Questioning Authority with Butch Wynegar

Butch Wynegar was selected by the Minnesota Twins in the second round of the 1974 Amateur Draft. Picked out of high school in York, Pa., Wynegar spent less than two years in the Minor Leagues.

The switch-hitting catcher had just turned 20 when new Twins manager Gene Mauch told him he'd be coming north with the big club in 1976. Wynegar didn't take long to adjust to the Major Leagues, hitting .260 with 10 home runs and 69 RBIs during his rookie season to earn American League All-Star honors. He had almost identical numbers in his second season, batting .261 with 10 home runs and 79 RBIs to earn another All-Star selection.

Wynegar played six full seasons with the Twins before being traded to the New York Yankees in 1982. He batted a career-high .296 in 1983, but remembers that season more for catching Dave Righetti's no-hitter on July 4. After the 1986 season, the Yankees traded Wynegar to California, where he played his final two years. Wynegar retired in 1988 after 1,403 games. He batted .255 with 65 home runs and 506 RBIs in the big leagues.

After being out of the game for three years, Wynegar was hired as third-base coach at Rollins College, near his home in Florida. He got back into pro ball as a coach with Albany in the South Atlantic League. After one year in the Baltimore Orioles organization, Wynegar spent the next eight seasons with the Texas Rangers as a manager and roving hitting instructor. That was followed by four seasons as the hitting coach for the Milwaukee Brewers. Wynegar returned to the Yankees organization as hitting instructor for Scranton-Wilkes Barre last season. The 2008 campaign will mark his 30th year in professional baseball.

MinorLeagueBaseball.com: What do you remember most about your first time around in the Minor Leagues?

Butch Wynegar: My first place was Elizabethton, Tenn. Basically, everything was by bus. We were busing everywhere. We didn't see much of the town we were in. This was always a goal of mine. Here I was, my first time away from home. Baseball was 24-7. I was trying to get to know my teammates and playing in these professional ballparks. I was 18, just out of high school.

MiLB.com: Have times changed that much? How different are the Minors from when you were a player?

BW: The buses are better. [laughs] The money is better. Not much better, but it's a little better. The biggest thing that has changed is video systems and weight programs and the overall conditioning programs that kids go through in the Minors. That's the biggest thing. These guys are getting stronger, quicker and bigger in a shorter period of time. I didn't know what a video system was until I was already in the big leagues. That's a big advantage. Weightlifting was taboo back then. Now, they combine flexibility and weightlifting. They've proven they can do it. There's so much information out there now that I wish I would have had when I was coming up. Kids today have extra coaches at every level. There's a hitting coach at every level and a defensive specialist at every level. When I was coming up, there was a manager and a pitching coach and that was it. If you got into a slump, you'd better be able to figure it out yourself. Now, there's a hitting coach, a roving instructor and you have all kinds of video. They can slow down and draw lines and pull up A-Rod hitting and Jeter and compare. It's pretty neat nowadays.

MiLB.com: Life in the Minors can be surreal. What's your favorite tale of the Minors, either as a player or on the bench?

BW: The year I played in Reno, Nev., in High A was a phenomenal year for me as a person. The year before was the first time I was ever away from home and now I was clear across country playing in a place where gambling was legal and I had never seen a slot machine in my life. We hit the casinos and I was scared to death because I think you had to be over 21. Somehow, we got in. It was just mind-blowing to just go into those places and see all the gambling going on. In all the stores, there were slot machines staring at you. I didn't go overboard and lose a lot of money. I was underage and more scared than anything.

MiLB.com: How have teammates you played with in the bigs reacted to your current gig?

BW: Basically, they're very happy. A lot of the guys I played with are coaching. Bobby Meacham is over here. [Dave] Righetti is the big-league pitching coach for the Giants. [Rod] Carew was in the bigs coaching when I was in the Minors with the Rangers. It's neat because we're all going through the same things. Actually, it's a pretty good fraternity. Everybody is pretty happy for each other.

