In 2013, Wickens was honored with a Harmon Killebrew Award for Community Service for his efforts in Ft. Myers. At the time, Wickens said, "Harmon was a killer on the field and a gentleman off of it, and I think that’s how the Twins organization wants their players to be."
Recently, Wickens sat down and answered several questions. Enjoy the Q&A, and feel free to comment or ask questions below.
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Seth Stohs (SS): Being from Ontario, I assume we have the ability to guess who your favorite team was growing up? Who were some of your favorite players?
Stephen Wickens (SW): My favorite team growing up was obviously the Blue Jays. The players I loved to cheer for were usually the grinders, which always ended up being fan favorites, players like Reed Johnson and John MacDonald. Obviously every little kid loves the long ball, so it was always nice seeing Carlos Delgado hit a few into the stands.
SS: Let’s go back to your high school days. Did you play other sports, or were you involved in other activities?
SW: When I was younger, I basically played every school sport you could. Whether it was baseball, hockey, volleyball, cross-country or wrestling, I tried to stay as active as I could while loving any form of competition. But as I got later into high school, I stuck with just baseball and hockey. I then had to make a decision on what sport I thought I could get the most out of because they were becoming too time consuming and also way too expensive with all of the equipment and traveling. I stuck with baseball, but sometimes wonder what it would be like to play hockey at a higher level. Who wouldn’t love to play hockey, 82 games instead of 162, while also playing in the winter and getting to sit back and relax during the summer.
SS: How did you go about going from Ontario to Florida Gulf Coast University to play college baseball?
SW: In my last year of high school, I joined a program called the Ontario Blue Jays. In the fall we would travel all over the Atlantic Coast playing various DI, DII, and NAIA schools. We ended up playing against Florida Gulf Coast before a Perfect Game tournament and the rest was history. They offered me a scholarship the next day, and I basically accepted right then and there. Being a baseball player from Canada, I don’t think there was a better place to go to school. Going from playing baseball for 6-7 months of the year to now being able to play all year round, couldn’t ask for anything more.
SS: What were the highlights of your time in FGCU? Were you a big fan of Dunk City?
SW: The highlight of my time at FGCU was winning our conference (Atlantic Sun) for three consecutive years. We weren’t eligible for post-season play in my first two years because we were in a transition period, going from DII to DI. My Junior year was kind of a disappointment because we won our conference but ended up losing in the conference tournament, so did not get a bid to a regional. We thought we may get a bid because Chris Sale was our Friday night starter and anyone we played first round we could have definitely played spoiler. But that never came into fruition. As for “Dunk City” that came about after I had already graduated. I loved to go watch the basketball games though. Our women’s team was always very good, but I’m jealous I never got to experience one of the men’s basketball games when they made their NCAA Sweet 16 run.
SS: Describe the type of player that you are to the fans? What makes you successful?
SW: I see myself as a smart, hard-working player, who battles for everything he’s earned. I am the type of player who is going to put the team first, and also understand what kind of player I am. I’m obviously not a guy who’s going to go out and hit a bunch of home runs, but I can get hits, walks, steal bases, score runs, make plays, and I think any player can be successful when they understand what their role is and what type of player they are. Being able to make adjustments day-by-day, pitch-by-pitch, is the most important tool any player can have, and being a guy who doesn’t necessarily play every day, I take pride in making those adjustments as best I can.
SS: What are those things that you feel you needed to spend the offseason working on? What will be the keys to you taking the “next step?”
SW: You can obviously never stop working in any area of your game. I think being more consistent in every aspect of my game is the key to taking the next step. I think the guys you see in the MLB are there for a reason, and that’s because they play at a higher level on a consistent basis. I have no doubt in my mind that I have the skill level to play in the major leagues, I just need to take advantage of opportunities when they come my way.
SS: You played 1B, 2B, 3B, SS, LF and CF for Chattanooga in 2015. How many gloves do you bring to the ballpark, and what does being versatile mean for you?
SW: I take pride in being a versatile player. I believe I can play at a high level at most positions in the field. It’s obviously an asset being able to play multiple positions as you are not limiting yourself, as you now have multiple ways of getting into the lineup as well as getting to the MLB.
SS: What was it like being part of a really strong Lookouts roster all season, and being a guy who often hit near the top of the order on such a successful team? Did you ever find yourself watching the game and saying “Wow!” when a teammate (someone like Sano, Buxton, Kepler, Walker, Berrios, etc.) did something?
SW: Being a part of that Chattanooga roster was awesome. The coaches and players were great. It was the most fun I’ve had in my baseball career. The chemistry between the guys on the team was the best I’ve been a part of, even with the roster changes. Guys came up and down, but the atmosphere never changed. We always knew we were going to win, we always felt like we were going to win, and we did win. Playing with Sano, Buxton, Kepler, Walker, Berrios etc. is always fun to watch. There were a lot of loud noises in that ballpark. And I may have kinked my neck a few times. But it;s not really new to me, I’ve been watching these guys do these things for years. Now it’s everyone else’s turn to join in on the fun and watch and hear it happen up in Minneapolis.
SS: How do you balance wanting to win with wanting to keep advancing through the organization?
SW: I think they come hand in hand. I think every organization wants players on their team that are hungry and understand that there is a difference between winning and losing. If you can be fortunate enough to be part of some winning teams, I think you can stick around for a long time.
SS: When you get away from baseball, what do you enjoy doing?
SW: During the off-season I keep it pretty simple. Movies, TV, cards/board games, and just hanging out with friends and family. You miss out on a lot of things when you’re away at baseball all year. So just enjoying your free time is nice.
SS: What are your goals for the 2016 season? Are there certain numbers/stats you’d like to focus on?
SW: Coming out of spring training I’d love to start out in Rochester. I’ll be ready to compete for a job and hopefully perform the way I know I can, and the rest will take care of itself. I try not to pay attention to numbers/stats too much because it will only get you in trouble. I’m in the mindset that if I do my job to help the team, then good things will happen and my year will be reflected correctly.
SS: Who are some of the people who have helped you get to this point in your career?
SW: There have been tons of people who have played a major role in getting me to where I am today. Obviously my mom and dad who drove countless hours, taking me to practice and games; doing all the research on colleges and universities; or just giving me the opportunity to play baseball. I’ve had the opportunity to play under a lot of different coaches. I credit each one of them with my development. I think having an open mind in any sport is key to having success because there isn’t just one way of doing things. I tried to take everything I could from each coach. Whether the advice was good or bad, it didn’t really matter because you’re just getting to learn the game from a different set of eyes. The more knowledge you have the better, and whatever worked for me I kind of just stuck with.
SS: What would it mean to you and your family to put on the Minnesota Twins uniform and play a regular season game in the big leagues?
SW: Getting an opportunity to put on a Twins uniform would be a great honor. There are only so many people who can say they had a chance to play in the MLB. I think every kid dreams about being that “hero” they grew up watching. And if I ever get that opportunity to play in the MLB, I feel like I will have reached some sort of immortality. Whether it’s one game, 100 games or 1,000 games, no one will ever be able to take that away from me. Being able to achieve a lifelong goal in anything would be very rewarding and satisfying.
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Again, a big Thank You to Stephen Wickens for taking his time to respond to our questions. Best wishes for a strong 2016 season.
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