NEWS PHOTO JAMES TUBB
Medicine Hat Mavericks pitching coach Rod White poses with Mavericks mascots Monty and Marshall alongside the World Series trophy on display at Athletic Park Wednesday night.
jtubb@medicinehatnews.com@ReporterTubb
The World Series trophy was at Athletic Park Wednesday night.
It wasn’t being awarded, but both the Medicine Hat Mavericks and Moose Jaw Miller Express were both able to marvel at the trophy they’ve been chasing their whole lives ahead of their WCBL contest.
Mike Frostad, from Medicine Hat, was an assistant athletic trainer for the Atlanta Braves, winners of the 2021 World Series, and he brought his replica trophy to the stadium in an effort to give back to the community that helped start his career.
“Bringing the trophy here is great, Medicine Hat was an early part of my career, I spent a couple years here in the late 90s,” Frostad said. “I met my wife Candace here and to just to be able to come back – I had Greg (Morrison) as a player here – to be able to come back and give back to the community here and to know there’s still baseball being played at the stadium is, it’s a big deal.”
The 49-year-old started his career in 1996 with the Blue Jays organization in St. Catherines, Ont., before joining the Medicine Hat Baby Jays for two seasons. Frostad made the jump to the major leagues with the Blue Jays in 2010. When then general manger Alex Anthopoulos made the move to Atlanta and Frostad was let go by Toronto after 22 years with the organization in 2017, Anthopoulos hired him to work on the Braves. After the World Series win, Frostad left the Braves to become the director of sports medicine and head athletic trainer for the Los Angeles Angels.
Fans could grab photos with the trophy Wednesday night for $10, with proceeds going to the District 4 Little League Foundation. Frostad said it meant a lot to him to give back not only to the community but the players who got to see the trophy.
“It’s great to have some of the players that have passed through this league that have played with us, this year in Anaheim we had a player that was in Moose Jaw a couple years ago and now he’s playing in the big leagues this year,” Frostad said. “Even though this isn’t true minor leagues of professional baseball, there’s still a great opportunity for these guys and hopefully seeing something like this just gives them a little bit more motivation.”
Medicine Hat outfielder Josh Stark was amazed when he saw the trophy and Frostad’s World Series ring, and was surprised to see it in Medicine Hat of all places.
“It’s a trophy that you want to work for your entire life and just to see it now, maybe in a few years I’ll win it myself, that’d be pretty cool,” Stark said.
Mavericks pitching coach Rod White took many photos with the trophy even though it wasn’t his first time seeing it. White said he saw the Boston Red Sox’s 2015 trophy after doing some associated work with the MLB club. He said every time he’s seen the trophy it’s changed his perspective.
“Any time I get an opportunity it makes me reflect back on ‘woulda, coulda shoulda’ type deal and what we’re trying to tell these guys is, don’t let that be you 10-20 years from now,” White said. “I’ve never looked at it and wondered, why I didn’t do this? I don’t look at it like that. But it’s always a goal that’s what you’re were striving for.”
Wednesday’s game between the Mavericks and Miller Express was not complete by press time, visit medicinehatnews.com/sports for a full game story. Medicine Hat’s next action is Friday, back at Athletic Park for a 7:05 p.m. showdown with the Weyburn Beavers.
