revolve around the pitching staff. The club brought back four starters from 2016 with Mikey O’Brien, Edwin Carl, Kevin McGovern, and Duke Von Schamann all back from last year’s championship winning pitching staff.
“I have what I think is a lot of really good pitching, some tough decisions.” said Forney. “There’s probably six or seven, maybe eight guys that could be starting pitchers here and I would think do really well, but you can’t carry everybody.”
And with only five exhibition games Forney won’t have a lot to go on when he makes his final cuts to get down to the 23-man limit.
“You guess, and you hope you guess right.” said Forney.
The Fish will play their first of two home exhibition games on Wednesday against the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks.
WATCH: Goldeyes Open Spring Training
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