Hawkins takes big first step in chasing big league dreams

By Darren Steinke
Gordie Howe Sports Complex

Garrett Hawkins throws a pitch at the Indoor Training Centre.

Garrett Hawkins was ready to jump into the next level of work when he was drafted into the MLB.

On the second day the 2021 MLB Draft this past July 12, the hard-throwing right-handed pitcher from Biggar, Sask., was selected in the ninth round and 280^th overall by the San Diego Padres. The draft selection was a huge highlight for the 21-year-old, but he knew the long journey to try and become an everyday MLB player continued.

“It was pretty exciting just knowing that all the hard work had paid off,” said Hawkins, who towers on the mound at 6-foot-5 and weighs 230 pounds. “You kind of got to a point that you’re just proud of yourself and proud of everyone that kind of contributed to it.

“Not to say that the work isn’t done. There is still a lot more to do, but it is a good first step for sure.”

Hawkins, who trains in the off-season at the Gordie Howe Sports Complex, had been playing for the New Jersey state capital-based Trenton Thunder of the MLB Draft league at the time he was selected by the Padres. 

With the Thunder, Hawkins started six games posting a 1-0 record, a 2.63 ERA, 32 strikeouts while giving up two walks in 24 innings of work.

Shortly after being drafted, Hawkins traveled to Peoria, Arizona, to join the Padres rookie team that plays in the 18-club Arizona Complex League.

With the ACL Padres, Hawkins put up solid numbers. The graduate of the Saskatoon Giants under-18 AAA program appeared in seven games with the ACL Padres posting a 3-1 record, a 2.35 ERA, 27 strikeouts while giving up two walks in 15.1 innings.

“I enjoyed it,” said Hawkins, whose main pitches are the fastball, slider and change up. “I just kind of got my toes wet in how it all works going forward.

Garrett Hawkins was picked in the MLB Draft by the San Diego Padres.

“I got to meet a lot of people, see lots of like different cultures like lots of Latin players that I haven’t had a chance to be around a tonne and kind of just meeting all the new draftees that got picked in my year also. It was pretty good, and I am excited to kind of get going again and move my way up.”

Hawkins said he benefitted from the fact he got some real good coaching with the ACL Padres, which he thought helped his performance on the field.

“I think I just kind of maybe took another step once I got there,” said Hawkins, who can throw his fastball at 93 to 95 miles per hour. “Eventually, something stuck, and I kind of just used it to my advantage.

“I think just the increased input from the coaching staff and all that helped a lot.”

Throughout his life, Hawkins said baseball was the sport he was always the most passionate about. That passion took root from simple beginnings.

“I kind of just started playing baseball at a young age playing catch with my dad (Ian Hawkins) at home,” said Hawkins. “Eventually, I was just playing minor baseball.

“All my friends were kind of doing it at the time.”

When he started playing minor baseball, Hawkins said he started to experience success on the mound early on.

“I’d say it happened right away,” said Hawkins. “Obviously, I hit and pitched at a younger age, but I kind of had a knack for pitching when I was younger.”

Hawkins ultimately caught the eyes of the high-performance coaches with Baseball Sask. He helped Saskatchewan win gold at the 2016 Baseball Canada Cup in Fort McMurray, Alta., and at the 2017 Canada Summer Games in Winnipeg.

Garrett Hawkins had a good season with the Padres rookie team.

The standout hurler credited Greg Brons, who is the High Performance Director for Baseball Sask, with getting a core group of players playing together or against each other on younger teams and training together in the years heading into those gold medal wins.

Hawkins said the players became good friends and a realization grew that they might be able to accomplish big goals together.

“We had a core group of guys that (Greg) Brons kind of brought up together and kind of knew we had the potential to do something like that,” said Hawkins. “That group had been together for maybe three years before that, so when it came time to put it all together, I just kind of remember all the guys that we had and just how good we were and how ready we were to kind of be on that stage.

“It was exciting.”

