ELKHART COUNTY MIRACLE: Valera tabbed as manager; Zobrist part of opening week

May 4—ELKHART — At the end of the month, the Elkhart County Miracle will be playing baseball.

That makes the beginning of the month a good time to announce its inaugural manager.

Wilson Valera will have the distinction of being the first Miracle manager when the team takes the field for its first game May 31 at NorthWood High School. Valera was formally announced as the head man for the new minor league baseball team Thursday in a press conference at D-Bat Elkhart.

"I'm very excited," Valera said. "I'm very excited because, two years ago, when I came over here to Elkhart, I started to work over here at D-Bat. And I saw the interest from the kids over here and how much they want to play baseball, and I was talking to Jason (Baugh), the owner of D-Bat, and I told him, 'Elkhart needs the opportunity to have a real baseball team.' And now, the opportunity has been given to me to coach the first team here.

"I'm very, very blessed, and I will do my best to develop the players the right way."

That wasn't the only big announcement that Miracle President Craig Wallin had Thursday morning.

Ben Zobrist, who was the 2016 World Series MVP for the Chicago Cubs, will be throwing out the first pitch for the Miracle's Saturday, June 3 home game against the Northwest Indiana Oilmen. Wallin encourages fans to buy tickets in advance on the team's website, elkhartcountymiracle.com, for that game.

"The first 1,500 fans that come to the NorthWood Field of Dreams — not only are they going to get a team picture of the Elkhart County Miracle with Ben Zobrist (photoshopped) in the picture, but you're going to get an autograph, too, from the 2016 World Series MVP," Wallin said. "He'll hang around and sign autographs all night long. It's going to be a great night."

Valera recently moved to Elkhart County after a lengthy career in major league baseball.

Born in the Dominic Republic, Valera spent eight seasons playing minor league baseball within the Cleveland, New York Mets and Chicago White Sox organizations. This included a stop with the then-South Bend White Sox when they first became a franchise in 1988, which is where Wallin and Valera first connected. Wallin was the radio announcer for the team at that time.

After he finished his playing career, Valera spent four seasons as a bullpen catcher with the San Francisco Giants (1989-1993), then the 1994 and 1995 seasons in the same role with the Cincinnati Reds.

He then spent many years coaching in the Dominican Summer League, winning numerous Caribbean League World Series titles. In 2011, he worked his way back to the MLB, joining on as an assistant coach with the Arizona Diamondbacks. He then worked with one of the Diamondbacks' minor league teams, the Missoula Osprey, in 2013.

Wallin knows being able to bring in someone with as much experience as Valera will be beneficial.

"We're just tickled that Wilson is with us; just thrilled," Wallin said. "We could not have asked for a better manager for our first year. When you get to know Wilson Valera, you're quickly going to learn that he's as good a baseball guy as there is, but also, he's a much better human being. He is a wonderful man, and he has such respect for the game of baseball. I think the fans are really going to like that about Wilson Valera."

It'll be a quick turnaround for Valera and the team. The majority of the players won't come together until May 26, getting just a handful of practices in before the season opener Wednesday, May 31. It's a short season as well, with the team playing just 54 games. The regular season is scheduled to end August 3.

Other teams in the Northern League with the Miracle are the Oilmen, the Lake County Corn Dogs, the Southland Vikings, the Crestwood Panthers and the Griffith Generals.

The roster will have up to 35 players, all coming from different stages of their playing careers.

"This Northern League that we're a part of is really a hybrid league," Wallin said. "We have some collegiate players, some that just graduated on the team and then we have the minor league prospect as well. It's a blend of the two."

"Getting to know the players will be the most important thing," Valera added. "I'll get to know them, and they can get to know me, too. That way we can have a good relationship."

Austin Hough can be reached at austin.hough@goshennews.com or at 574-538-2360. Follow him on Twitter at @AustinHoughTGN.