By Nathan Krohn
Frank Gonzales had planned on becoming a grade school health or physical education teacher when he finished college. However, those plans changed once scouts began noticing him and after an illustrious 10-year professional baseball career, Gonzales is now the new manager of the Boise Hawks.
Gonzales originally began playing baseball in his hometown of La Junta, Colorado, as a way to stay out of trouble and stay in shape.
“I think my parents wanted to keep me preoccupied as a kid,” Gonzales said during a phone interview. “I loved eating so I think it was a way to keep me in shape.”
Gonzales continued playing baseball while attending Colorado State University but admitted he had never counted on playing professionally. It wasn’t until scouts began noticing his talent did Gonzales reconsider his plans of becoming a schoolteacher.
“I was a very skinny kid and a bit of a late bloomer,” Gonzales said. “I didn’t get noticed until I started growing into my body during my sophomore and junior years.”
Gonzales impressed scouts with his pitching technique and was selected by the Detroit Tigers in the sixteenth round of the 1989 MLB amateur draft. He went on to have a 10-year career in the minor leagues, reaching the Triple-A level but never receiving the call to the big leagues.
“I don’t know if I’ve been blessed or bludgeoned to play in the minor leagues for 10 years,” Gonzales said with a laugh. “I guess it’s just something that wasn’t in the cards.”
While Gonzales never got the call he was hoping for, his career in the minor leagues awarded him with a deep understanding and knowledge of the game.
“I really got to learn the game inside and out during my 10 year career,” Gonzales said. “I feel I can teach it to others now.”
In the same way Gonzales never planned on playing professional baseball, he had also never considered coaching. It was during the last year of his playing career when Gonzales first had a desire to teach the game of baseball.
“My wife would send my VHS tapes of my kids little league games while I was on the road,” Gonzales said. “I wanted to be there to watch and coach them and that’s really what first got me into coaching.”
After he retired from baseball in 1999, Gonzales coached his children’s little league teams before moving on to youth leagues, high school and collegiate ball clubs. He then worked as the pitching coach for the Tri-City Dust Devils during the 2013 and ‘14 seasons before taking over the managerial reins at the Hawks.
“The position of manager is very humbling for me,” Gonzales said. “I’m excited to be here, I’m excited about the new ownership and I want to have a fun environment that leads to success on the field.”
While the season is still several months away, Gonzales is anxious to meet his staff as well as his new players so he can get to work on creating a cohesive clubhouse.
“My favorite part of the job is creating those tight knit relationships with my staff,” Gonzales said. “I’m looking forward to meeting the new draft picks, seeing them start their careers and help them progress on to great things.”
Frank Gonzales had planned on becoming a grade school health or physical education teacher when he finished college. However, those plans changed once scouts began noticing him and after an illustrious 10-year professional baseball career, Gonzales is now the new manager of the Boise Hawks.
Gonzales originally began playing baseball in his hometown of La Junta, Colorado, as a way to stay out of trouble and stay in shape.
“I think my parents wanted to keep me preoccupied as a kid,” Gonzales said during a phone interview. “I loved eating so I think it was a way to keep me in shape.”
Gonzales continued playing baseball while attending Colorado State University but admitted he had never counted on playing professionally. It wasn’t until scouts began noticing his talent did Gonzales reconsider his plans of becoming a schoolteacher.
“I was a very skinny kid and a bit of a late bloomer,” Gonzales said. “I didn’t get noticed until I started growing into my body during my sophomore and junior years.”
Gonzales impressed scouts with his pitching technique and was selected by the Detroit Tigers in the sixteenth round of the 1989 MLB amateur draft. He went on to have a 10-year career in the minor leagues, reaching the Triple-A level but never receiving the call to the big leagues.
“I don’t know if I’ve been blessed or bludgeoned to play in the minor leagues for 10 years,” Gonzales said with a laugh. “I guess it’s just something that wasn’t in the cards.”
While Gonzales never got the call he was hoping for, his career in the minor leagues awarded him with a deep understanding and knowledge of the game.
“I really got to learn the game inside and out during my 10 year career,” Gonzales said. “I feel I can teach it to others now.”
In the same way Gonzales never planned on playing professional baseball, he had also never considered coaching. It was during the last year of his playing career when Gonzales first had a desire to teach the game of baseball.
“My wife would send my VHS tapes of my kids little league games while I was on the road,” Gonzales said. “I wanted to be there to watch and coach them and that’s really what first got me into coaching.”
After he retired from baseball in 1999, Gonzales coached his children’s little league teams before moving on to youth leagues, high school and collegiate ball clubs. He then worked as the pitching coach for the Tri-City Dust Devils during the 2013 and ‘14 seasons before taking over the managerial reins at the Hawks.
“The position of manager is very humbling for me,” Gonzales said. “I’m excited to be here, I’m excited about the new ownership and I want to have a fun environment that leads to success on the field.”
While the season is still several months away, Gonzales is anxious to meet his staff as well as his new players so he can get to work on creating a cohesive clubhouse.
“My favorite part of the job is creating those tight knit relationships with my staff,” Gonzales said. “I’m looking forward to meeting the new draft picks, seeing them start their careers and help them progress on to great things.”