Besides those gold medal wins on a national stage, Hawkins enjoyed playing against and with a number of his provincial team teammates in the provincial under-18 AAA league. He has lots of good memories throwing for the Saskatoon Giants at Cairns Field and Leakos Field.

“I enjoyed it just because most of the time it is like Saskatoon team versus a Saskatoon team, so you kind of want to beat the other one,” said Hawkins. “I enjoyed my time playing here for sure.”

After his season wrapped up with the ACL Padres, Hawkins elected to live in Saskatoon during the off-season in order to train at the Gordie Howe Sports Complex. On top of doing his own training, Hawkins will help out the crew at the Going Yard Training Centre coach young pitchers.

Jordan Draeger, who is one of Going Yard’s top instructors, was one of Hawkins past coaches.

“It is pretty cool just seeing (the young pitchers), because I was in those guys shoes kind of when I was in high school,” said Hawkins. “It is kind of cool seeing those guys build up and be around them as much as I can trying to help out, if they need it.

Garrett Hawkins aims to keep moving up the professional ranks.

“I like going in there and doing my work and getting to watch some other guys do theirs, so it is pretty cool.”

Hawkins, who will turn 22-years-old in February, said all the coaches he had through the years have had a big impact in allowing him to have the success he has had.

Going into his second season as a professional, Hawkins said his main focus is improving his consistency.

“I kind of like where my pitches are at now,” said Hawkins. “I think just continuing to learn about hitters and stuff like that and just trust myself.

“I just have to continue to get better each day and try and move up.”

Albers thankful for return to AAA ball and “the Show”

By Darren Steinke
Gordie Howe Sports Complex

Andrew Albers sets to throw a pitch in January 2020.

For Andrew Albers, it was a blessing to get another season under the sun playing AAA and Major League Baseball when you are an older pitcher.

When you are a veteran left-handed hurler that hasn’t played at those levels for three seasons, it is even more of a blessing.

After finishing the 2017 season with the MLB’s Seattle Mariners, Albers, who is from North Battleford, Sask., played three seasons in Japan’s top professional league for the Orix Buffaloes from 2018 to 2020.

This past February at age 35, Albers signed a minor league contract with the MLB’s Minnesota Twins that included an invitation to Spring Training. Things took off from there resulting in a spot with the AAA St. Paul Saints and a return to playing games in the MLB this past August.

“They offered me a position out of spring kind of as a depth guy in AAA,” said Albers, who spends his off-seasons back in Saskatchewan. “Obviously, they had a lot of injuries to their pitching staff this year, and I was able to put together a good couple of months.

“I was thankful for the opportunity they gave me. I was able to go out and have a couple of good outings (with the Twins). I probably had possibly the worst start of my career in Tampa. Unfortunately, that is just kind of how things go.

“After that, I was a little bit rough just kind of going up and down and pitching on short notice and some things like that. Again, when you are in my situation, it was all I could ask for. They gave me an opportunity, and I was really thankful for that.”

At the AAA level, Albers was a starter and saw action in 18 total games posting an 8-4 record, a 3.88 earned-run average, 88 strikeouts and 11 walks.

On Aug. 19, Albers, who stands 6-foot-1 and weighs 200 pounds, made his first appearance of the season at the big league level at Yankee Stadium. He threw four innings of relief for the Twins in their 7-5 loss striking out four batters giving up two hits including a solo home run and one walk.

Andrew Albers unloads a pitch in January of 2020.

Albers got his first start of the season for the Twins at home on Aug. 27. He threw five-and-a-third innings striking out two, while giving up three hits and one walk picking up the pitching win in a 2-0 victory.

In total this past season, Albers made five appearances for the Twins posting a 1-2 record, a 7.58 ERA, 12 strikeouts and nine walks.

He said the biggest adjustment playing at the AAA and MLB levels in 2021 compared to 2017 was seeing how much analytics have changed the game. He noted starters rarely get to throw over 100 pitches in a game, see a batting order for a third time or go six or seven innings deep into a contest.

He had some discussions with pitching coaches and managers about getting an early hook at times this season. Albers added the middle relievers are better than at any other time he can remember in the game, so he understood the strategies there.

