GRAND CHUTE, Wis. — The Timber Rattlers hosted Fan Fest, which was blanketed with snow, Wednesday.
But shovels and snow replaced balls and gloves temporarily on Wednesday in Grand Chute, Wis. It was not exactly baseball weather, but team president Rob Zerjav said he was confident the team will be on the field Friday night in front of their fans.
“We've got our full-time staff shoveling snow out of the stands," said Zerjav. "So unless we get some more bad weather, which I don't think is forecast, I think we're going to be good to go.”
Fans still turned out on Wednesday despite the bad weather. A Brewers fan from nearby Greenville brought his son to the event. He said they were not going to let some snow stop them from coming out.
“You get to see the future Brewers before they're even on the team," said Mark Smolinski. "It's exciting to see them while they're young and developing and then you get to bond with the Milwaukee Brewers, too.”
During the event, the team introduced its new manager and top prospects.
The Timber Rattlers will be led by new manager Victor Estevez. He is no stanger to the Milwaukee Brewers affiliate teams, as he previously managed its team in North Carolina, the Carolina Mudcats. He said he wants to create a winning environment and have fun doing it.
“I think if you develop the right way and you play the game the right way, the right way, you're going to you're going to start winning games," said Estevez. "I know the main purpose for us is [to] develop these guys because they need to be ready for the next level.”
One of the top prospects on the Timber Rattlers this season is outfielder Luis Lara. The Venezuela native said it is valuable to have a coach who is bilingual with so many Latin players on the team.
“He definitely says it helps," said Lara through an interpreter. "Victor also pushes the envelope on learning English, so there's definitely that learning curve for both of them and they help each other out in that sense.”
The Timber Rattlers and their fans are preparing for baseball outdoors with the promise of summer not too far away.
The Rattlers’ season begins Friday when they take on the the Peoria Chiefs. First pitch will be at Neuroscience Group Field at 6:40 p.m.