The following report is from Will Bigby, lead baseball correspondent for Treasure Valley Sports.* * * * * * *
After a season that saw Boise's Dennis French win the Johnson League Sawyer Silk Award as most outstanding offensive player, the star center fielder has a new accolade to add to his already impressive career: team captain.
Last week, a group of unnamed veteran Spud players met with various members of the coaching staff and owner Francis Nephi Grigg IV to discuss naming a new captain for the 2041 season after last year's co-captains Pedro Nava and António Baca left the team via free agency.
Obviously, French was a natural fit, based on fantastic reputation in Boise and across the league, both on and off the field. Given his reserved and professional demeanor, French will likely fill the role as a leader by example rather than the fiery, in-your-face type.
Despite the official designation, French made it clear he would eschew the captain's "C" patch on his jersey that his predecessors wore on their chests. French wants to look no different from his teammates. "That's why they call it a uniform," he said matter-of-factly.
So what does being a captain for a Brewster team involve, then?
"It's tough to define," French said. "It's not like you become a captain and all of a sudden you have all these responsibilities now. More than anything, it's an honor. I'd like to think I have a fairly strong voice in the clubhouse. I like to think people view me in that type of role.
"It's a position that's earned," Boise manager Millard Davis said. "And to some extent, it's recognition. But there's a certain amount of responsibility that goes along with it. There are incidents that come up, and you're the captain, so you take some remedial action. So I think it does carry a certain amount of weight."
"This is just a smaller part of what we're working to achieve here in Boise," French added. "We have some great leaders that make up this team. We're all captains, to some extent. There will definitely a new look in team chemistry and leadership in the clubhouse moving forward."
French knew the captaincy was in the works for him. He had talked to team officials about it before it was made public last week. But he felt it was important to speak to members of the organization, along with his teammates, to make his own determination on how he would be perceived.
Just as everyone figured a captain would act.
