WILD THINGS, MANAGER TOM VAETH AGREE TO TERMS ON CONTRACT EXTENSION THROUGH 2027 SEASON
WASHINGTON, PA – Prior to the start of what was the final season on manager Tom Vaeth’s contract, the Wild Things and the skipper have agreed to terms on an extension that tacks on two seasons to the end of his deal, which was a new contract for the 2022 season. Vaeth will enter his fifth season as field manager in 2025 and the new deal ties him to the club through the 2027 season.
This job is the first pro managerial job for Vaeth, who has also managed in the California Winter League for several years and on an interim basis during his tenure with the Winnipeg Goldeyes in the American Association. He was named the 10th Wild Things’ manager on January 6, 2021.
“I am incredibly excited and grateful to receive this extension. I want to sincerely thank the Williams family, general manager Tony Buccilli and the entire front office for their continued support and the trust they’ve placed in me to lead this organization [on field],” said Vaeth. “As we continue our pursuit of a Frontier League championship. I remain committed to putting the best possible product on the field for our fans and ensuring our players have the best experience possible here in Washington.”
Vaeth continued: “I’d also like to thank all the fans, players, coaches and clubhouse staff who make this job so rewarding. I’m proud to call the Washington Wild Things and the Washington, PA community home and I look forward to even bigger and better things in the future. Let’s keep building something special!”
Vaeth, the 2022 Frontier League Roger Hanners Award winner for Manager of the Year, enters the 2025 season with a record of 232-151 (.606), good for the second most wins in franchise history for a manager. He’s chasing John Massarelli’s 239, who managed the club from 2004 through 2007 and went 239-143 (.626) in that time.
Under Tom Vaeth, the Wild Things have been to two league championship series and won three division titles, giving them three playoff appearances in the last four years, a standard of winning Vaeth and the club are eager to keep going.
The Baltimore, Maryland native spent 17 seasons as an assistant with Winnipeg, working in player procurement and as base coach, hitting coach and bullpen coach. While with the Goldeyes, he was on the staff for 10 playoff teams and three that won American Association titles. He’s overseen an MVP (Caleb McNeely, 2024), two Rookies of the Year (Ryan Hennen, 2021, Kobe Foster, 2022), a Pitcher of the Year (Hennen, 2021) and multiple Frontier League postseason all stars (Nick Ward, SS, 2022, Anthony Brocato, OF, 2023, McNeely, OF, 2024, Tyreque Reed, DH, 2024 and Gyeongju Kim, RP, 2024). Alex Boshers, Vaeth’s previous pitching coach, won Coach of the Year twice under Vaeth’s tutelage. Ward was also the Citizenship Award winner in the league in 2021.
The Wild Things, in Vaeth’s four seasons, have had 15 players make the midseason All Star team, which consists of three All Star chances with the midseason All Star classic not happening in the league in 2021. Six players have also moved on to affiliated ball directly in a contract purchase from the Wild Things in Vaeth’s tenure: Sean Kealey (STL, 2021), James Meeker (MIL, 2021), Ryan Hennen (KC, 2022), Jake Pilarski (LAD, 2022), Nick Ward (PHI, 2022) and Turner Hill (SF, 2023). John Murphy (2021), Spencer Bivens (2021), Isaac Mattson (2022), Alex Carrillo (2024) and Cole Roberts (2024) have also moved into affiliated or back into it after playing for Washington during Tom’s time as manager.
“It has been great to see the growth and development our organization has taken on the field under Tom’s management,” said president and general manager Tony Buccilli. “There is an aligned effort to consistently making the Wild Things a winning program annually, a destination location for athletes and a style of play that resonates with the region. We look forward to the continued partnership and the high-level product on the field.”
The Wild Things open their season on the road Friday, May 9, and the home opener, presented by EQT and at EQT Park, is scheduled for Tuesday, May 13 at 7:05 p.m. Season tickets, group packages and premium areas are available now by calling 866-456-WILD or by going to washingtonwildthings.com. Fans can also follow the team’s social media pages and site for news, including on X, Facebook, Instagram, Threads, TikTok and YouTube. Search @WashWildThings, go to youtube.com/@WashWildThings or go to facebook.com/washingtonwildthings.
