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Toregas makes his big-league dream come true
To Wyatt Toregas, his first day as a Major League Baseball player was a complete blur.
The former Park View Patriot remembers getting the call at 5:30 p.m. on July 31. He remembers the hugs from his Columbus, Ohio, coaches and teammates, who told him not to come back. He remembers the flight from Allentown, Pa., to Cleveland -- which, maddeningly, was delayed.
He remembers walking into the enormous, empty clubhouse, putting on his newly pressed Cleveland Indians uniform as 35,000 people made the massive Progressive Field stadium hum and shake.
"Nothing in minor leagues can prepare you for the Majors. You can't simulate it," Toregas says. "There's an upper deck, and it's full of fans. A simple hit, they go crazy."
He remembers that first walk from clubhouse to dugout as a big leaguer, as other big leaguers played the fifth inning of a big league game.
The stands were full, the lights were bright, the world's best ballplayers were at work. He remembers feeling a previously unknown realm of possibility had opened up, as big and broad as the scene before him.
"It took so much hard work and time to get there that when you get the call, it's all worth it," he says.
Made in Loudoun
Toregas was raised in Sterling by his mom and dad, Laura and Bill. He played in the Lower Loudoun Little League from age 6, exhausting each level, getting better and better at a sport he has loved forever.
At age 9, he played for Mike Smith, an endlessly cheerful man who remains friends with Wyatt to this day.
"A lot of coaches didn't want to pick him, because he was so high-strung," Smith says of Toregas. "But he had the best hand-eye coordination I've ever seen. And he had a rocket arm for his age."
Toregas ascended to the high school ranks, rapidly becoming Park View's best player. As a Patriot sophomore, his .491 batting average led the Virginia High School League. That season also sticks out in Toregas' mind because of his teammates.
"We had a good team, and it was a lot of fun being with those guys," he says.
Toregas also wrestled and golfed at Park View. The golfing was just for fun, but the wrestling -- which included a deep run into the regional tournament as a junior -- kept him in shape for baseball.
Moreover, his wrestling coach, Greg Mitchell, left a lasting impression.
"He taught me how to be a man," Toregas says. "He taught me how to work hard for things. He had the biggest influence on me in terms of my athletic career. .... He never took a shortcut on anything."
Mitchell recalls the diligence with which Toregas pursued his mat work.
"He was a really hard worker," says Mitchell, still the Patriots' wrestling coach. "Whatever information you gave to him, he was like a sponge. He was a great leader and a great person."
Toregas worked on his swing for countless hours in batting cages around Loudoun, as his father never hesitated to drop another token into the slot.
"My dad was always telling me that if I had a bad day, I was just going to have to work my way out of it," Wyatt says.
Toregas spent summers with the Potomac Mudcats, a travel baseball team in the Amateur Athletic Union. Then, prior to senior year, he transferred to South Lakes as his parents temporarily moved to Reston. As a Seahawk, he batted .609 on his way to first-team All-State honors.
Several of the region's top college programs came calling.
Up the ladder
A Hokie fan growing up, Toregas chose Virginia Tech and embarked upon a distinguished career that culminated with a first-team All-Big East selection as a junior catcher.
He played summer ball in the local Clark Griffith League, then in the prestigious Cape Cod League, gaining scouts' notice.
In June 2004, Toregas was selected in the 24th round of the amateur draft by the Indians, signing for a healthy $35,000 bonus "and a chance to play in the big leagues."
During the next six seasons he endured the buses and motels of the minors, making stops at five different levels. In nearly 2,000 minor-league plate appearances, Toregas batted .264 with 47 homers and a .739 OPS (on base percentage plus slugging percentage).
Baseball Prospectus recently called Toregas "one of the best defensive catchers in minors." With his strong arm, fast footwork and quick release, Toregas has gunned down 36 percent of attempted stolen bases over the last two seasons – an above-average figure.
Toregas has been a catcher since his Little League days.
"I love the relationships I get to build with my pitchers," he says. "Picking apart personalities is my favorite part of game. I'm hands-on every play, being part of everything going on on the field."
Into the fire
The day after his call-up, Toregas found his name on manager Eric Wedge's card.
"When guys get called up, they don't play right away. But there I was in the starting lineup," he relates. "That whole day I felt nervous, a constant tingle. I've been waiting my whole life to play this game. That day was the fastest day I've ever had."
He barely remembers stepping in against the Detroit Tigers' fireballing right-hander Rick Porcello for his first Major League at-bat. He has a vague recollection of seeing the fastball leave Porcello's hand, telling his body to swing and connecting on a solid liner into left field. He knows it happened, but he doesn't exactly recall how.
He foggily remembers fist-bumping the Indians' first-base coach, watching the ball get taken out of play. It was like a dream.
That ball is now at his parent's Ashburn home, where it will be displayed with Wyatt's accumulated baseball keepsakes.
The hardest part
The young man who learned the game in the sandlots and fields of Loudoun County now counts his Major League time in weeks instead of days. He figures into the Indians' plans for the future, maybe as a starting catcher, maybe as a capable backup. In time, he could be a coach or manager, according to some reports.
For now, he's a rookie on a learning curve, going through many things for the first time.
"Up here it's all about winning," he says. "They're not coaching you anymore. You already know how to play. Now you have to apply your skills toward winning."
Of every five position players to crack the bigs, one doesn't make it past his first season. Toregas does not intend to be that one.
"In the big leagues, they're all good, but where they overtake others is they work harder than anyone else," Toregas says.
Like his baseball career, Toregas' life is just beginning. Now 26, he was married to Holly in January, and the couple recently purchased a house in Akron, Ohio.
He's eagerly anticipating Aug. 27, when the Indians travel to Baltimore to take on the Orioles, his favorite childhood team. He says he may have more than 100 friends and family rooting him on at Camden Yards.
"We are very proud of him, for the dedication that he's had to show to reach his goal. It's surreal for all of us," mom Laura says. "This is what he's wanted to be his entire life."
Wyatt Toregas' swing as a little leaguer has a strong resemblance to his Major League swing of today.--Courtesy Photo
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