Another 2017 Frontier League All Star Re-Signs With Washington
WASHINGTON, Pa. - Today the Wild Things announced the re-signing of 2017 Frontier League All Star infielder Mike Hill to a contract for the 2018 season. Hill becomes the ninth player to re-sign from the 2017 Washington team, and the second position player to do so.
Hill played his first season in the Frontier League and with the Wild Things in 2017, and hit .214 with 13 home runs and 39 runs batted in. He had an on-base percentage of .327, and was good with the glove too, as he played three different infield positions, and made just 14 errors in almost 300 chances.
The Orange, California, native was drafted in the 22nd round of the 2014 MLB Amateur Draft by the Kansas City Royals and played in the KC organization for three seasons, before being released and signed by Washington. Hill suffered an injury with the Royals that he was playing with in 2017, and had corrective surgery after the season ended in the Frontier League playoffs.
“It speaks to Mike’s toughness to gut out an All-Star year despite a significant health issue he played through. There were games/series in 2017 that Mike directly influenced with power or a fantastic defensive play," said general manager Steven Zavacky. "With his health straightened out and a year of experience facing pitching in this league, we anticipate another All-Star campaign. We view Mike as the best defensive 3B in the league and we are happy to have him back.”
Hill will play his second season with the Wild Things in 2018. He's not the only 2017 All Star returning, as RHP's Zach Strecker and Chase Cunningham and catcher Kyle Pollock have already been extended.
UPDATE (Thursday, November 23) ---
The loose nature of the Wild Things and the ability to have fun playing through the grind are things Hill said contributed to his decision to come back.
"Well first thing I'll say is that it was some of the best times I've had playing baseball," said Hill. "[Coach Langbehn] Banger allows that to happen with how loose he keeps the clubhouse and dugout. And the group of guys we had helped create that atmosphere."
Some of that looseness allowed for success, according to the former Royals' farmhand.
"A big difference was the amount of freedom that you have as a player coming to Washington," said Hill. "It allows you to have more control over your career, whereas in pro ball there can be a lot of micro managing and cookie cutting that you get from the organizations."
There was some time he needed to adjust, he said.
"I didn't start out how I liked and it just took a lot of adjusting. I found it harder to hit here because you don't get as many fastball and I was stubborn to change my approach basically the whole season until the end," said Hill. "But it was a very good learning experience and I think it will benefit me in the long run. As far as from a team's perspective I thought we had a great season. In the playoff series, even though we lost 3 games to 1, all of those games could have gone either way in our opinion."
With so much of the team returning, with more still to be announced, Hill is excited to play with the group again and said he doesn't see why the team can't have even more success in 2018. He said it helps to have the guy making most of the moves in the player's corner.
"[The whole] front office is a great group of people," said Hill. "We see Tony [Buccilli, director of team operations] a lot and he's a very personable guy which is nice to have for a guy in his position."
Hill said he is anxiously awaiting to get started in 2018 and is looking for more success both personally and as a team with the Wild Things.
