A new season is underway in Wilmington and plenty of new faces will be gracing the field for the Wilmington Blue Rocks this season, including the Nationals No. 4 and No. 5 prospects, Seaver King and Alex Clemmey, just to name a few. So, let’s find out more about these faces before they take the field at Frawley Stadium for the first time. 

The Rocks will turn to a new skipper this year – Jake Lowery – who spent the last three seasons coaching the Fredericksburg Nationals, the Nationals Low-A affiliate. 

Whit: Excited for your first year as manager in Wilmington?

Lowery: Absolutely. I haven’t been in this league since I was a player… It’s good to go to different places I haven’t been to in a while. It’s a new level with guys who’ve experienced the same thing, just a level up, so I’m pumped for them and pumped for myself.

Whit: Does it help that a lot of guys that you were with in Fredricksburg are coming up with you?

Lowery: No doubt. Looking at the roster I think I’ve managed 27 of the 30 guys… so having that familiarity, especially on the offensive side of things, it’s only going to bode well for a team and chemistry and things like that. Those guys coming up, they’re familiar with me, they’re familiar with some of the staff members, and it lets them relax a little bit.

Whit: The players spoke super highly of your energy, is that something we’re going to see throughout the year?

Lowery: I feel like I can relate to players well, you know, playing but I can also speak the language with them. I don’t ever want to feel like I’m on top of them with this generation, you got to give a little bit and talk to them in a different way. So for me, it’s one of the things that I take pride in. 

The Blue Rocks will have three of the Nationals top-10 prospects on the roster when Opening Day rolls around; shortstop Seaver King (4), left-handed starter Alex Clemmey (5) and catcher Caleb Lomativa (8). While all three of them have played for Lowery before, they’ve all taken unique paths to professional baseball. 

Whit: How were you able to make it from a DII player to a top-10 pick in the draft?

King: I think it was just confidence. Just building that confidence of playing everyday. I don’t feel like I became a better player during that time, I think I just played more and got to showcase who I was as a player. Ever since I’ve been here, I’ve developed a lot so that’s what I keep looking forward to doing.

Whit: What’s the difference between playing on the East Coast and then growing up in Hawaii and playing baseball at Cal?

Lomativa: I think for me traveling so much, it’s nice to know there’s a home. This clubhouse is my home, last year Cal was my home and in Hawaii, that clubhouse was my home. It’s not too daunting of a task knowing that you have 20 guys who have your back every single day and a great coaching staff to come with it. 

Whit: You came in with the Cleveland organization, now you’re a part of the Washington organization. At your young age, how do you learn that baseball is a business?

Clemmey: You can only control the controllables. That’s how I look at it. I was 18-years-old when I got traded and it was just a business decision.

Whit: How do you manage expectations that you put on yourself and other people as a top prospect in the organization?

King: I think it’s just being in with a group of guys. They take the pressure off of you immediately… it’s been pretty easy to just disconnect from baseball and have that away from the field time and just relax and let loose a little bit, so that’s been really helpful for me.

Lomativa: Success for me is looked at differently than me and you. The way I see success is putting my best foot forward every day and making sure I prepare myself.

King, along with the rest of the Blue Rocks feel a sense of familiarity with Lowery at the helm this year, along with a wide variety of goals and different takes on some everyday situations.   

Whit: Is there comfortability with Lowery since he was your manager last year?

King: Absolutely. He’s one of the best coaches I’ve ever had. He just understands us. He’s player’s coach for sure… You know what to expect and it’s easy to play for him.

Clemmey: He’s the man. He’s a great guy to be around – very smart, willing to learn and has a good mindset.

Bubba Hall (RHP): Yes, but it’s a new team. I know Lowery is going to stay consistent with how he coaches everything, it’s just getting the players on the same page with him now and using that to be a better team than last year. 

Anthony Arguelles (RHP): It’s a lot funner to go up and have all these guys that you’ve been with already for a year and went through a whole playoff run with… and especially skip [Lowery]. Skip’s the boy.

Whit: What are your goals for this upcoming season?

King: It’s kind of lofty given that we won the championship last year down in [Fredericksburg] but obviously we want to run it back.

Gavin Dugas (UTL): Biggest goal last year was to stay healthy. That’s my goal every year. That’s my first and foremost goal at the moment but to have fun. We get to play baseball for a living so that’s something that not a lot of people get to say.

Hall: Minimize less walks than last year and have a WHIP below 1.000.

Marcus Brown (INF): Be a little more consistent than I was last year. I want to get on base more, run the bases hard and just create havoc. 

Chance Huff (RHP): Just keep moving up through the organization and help our team get as many wins as possible. 

Whit: Do you have a certain pregame routine you like to do?

Hall: I like the move around like every two or three innings, because you never know. A starter could go out there and have a bad inning so you have to be ready for everything.

Brenner Cox (OF): Normally about 45 minutes to an hour before the game I like to just put my headphones and listen to SZA for 25 minutes if I can to calm down and slow my heart rate down.

Arguelles: Try and get some caffeine in me. Maybe some of that spicy cream. We call it “the good stuff.”

Huff: I like to just get moving around everyday like in the weight room… prepping my week throughout that and get my body ready for whatever day I’m getting ready for… If I haven’t gotten in a game in a couple of days, I’ll go and touch the mind but not for pitches. Just to get a feel for the slope again. 

Whit: If you’re going to a baseball game as a fan, what’s the first food item you’re going to buy?

Hall: Nachos with chili and cheese. I like nachos with chili and cheese. 

Cox: I’ll go with two glizzys and some water. 

Brown: Probably a soda and some popcorn. I’m a big popcorn guy. 

Arguelles: I feel like you’d have to get the peanuts at some point. Those are gas. Maybe ice cream at the end. I don’t know what you’d get in between.

Huff: Probably a burger and two helmets of Dippin’ Dots. It’s not often you find Dippin’ Dots.

Whit: Thoughts on the new torpedo bats?

Cox: I’ve seen them before. I don’t think they make that much of a difference but people are getting on it now because the Yankees are using it… I’ve swung it before. It’s nothing crazy.

Brown: I think they kind of look sick. I just ordered some yesterday so we’ll see what they’re like. I kind of like them. You can customize everything in baseball. If you’re a guy that gets jammed a lot or doesn’t get the bat head out… why not try and cater your bats to fit your swing.

Arguelles: I don’t know, but they are raking. What I thought when I originally saw it was ‘can’t they break the bat a lot easier since there’s less wood in other spots’ but they haven’t broken any bats. They’re just hitting freaking bombs.

Huff: People are definitely hitting them a lot harder. But our goal is to miss bats and create weak contact. I don’t really know too much about them, but I don’t think it’ll change my gameplan. 

Whit: Any player that you want to face in the majors?

Arguelles: Feel like everyone would say Shohei [Ohtani], which I would. But maybe like Ronald Acuna. He’s pretty good. 

Huff: Aaron Judge would be a pretty cool one. 

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