Tagert puts his stamp on Goldeyes New manager assembling team of new and familiar faces By: Taylor Allen Posted: 7:00 PM CDT Thursday, May. 4, 2023 Last Modified: 9:19 PM CDT Thursday, May. 4, 2023 Updates

With his nameplate freshly attached to his office door, Greg Tagert reaches for the handle.

It’s locked.

“Do I even have a key to get in?” said Tagert on Thursday afternoon, in what was his second day on the job as the new manager of the Winnipeg Goldeyes.

The 60-year-old from Fort Worth, Texas, digs into his bag and pulls out a set of keys — that were handed to him for the first time this week — unsure which one, if any, will get him past the door and behind his desk.

Fortunately for him, a staff member was nearby with a universal key to save him the hassle.

“It’s like the first day at a new school,” Tagert told the Free Press shortly after sitting down in a room he’ll get to know all too well this summer.

“I’m a little nervous, excited, and all those things.”

The Goldeyes, heading into their 30th season, officially opened training camp on Wednesday at Shaw Park. But this one feels different, much different, as it’s the first one since 1996 in which Rick Forney will not take part. The last 17 of them saw Forney, who originally joined the Fish as a pitcher in 1997, lead the charge as manager.

Forney agreed to become the field manager for the Atlantic League’s York Revolution in October, forcing the Goldeyes to find someone capable of filling his shoes.

Applicants came in from far and wide, but owner Sam Katz had his heart set on Tagert.

Tagert managed the rival Gary SouthShore RailCats from 2005-21 before making the jump to the San Francisco Giants to coach their rookie squad in Arizona. He was happy doing what he was doing, but Tagert’s respect for the Goldeyes from the top down led to him taking Katz’s call and eventually signing the dotted line to become the fourth manager in franchise history.

“My wife and I were already looking at places in Scottsdale to move. Probably could’ve been neighbours with Sam and his winter home,” laughed Tagert.

“We were already on that path, but I had to tell my wife, ‘You know what, I think we have to change gears again.’

“The standards and what the Goldeyes have done as we enter the 30th year is nothing short of amazing.”

Now the pressure is on Tagert to keep those standards high. He signed five of his former players from his days in Gary — pitcher Josh Vincent, catcher Jackson Smith, catcher/infielder Chris Burgess, outfielder Javeyan Williams, and infielder Tommy McCarthy — and brought back six pieces from last year’s Goldeyes, most importantly the reigning American Association player of the year, outfielder Max Murphy.

The Goldeyes bowed out in the first round of playoffs after Murphy broke his tibia and fibula in Game 1 of their series against the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks.

Pitcher Landen Bourassa is another returnee, as the Lethbridge, Alta., product is back for his third campaign in Winnipeg. Even though it wasn’t Forney calling him this off-season, Bourassa had no qualms about calling Shaw Park home again.

“It’s been a little bit of a change. I mean, with Rick, of course, being the guy who originally signed me to come here to Winnipeg and he was a great guy to play for. But Greg’s another really good dude,” said Bourassa.

“Being a friend of Rick’s, it just gives me a lot of trust in who he is and what he does as a manager.”

Tagert also recruited some faces that are new to him and Goldeyes fans.

Closer Samuel Adames is a name worth keeping an eye on as he helped the Québec Capitales win the Frontier League last season. Left-handed hurler Tyler Jandron is a starter with potential after going 7-4 with a 3.54 ERA in 112 innings in 2022 with the Ottawa Titans, also of the Frontier League. There’s also Tra Holmes, a speedy outfielder formerly with the Kane County Cougars, who has 75 stolen bases in four pro seasons.

There isn’t much time for everyone to get to know each other as the Fish are in Fargo Friday night for their first of five pre-season games. The Goldeyes will be in Tagert’s old stomping grounds in Gary for Opening Day on May 11. Their home opener is May 19 against the Lake Country Dock Hounds.

Tagert isn’t making any predictions about his first 100-game season as the face of the Fish.

Goldeyes changing with the times

“Well, the 12 managers in our league probably on Day 1 all say yes (they are a playoff team). But I’ve never been one to be overly optimistic because the one thing that is so unknown in our league, and this goes back 15-20 years, is all you’re looking at is names on a paper,” said Tagert.

“The uniqueness of our job is the first time I see most of these guys is when I saw them yesterday perform on the field… I think I’ve had one club in 25-plus years where I felt on Day 1 that ‘Oh, this club is very good,’ and that club ended up winning a title. And that happened in 2007. That’s how rare it is.”

taylor.allen@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @TaylorAllen31

Taylor Allen
Reporter

Eighteen years old and still in high school, Taylor got his start with the Free Press on June 1, 2011. Well, sort of...

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