Aberdeen IronBirds catcher Creed Willems finds success through relaxation; batting average has jumped over past three weeks

Jun. 29—Aberdeen IronBirds catcher Creed Willems has a methodical breathing technique that keeps him relaxed.

He can often be found hunting deep in the woods near his home in Aledo, Texas, focusing on each inhale and ensuing exhale. If he's big-game hunting, he'll be out in western Texas about five hours from home. Then there's a closer spot he enjoys duck hunting only 45 minutes away.

The intentional deep breathing helps calm his nerves in the high-pressure environment.

Opportunities to capitalize on a shot don't come often. "You maybe have one shot a weekend on a big buck so you don't want to miss it," Willems said. "You're not gonna see him again for a while."

Willems takes the same approach in baseball.

"You try to remember to take deep breaths and remember it's baseball," Willems said. "You're going to fail more times than you succeed. It's the hardest sport on planet Earth. You can't let [failure] carry over."

Baltimore selected Willems out of high school in the eighth round of the 2021 MLB draft, granting the catcher a $1 million signing bonus — an uncharacteristic figure for a player taken so late.

However, taking a draft offer out of high school wasn't always in the plan. Willems dreamt of attending Texas Christian University since he was 6. . Even when his dad told him the private school was too expensive, he kept the vision in sight, eventually impressing at a Horned Frogs camp as a junior and committing soon after.

Willems had a plan going into draft night: Get picked in the first five rounds? Take the offer. Slip past the fifth round? Go to TCU.

When the fifth round came and went, Willems said to himself, "Welp, looks like I'm going to school." Then his agent let him know, after talks with Orioles executive vice president and general manager Mike Elias, that he'd be Baltimore's eighth-round pick.

"It was one of those, yes I wanted to go to TCU and play baseball there," Willems said. "But at the end of the day, if baseball doesn't work out or something happens, I can go back and get my degree. ... I think this organization has been proven we have one of the top developmental staffs in all of baseball."

He joined Low-A Delmarva for the 2022 season, where he batted a lowly .190 with four home runs in 68 games, and opened the 2023 season back with the Shorebirds. It was after a particular subpar outing coming off a rough week at the end of May that Willems got the news of his promotion to Aberdeen. He returned to the clubhouse dispirited, collecting his things when Shorebirds manager Felipe Alou Jr. asked to see him in his office.

"I walk in and the first thing he says is, 'This is never easy to tell a player,'" Willems recalled. "I'm like, 'Oh, no what happened?' He told me and I was just so excited."

Willems' parents were scheduled to meet Delmarva in Fredericksburg for his birthday on June 4. He called his mom to let her know he wouldn't be meeting them in Virginia, so she should adjust their flights to Hudson Valley where Willems joined the IronBirds.

IronBirds manager Roberto Mercado remembers when Willems first joined the team, he heard an enticing scouting report from Orioles top prospect Jackson Holliday, who previously played alongside Willems in Low-A.

"Last year he struggled a little bit in Delmarva with some swing decisions and things like that," Mercado said, "but when he came up those first couple days, Jackson was like, 'Man, he's a different player.'"

Success for Willems since getting called up to High-A has come in fits and starts. In his first seven games this month, he managed just three hits. The response, however, has been resounding. Willems delivered a walk-off single June 15 and has hit five home runs at the new level (13 on the year). He raised his batting average from .148 on June 9 to .241 after doubling and drive in two runs in Wednesday's victory over Winston-Salem.

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This season — between Delmarva and Aberdeen — Willems is slashing .275/.402/.946 with 31 runs and 47 hits.

Another technique to help keep Willems grounded is journaling. It's something he started in high school but got away from last year. Now, after each at-bat, he'll mosey into the dugout, grab his notebook and jot down a few notes of reflection. They're notes on certain pitches, pitcher tendencies or how he felt about his swing.

"I noticed that actually the other day," Mercado said. "I came in from coaching third base and saw him taking notes. Some players love to do that others don't. [Terrin] Vavra was here last year in a rehab stint and he was doing his journal too. ... Any kind of advantage you can get on a guy is extremely important."

Willems has been something of a fan favorite at every level. Maybe it's his imposing frame paired with a signature mustache and illustrious mullet. It could be the way his unique name rolls off the tongues of devoted fans. Most likely it's his talent paired with a good-willed nature, stamped by the organization's most recognizable name in recent history.

"Love Creed. Looove Creed," Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman told reporters last season. "Just an unbelievable dude. One of the most genuine guys you'll ever meet from the second you meet him. He's always smiling and always uplifting your spirits."

They spent two months together when Willems first joined the organization, with Willems picking the 2019 No. 1 overall draft pick's brain about baseball while also bonding with him away from the game. The best piece of advice he got from Rutschman?

Be relaxed.