By Darryl Harding Sr
In perfect synergy, Ryan Fitzgerald moved up from the single A, to double AA Portland Sea Dogs and finally the AAA Worcester Red Sox almost simultaneously as Polar Park’s inaugural season began. Ryan Fitzgerald, in a sense, became the Woo Sox and Worcesters’ first son.
With his signature mullet, coupled with a string of pearls, pearls which would eventually be a key to the city hanging around his neck, Fitzgerald, effectively known as Fitzy, became a staple in Worcester’s new found professional team, located in the heart of the heart of Massachusetts.
From a “Fitzy look-alike” contest to a Jr Woo Sox symposium on instructional batting, Fitzy has been beloved and will continue to be beloved, even with his move, in the Phase 5 Draft, to the Kansas City Royals organization. Heralding his father, lifetime coach, Fitzy explained that after college, being undrafted, he tried to play independent baseball, not wanting to give up on his Major League dreams.
Unfortunately Fitzy was told that he couldn’t be picked up because he had no professional experience in baseball’s version of a catch-22. Finally getting a chance, because of his defensive prowess, Fitzy then learned the sports science of batting.
Going back to Ted Williams’ anatomy of a swing, Fitzy was educated how to better contact and follow through, changing bat size and balance, turning his slap hit style into Woo Sox power hitting. Continually producing, Fitzy quickly established himself, leading most Woo Sox stat categories, such as hits, RBIs and runs scored, to become one of Worcester’s most prolific players.
In his humble approach Fitzy stated, “I’m not curing cancer just playing baseball.” His tenure with the Woo Sox marks Fitzy as one of the players with his own clothing line, sold in the Worcester Red Sox store. Expressing his love for the city, also admitting that he now knows how to pronounce it, Fitzy will miss Worcester and its occupants.
With the installation of a Woo Sox Hall of Fame, maybe Ryan Firzgerald could be the first inductee. “I would be honored,” said Fitzy, “but like I said you know I’m just I’m just a Minor Leaguer looking to play this game as long as I can and hopefully make it to the big leagues but, yeah, if that happened that would be something special.”