JERSEY SHORE – BlueClaws Manager Greg Brodzinski is excited about this season at ShoreTown Ballpark. He shared his thoughts with Jersey Shore Online during a recent pre-opening game event.
Brodzinski got a humorous softball question with an inquiry about the controversial “torpedo bats” which Major League Baseball declared were legal, are defined by an untraditional barrel, which rests closer to the hitter’s hands.
They are designed with more wood, and thus more mass, concentrated in the area of the bat where the hitter is more likely to hit the ball. Each player uses a slightly different model, with the bat’s shape specifically customed to maximize potential damage on any given swing.
“I think it is interesting and something new that they need to understand before they hop right into to it. I think it is something that will catch on. I’m sure it will make its way. I don’t know of any that we would have,” Brodzinski said.
He added, “I think the Yankees right now are the only ones that have them. They heard other teams were ordering them but I haven’t seen any in our organization,” he added. “It is very tailored toward certain guys. I think there is a lot of science behind it. I read a few articles about it and it makes a lot of sense when you think about it having a denser part of the bat hit the ball more often, but we’ll see some guys hit it more at the end of the bat – some hit closer toward the handle.”
Brodzinski said, “this game is always evolving and changing and as it does, I think the game gets better. We’ll see how it all works out.”
While he’s experienced two years of success, he noted this year’s roster and was hopeful that he will see the same consistency that he has had in the last two seasons. “I am really excited about this group. I think our organization has a lot of talent top to bottom and high-end prospects in the top 100 and the rest of our organization is pretty solid and good as well. We have guys who have made a name for themselves by the end of last year or during spring training and I think as a group together it will mesh very well.”
“We have some younger guys and some older guys. There is just a ton of talent,” the manager remarked. “It is going to be a fun group and a lot of excitement. Guys who can do different things on the baseball field and when we put it all together it will be a good product. A lot of credit goes to the coaches we’ve had over the last couple of years.”
“There is nothing more rewarding than being able to send a guy to the next level. You feel good to have a small hand in that but it is not just myself doing it. It is a great organization and we have a great plan and process for these guys,” Brodzinski said.
ShoreTown Ballpark is the longtime home of the legendary BlueClaws minor league baseball team and this season marks Brodzinski’s third season as manager. He was previously named South Atlantic League Manager of the Year, by Major League Baseball.
Brodzinski led the BlueClaws to a 74-58 record last season and playoff contention in each half of the season. He is the fourth BlueClaws manager to win SAL Manager of the Year, following Dusty Wathan (2009), Mark Parent (2010), and Marty Malloy (2018).
He is also the first to win the award since the BlueClaws became the Phillies High-A affiliate in 2021 and he won his 100th game as BlueClaws manager on May 31, 2024 in his 180th game in charge. This made him the fastest BlueClaws manager ever to win 100 games. He holds the second-best winning percentage, at .559, of any manager to lead the team for two seasons.
Brodzinski was drafted by the Phillies in the 18th round of the 2015 draft but transitioned to the coaching side in 2017. He spent 2018 and 2019 with short-season Williamsport and 2020 and 2021 as the Phillies bullpen catcher / catching coach.
In 2022, he was the 3rd Base Coach with Triple-A Lehigh Valley before making his managerial debut with the BlueClaws in 2023.