If I ran into a guy who was near the end, I would tell him to try to get into it as soon as you can and don't sit out. I retired in 1988. When I retired, I never had any intention of getting back into coaching. It was tough trying to find a way back into pro ball. A lot of guys I talk to ran into that same problem. Now, it's who you know. I figured I had 13 years in the bigs, I'm not going to have a problem. I ran into a lot more problems than I thought I would. Finally, you run into someone who will give you an opportunity, then work your butt off to make a name for yourself. I just started missing the game. I'm glad I got into it. I really enjoy it.

MiLB.com: Do the guys on your team know much about you and your history as a player?

BW: It's kind of 50-50. In the computer age we live in, I think a lot of them Google you to find out who you are or it goes through word of mouth. There's enough of a gap from when I played. Some of these guys were barely born. You run across a handful who remember when I was with the Twins. Or he was a kid when I caught Righetti's no-hitter in '83. The majority don't know you. These kids talk a lot between themselves and find out pretty quick. I don't say anything to them, unless they ask. That's just my personality. They seem to find out pretty quick.

When I was with the Rangers, I spent eight years in the Minors. The last four, I was the hitting coordinator. When I started going to big league camp, Pudge -- Ivan Rodriguez -- wouldn't give me time of day. He just thought I was some Minor League coach. Probably the second camp I was with him, he came up to me and said, "You played in two All-Star Games?" He found out somehow. From that point on, he was more talkative and open. At first, he didn't know who I was. The year we celebrated Jackie Robinson's 50th anniversary, I went to the players and said to them, "You know why we're celebrating?" It floored me how many guys had no idea why or who Jackie Robinson was.

MiLB.com: What have the players on your team taught you? Do they keep you up-to-date on pop culture?

BW: They try to, especially the music and everything these guys listen to. I'm country and oldies-but-goodies. Anything I can understand the words to, I like. These guys keep me young. That's what I really enjoy about them. If I can get them to the point where they keep me updated on things like that and what's going on in the world, then I know I'm creating a decent bond with them.

MiLB.com: What kind of reaction do you get from fans?

BW: For the most part, good. Really good. I still get fan mail back home and at the stadium. I'm good at getting that back out in a few days. All the fan mail is very positive. I get repeats a lot. At the ballpark, they seem to have a good idea of where I've been. That makes me feel good. They say thank you and I say "No, thank you for remembering me."

MiLB.com: What city or cities do you most look forward to stopping in during the season?

BW: When I was roving with Texas and going around to different Minor League cities, I always enjoyed Savannah, Ga. Last year in the International League, all of the cities were pretty good. Charlotte was good. I really don't go out much in the cities. I stay close to the hotel. Plus, I go to the ballpark at 11 a.m. and work out with Dave Miley, our manager. We just go out and hang out at the ballpark all day.

MiLB.com: What's the toughest part of the job?

BW: The young guys, I don't have a problem with. The toughest part is keeping the older players on an even keel. Last year, a couple of them got upset when they knew they weren't getting called up at the end of the year. I can handle the cage work and batting practice. The toughest part is creating a bond with the players and keeping them on an even keel during the season. The young players understand. The older ones want to sit down and figure out why they weren't getting called up. You almost have to play babysitter with them a little bit. It's more the mental side, just keeping them positive and confident and letting them know they'll get their opportunity as long as they keep working hard.

A classic example is Shelley Duncan last year. Shelley did a great job of staying mentally focused. A couple of weeks before he got called up, he looked like he was starting to press. He was wondering when he was going to get the opportunity. I was telling him the same thing people told me: Control the things you can control and that's all you can do. Fortunately for him, he got the opportunity. He went up there and did a nice job. I'm glad he did. He's really focused right now. He knows the opportunity he has and doesn't want to give it away. That's the mind-set right there.

MiLB.com: Have you collected your baseball cards throughout the years?

BW: I've got a couple of sets put aside and my wife had my whole set framed. We have it hanging in the den. I catch myself every once in a while going up to them and looking at them. I have my rookie card that I show to the guys and they laugh because I look like I was 12. I think I have every one of them.