Adam Ottavino intends to play Winter Ball in the Dominican Republic this offseason, he told The Post, as a way to enhance his chances to play next season and … to one day manage.
Ottavino acknowledged a down season in which he has fallen out of Mets manager Carlos Mendoza’s circle of late-inning trust and, since he will be turning 39 in November, the righty recognizes 2025 employment will not be a lay-up. So he has agreed to play for Toros del Este, he said, in November and perhaps again later in the MLB offseason with the hopes of “pitching a lot.”
“I told them I want to throw innings, innings are my priority,” Ottavino said.
Ottavino, who has a 4.61 ERA in 52 2/3 innings, feels he has found some flaws in his mechanics and correcting them has allowed him to throw harder of late. He also believes he has to rethink his pitch mix to improve against lefties, particularly involving throwing his cutter to them less.
“I have to get my strategy under control,” he said, and sees innings in The Dominican will offer that chance. And he feels he has to show potential employers that “I can still deliver the goods.”
Plus, he simply wants to pitch more because, “I just love to play baseball.”
Which leads to a bigger picture item – Ottavino wants to continue in the sport after playing. He does not want to be a coach. He wants to manage. He feels like being an observant reliever has helped him understand the in-game strategy, especially when it comes to handling pitchers. Ottavino is renowned wherever he has played for having excellent give-and-take, insightful relationships with reporters.
Ottavino sees interpersonal relationships with players as a key area on which to work.
Ottavino said he already speaks Spanish, but wants to get more proficient, but when it comes to managing it is more than refining a second language. Roughly 10 percent of major leaguers signed their first pro contract out of The Dominican.
“It is about relatability,” Ottavino said. “ It’s very important to care about your players. You really have to get to know your players. And it would be foolish to act like I know somebody without knowing where they are from. I know the culture, but I’m talking about really going to ground zero of being there and not being too big for it. This is baseball. I want to play baseball. I want to play baseball there.”
Ottavino knows that primary major league relievers have not formed a large cross-section of major league managers. There have been a few such as Dallas Green, Joe Kerrigan, Phil Regan and even Tommy Lasorda.
“I know it’s ambitious,” Ottavino said. But he has his family’s blessing and his family will join him for at least part of the experience.
He played in the Arizona Fall League, but never Winter Ball in the Caribbean as a young player. He always wanted to do so. And can close that loop here with fringe benefits – a chance to refine his stuff and showcase himself for teams, continue to play when he enjoys the experience so much and perhaps expand his skillset to make himself a more desirable managerial candidate at some point.
“Even if it is for broadcasting or lots of different things (within the game), it’ll give me greater perspective on things,” Ottavino said. “It can only help me. It’ll be fun. And I get to keep doing what I love to do.”