“It was really interesting,” said Albers. “For me in my entire career, I’ve been brought up and it was all throw the ball down at the knees with your fastball and work in and out.

“Coming to the analytics this year, it has gone a lot more to throwing the ball at the top of the zone and just working your breaking ball underneath the zone. For me, it was finding a way to incorporate some of those analytics, but then also go back to what I have been successful with. As long as you command the baseball and you throw the pitch where you want to and you have a plan of what you want to do with guys, you can still be successful.”

During the off-season, Albers returns home to Saskatchewan and gets out fairly frequently to help players coming up in the province’s minor baseball system in various training sessions. He has made regular appearances at the Indoor Training Centre on the Gordie Howe Sports Complex grounds the past two off-seasons.

Being based in Saskatoon for this off-season, Albers plans to made a few more appearances to help out.

“I enjoy doing it first of all,” said Albers. “I think second of all I really enjoyed growing up in Saskatchewan.

Andrew Albers demonstrates a pitching technique in Jan. 2020.

“I had a lot of people obviously put in a whole bunch of time and hours into my career and my development. I feel like for me going back and getting to work with some of the younger players I can maybe provide a little bit different perspective than what some other guys can.

“It is always nice to have somebody who has kind of gone through the process whether it is going through college or going through the professional game and things like that just to be able to bounce ideas off of or ask questions to or things like that.”

Albers, who is a graduate of North Battleford’s John Paul II Collegiate, remembers the work the various coaches in the province did with him and likes trying to help out those coaches.

“I had a lot of mentors who did that for me in the province guys like Greg Brons and Rob Cherepuschak who are still there,” said Albers, who played for the defunct Saskatoon Yellow Jackets of the Western Canadian Baseball League in 2004. “They are still doing a great job.

“To be able to give back a little bit in that way especially again in Saskatchewan when you don’t necessarily have everybody come back, for me that is important.”

At the Gordie Howe Sports Complex, Albers like working with Jordan Draeger and the rest of staff at the Going Yard Training Centre in developing young players.

Albers hopes that his presence does put the idea in the minds of young players that you can come from Saskatchewan and eventually play the game at a level as high as the MLB.

“The more of those guys you can see around and the more that you realize that it might be possible, maybe that motivates them a little bit,” said Albers. “They realize that even though it can be a tough and a long road it is possible, and that is what you hope just being able to see those pro guys come in.”

As for next season, Albers is currently a free agent and said at this point there isn’t much clarity as to where he will be. The collective bargaining agreement between the MLB and the MLB Players Association is set to expire on Dec. 1.

Albers, who turned 36-years-old on Oct. 6, believes there is a good chance there will be a little bit of a work stoppage. For someone his age, he would appreciate the chance to experience one more season under the sun.

Andrew Albers chats with some young players in Jan. 2020.

“I’m hoping to hopefully go back and play in AAA again next year in kind of a similar situation to this year,” said Albers. “We’ll see if I can find an opportunity to do that.

“Obviously you know, you start getting a little bit older, and you are not quite sure how many more opportunities you are going to have. I looked at the playoff rosters this year. If I were on them, I would have been the oldest on five out of the 10 (teams).

“I just think, ‘Holy smokes, that is kind of crazy.’ For me, I look at it as a guy like me to still be playing when the game has gotten very young very quick, I’ve just been very fortunate and blessed to play as long as I have. Hopefully, I can trick somebody into giving me one more shot next year, and then we’ll go from there.”

Going Yard enjoys new era

Baseball training centre grows at Gordie Howe Sports Complex

By Darren Steinke
Gordie Howe Sports Complex

A player works on fielding during a Going Yard training session.

The Going Yard Training Centre has come a long way from a simple origin.

In the early 2010s, Saskatoon resident Dan Demchenko agreed to send one of his sons to a baseball academy in Alberta. After spending a sizable amount of money in that endeavour, he wondered why Saskatchewan didn’t have a similar sort of training facility.

