Gatemen Hire Ryan Smyth as Field Manager for 2023 Season

Nov 21, 2022

Story by: Amanda Kate Foster, 2023 Gatemen Side-line Reporter and Co-Writer

Ryan Smyth has been named as the Wareham Gatemen Manager for the 2023 season, as he continues to establish his name and presence in the Cape Cod Baseball League.

“He’s here for the kids, and it really shines through,” general manager Bob Prince said. “{He’s} extremely excited about just teaching and working with players, and that certainly jumped off the page to us.”

Smyth is very dedicated to the idea of creating real relationships between the players and the community, and make sure everyone has fun playing baseball and competing at a high level.

“{I want to} establish Wareham as a place players want to come to play in the summer,” Smyth said. “Team goals are simply going to be to make sure that our players have a summer to remember.”

For the past six years, Smyth was an assistant coach with the Brewster Whitecaps under Jamie Shevchik. Smyth worked specifically as a hitting coach and infield coach, and worked to coordinate recruiting.

With Smyth on the coaching staff, the Whitecaps won the CCBL championship in both the 2017 and 2021 seasons.

While experience with winning is important, that wasn’t the only thing that brought Smyth to the Gatemen. He has also coached over 20 players who have gone on to sign professional contracts, and that involvement in player development is key for coaching in the Cape.

“Having had the opportunity to coach so many players who have gone on to get drafted and make it to the big leagues is a surreal feeling,” Smyth said. “As a coach we always want to see our players succeed, and knowing you played just a small part in their success is always gratifying. It’s the relationships that are made that make it all worthwhile.”

Smyth said he’s had multiple former players reach out congratulating him on the position, and he plans on using what he saw in developing some of those players in his coaching this summer.

“He really got our vision; it really lined up,” Prince said. “Obviously we all want to win, but in a league like the Cape it’s about getting guys prepared for the next level. And he really came to the table with that mindset.”

Before entering the CCBL in 2016, Smyth started his summer collegiate baseball league coaching career with the New England Collegiate Baseball League. He worked with the Danbury Westerners as both an assistant and a manager from 2011 to 2015.

While summer baseball is not in season, Smyth works at his alma mater, Keystone College. Following a two-year playing career in the Frontier League, Smyth started out as an assistant with the Giants in 2011. He retained that position until 2016, when he gained the new title of associate head coach.

As an associate head coach, Smyth also serves as the head coach for the Giants’ JV games.

Smyth helped lead Keystone to a combined record of 70-15 in his playing career, and has continued to bring success to the program as a coach. The team has not posted a losing record while Smyth has been on staff, and has won every Colonial States Athletic Conference Championship since 2009.

Clearly, Smyth is no stranger to success. With the Gatemen finishing 13-24 last season, Smyth will likely be expected to revitalize the team, bringing home wins and preparing players for their futures.

“He’s been around a lot of good people,” Prince said. “He’s going to do a fantastic job for us developing our players.”

Smyth’s experience in the Cape is something he credits as one of his biggest attributes — he knows how to coach, and how to win, in the collegiate baseball atmosphere.

“The summer is a long two and a half months for these guys after coming off a long college season,” Smyth said. “My staff and I will do our very best to keep our players engaged and invested in the summer months with a loose, fun atmosphere to play in.”

Smyth will be staying in Wareham with his wife, Katelyn, and his two young daughters, Elliana and Rilyn, who are all big baseball fans and all very excited to be joining the Gatemen.