KODAK, Tenn. — With spring finally upon us, the Smokies are just about ready to begin a new season. The team will have an exhibition game on Wednesday at 7 p.m. against Walter State. Tennessee will then open up the season with a home game against the Mississippi Braves on Thursday. First pitch is at 7 p.m. It's part of a five-game home series to start the season for the Smokies.
There are always a lot of changes in the minors, but Tennessee will start the season off with a new manager. Former Smokies manager Mark Johnson was promoted to catching coordinator for the Chicago Cubs in late February. His replacement is Jimmy Gonzalez, a former first round pick of the Houston Astros. Gonzalez is getting a promotion after managing the South Bend Cubs, Chicago's Single-A team.
"I like to have fun. I like to get work done, obviously you can do both, but you have to know when to do both," said Gonzalez. "I'm relaxed, I can't say I'm not a yeller, but I do have fun, I do expect them to make their mistakes, go through their bumps and bruises."
"We have a lot of games in the season and we just got to relax and play and have fun."
One of the players Gonzalez coached back in South Bend was the first round pick of the 2018 draft for the Chicago Cubs, infielder Nico Hoerner. He's now a part of the Smokies.
"Very mature kid, obviously that's why he's here at this level. He showed some good things last year and then going into spring training and doing what he did at the big league level."
As a junior at Stanford in 2018, Hoerner was All-Pac 12 as well as a finalist for the Brooks Wallace Award, which goes to the nation's best shortstop. Hoerner has a good relationship with a lot of his new teammates.
"That was one of the most exciting parts of being assigned to this team, some of the guys I'm closest with are part of this group."