Demchenko proceeded to establish the Going Yard Training Centre in 2013. He then hired Jordan Draeger, Matt Kosteniuk and Brody Boyenko as instructors, who all have experience with high-end baseball.

Going Yard opened its first facility with a training warehouse located on Alberta Avenue. Demchenko would turn over Going Yard venture to his young instructors.

On March 1, 2019, Going Yard was brought on to the grounds of the Gordie Howe Sports Complex.

“I find baseball in Saskatchewan and Saskatoon specifically has gotten a lot better, because of our programs,” said Draeger. “I think kids are taking the sport more seriously now that we have opportunity to train properly.

“When people recognize the opportunities that come with playing baseball competitively as opposed to contact sports and things like that, it is such a good alternative. Our skill level is getting much, much better.”

At Going Yard, the instructors work with players aged eight to 18 with the main emphasis being on players aged eight to 15.

A catcher gets off a throw on a bunt defence drill.

The instructors work with players to improve skills related to batting, pitching, catching, infielding and outfielding.

Players are put through a combination of basic and creative drills designed to improve skills. For catchers, instructors will teach skills like how to block the plate on wild pitches that might hit the dirt or the mechanics to get off a throw to second base to try and prevent a steal attempt.

For infield and outfield work, there are machines at the Gordie Howe Sports Complex which can fire off line drives through the infield or fly balls to the outfield to work on skills in those areas.

For pitching, players might do drills with a weighted ball to improve strength.

In the past during winter months, Draeger said the Going Yard staff wasn’t able to do any work with regards to fielding due to the limitations of their old indoor location. They also couldn’t do drills related base running, because there was not enough room.

The Indoor Training Centre at the Gordie Howe Sports Complex has changed that aspect.

“It (the training warehouse) was only large enough to pitch and hit, because it had such a low ceiling,” said Draeger. “For the last five years, we’ve gotten a lot better at hitting and pitching.

“Now, we are about to see our guys get a lot better at fielding too, because they love this. Being able to field the ball on a full-sized field is cool for them.”

Draeger said the fact local players can work on fielding year round will create more opportunities to continue the sport at the post-secondary level.

A second baseman gets a throw off to first base.

“We’ve had lots of pitchers get college scholarships, but we don’t send very many fielders on a college scholarship,” said Draeger. “I think we are going to see that change now that we’ve moved in here.

“Now not only can we develop hitting and pitching, we can do infielding, outfielding and skills on a larger level.”

On top of the skill development, Going Yard has developed what it calls its “Goats Programs.” Players who are part of Going Yard can be part of the “Goats Program,” where players are dived on to age specific teams.

At the moment, there are teams for players aged 11, 12, 13, 14 and 15 years of age. Those teams travel, practice and play games against teams from other training facilities. Often, the Going Yard teams will play teams from the RBI Regina Baseball and Softball Indoor Training Centre.

When the teams play indoors, they take part in modified games. When the weather is nice outside, the teams can play in a full game setting at Cairns Field, Leakos Field or one of the three diamonds at the Geoff Hughes Baseball Park.

All of those diamonds are on the Gordie Howe Sports Complex grounds.

“As soon as the weather turns and we can go outside, we can go outside,” said Draeger. “There is nowhere else that can really do that.

“We are pretty lucky to be in here and have that opportunity.”

Draeger said the Going Yard staff has enjoyed being on the grounds of the Gordie Howe Sports Complex for just over 21 months, and they look forward to what the future could hold.

A pitcher sets to deliver a throw at a Going Yard training session.

“Going Yard is happy to call the Gordie Howe Sports Complex their new home,” said Draeger. “We’re excited to be a part of the team, and we are looking forward to developing baseball in Saskatoon and raising excitement.

“Eventually, we’d like to see our Goats programs reach even more ages. We just want to see the competitive level of baseball just increase at all age levels old and young.”

If you want more information on the Going Yard Training Centre, the staff can be contacted by phone (306) 954-1544 or email at goingyardbaseball1@gmail.com. You can check out Going Yard’s website at gytc.ca.