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NILES – You might say that Thursday was a hectic day for Mahoning Valley Scrappers manager Travis Fryman.
After completing several interviews during the annual media day at Eastwood Field, Fryman hurried a group of players back to the clubhouse to prepare for a bus trip to Granville, West Virginia, for the season opener against the West Virginia Black Bears, a Class A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates. By the time the Scrappers return for the home opener Thursday against State College, Fryman might know each of the players by name.
“As always, the first 72 hours to a week here are the most chaotic weeks I’ll have in professional baseball in any level I will have worked in,” said Fryman, an infielder for 13 combined seasons with the Detroit Tigers and Cleveland Indians (1990-2002). “You have some guys that have been in our system, some that just got drafted and some that are just flying in.
“I remember one year we had opening day the next day and the night before I didn’t even have enough position players to fill the lineup out. It’s a very chaotic first few days, but you’ll develop some neat relationships with these young men as the summer progresses.”
Fryman knows the routine very well. He served as the Scrappers manager in the Indians’ farm system from 2008-10 before accepting a role as an instructor on all levels within the system.
As manager of a low-level, half-season Class A team in the New York-Penn League, it’s Fryman’s job to help in the adjustment period for players who are often making their first appearances as professional athletes. Winning games is always important, but it’s equally as important to discover and develop talent that may go on to play in Major League Baseball.
“The first 30 days here are very much fundamental aspects,” Fryman said. “Introduction into the Indians’ organization and an introduction into professional baseball. Once we hit that 30-day mark, we transition a little bit into more position specific and individual limitations.”
In many ways, Fryman’s role is part baseball instructor, part game-day manager and part father. He fits in well with the latter role as the father of three sons.
“A lot of patience is required anytime you work with young players or young people in general,” Fryman said. “Then there’s a cultural dynamic that’s always unique to a lower level, and it’s a new experience for a lot of our draft picks. Patience is the motto.”
Fryman will have more prospects to work with due to the expansion of rosters from 25 to 38 players. During the course of the season, some of the players on the opening-day roster will move on, leaving behind a core group that will try to earn the first New York-Penn League championship since 2004.
Fryman will have to learn about some of the players on the fly. He has more information on others because of previous work they’ve logged in either the Indians’ system or the system of another team.
Fryman noted outfielder Anthony Santander of Venezuela, shortstop Willi Castro of Puerto Rico and catcher Li-Jen Chu of Taiwan. Among others in the mix for playing time are 12 members of the 2015 draft class, including infielder Mark Mathias (third round), outfielder Nathan Lukes (seventh round), pitcher Devon Stewart (ninth round) and pitcher Billy Strode (10th round).
The patience Fryman referred to isn’t always easy for managers who were highly successful players. Fryman certainly qualifies as a success story with a career .274 batting average. He hit 223 home runs and drove in 1,022 runs.
Fryman learned a valuable lesson from the late Ken Rowe, the Scrappers pitching coach during Fryman’s first stop in the area.
“Every year he said, ‘Trav, don’t forget how hard it is to play the game,’ ” Fryman said. “Sometimes the further removed you are from your playing days, the better you got. The fish gets bigger the further you are from catching it.
“It takes time to become a good baseball player. I have more coaching experience than I had when I first worked here and a fuller understanding of what it takes to get from this point to a Major League All Star.”