Home-run haircuts

Tucked inside the Winnipeg Goldeyes’ clubhouse is a no-frills washroom with a urinal, a pair of toilets and a trio of sinks beneath matching mirrors.

But when rookie catcher Raphael Pelletier drags in a well-worn black leather salon chair with cracked upholstery and lays out his clippers, trimmers and shears, the space transforms into something else: a barbershop.

While far from luxurious, it’s the type of haircutting experience that could only exist inside the wacky world of independent baseball.

“He keeps everyone looking good on the field, honestly. We needed this,” said third-year Goldeyes pitcher Derrick Cherry, while getting a trim on Wednesday ahead of the team’s game against the Chicago Dogs.

“I’ve had some guys over the years that thought they were barbers, but nobody that actually does it well. I’ve seen some guys get messed up and then just shave their whole head after.”

Not this season.

Pelletier, a 24-year-old from Repentigny, Que., has earned the trust of everyone on the team — and even cleaned up manager Logan Watkins on one occasion, not that the skipper particularly cares about his hairdo.

“These guys aren’t making millions of dollars, so if they can save a couple bucks getting a haircut at the field, I know a lot of them would rather do that as long as they know the guy’s going to do a good job,” said Watkins.

“I don’t really care. We wear hats all the time. As long as I was lined up OK, I felt all right about it.”

Pelletier has been volunteering to be the official barber for his teams since he was a freshman at Kansas State in 2022. He started cutting his own hair during the pandemic and figured if he could make himself look good, then surely, he could do the same for others. He learned the tricks of the trade on YouTube and from a close friend who handles hair professionally.

“I like it. When they’re looking at themselves in the mirror after and they’re like, ‘Oh wow,’ it’s cool that I’m part of how they feel about themselves,” said Pelletier.

“When they feel good, they play good.”

It’s hard to argue that.

Last week, starter Luke Boyd pitched an eight-inning gem in Kansas City where he struck out eight batters — after he visited the barber, of course.

“But he’s a pretty good pitcher so I feel it’s more of that than the haircut,” admitted Pelletier.

“But I feel like (catching and cutting hair) is the same in a way. You have to listen to them and make them feel good – that’s pretty much my job as a barber and as a catcher.”

Unlike Watkins, infielder Keshawn Lynch takes great pride in the appearance of his hair. The Lake Hamilton, Fla., product was the first player on the team to take a seat in the chair, and now, there’s a need for a schedule with five or six players getting a trim each week.

When the squad is on the road, Pelletier brings his tools and will sometimes resort to cutting hair in parking lots.

“I never cheat on my barber back home. But he told me he can cut African-American people’s hair, and there’s a big difference, so I gave him a chance and I ended up giving him a name: Raphie Blends — because he can blend a fade in,” said Lynch.

“He’s really good, man. Everyone loves him.”

More importantly, the up-and-coming Canadian is also a heck of a ballplayer.

Pelletier owns the fourth-best batting average on the team at .304 with four home runs and 26 RBIs.

If the Fish had known he was capable of contributing in major ways on and off the diamond, they would’ve been quicker to sign him.

After wrapping up his college career last season at Kentucky, Pelletier got the contact information for Watkins and called to ask if there were any openings in Winnipeg.

“And at first he was like, ‘Uh, who are you?’ I get it, he was in the middle of the season, so it’s hard to bring in a new catcher and I think they already had two catchers,” said Pelletier.

He went on to finish the 2025 campaign with the London Majors of the Intercounty Baseball League before once again contacting Watkins.

Starting pitcher and fellow Canadian Landen Bourassa, who spent parts of six seasons with Winnipeg, heard good things about the catcher and he put in a good word for Pelletier which ultimately led to him being offered a contract.

“Typically, I don’t like to sign a lot of first-year rookies because I want to see some sort of a track record of what you’ve done in pro ball before you’ve come here because there’s a lot of older guys in this league,” said Watkins.

“So, for him to jump in here and do what he’s done this year has been a real pleasant surprise. I knew he’d be a good catcher. I wasn’t quite sure how he would hit, but he’s unafraid and that’s awesome to see. A lot of times, young kids will come in this league and maybe feel a little bit overwhelmed but that’s definitely not the case for him.”

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As for the origins of the barber chair, it came from Alice Kletke, a hairdresser for 40 years who is the grandmother of former Goldeyes athletic therapist Derek McLennan. The chair made its way to the ballpark in 2017 when power-hitting first baseman David Bergin was on the roster. Similar to Pelletier, Bergin had a background in cutting hair and offered his services to his teammates.

That also happens to be the last year the Fish won the American Association crown.

Coincidence or not, the chair is being consistently used again, and the Goldeyes (38-31) are playing some of their best baseball in a decade as they are on a 11-game winning streak, including a 14-5 win over Chicago Wednesday.

“Hopefully we can make a run to the playoffs and bring it home,” said Pelletier.

winnipegfreepress.com/taylorallen

Taylor Allen
Reporter

Taylor Allen is a sports reporter for the Winnipeg Free Press. Taylor was the Vince Leah intern in the Free Press newsroom twice while earning his joint communications degree/diploma at the University of Winnipeg and Red River College Polytechnic. He signed on full-time in 2019 and mainly covers the Blue Bombers, curling, and basketball. Read more about Taylor.

Every piece of reporting Taylor produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.