Muscles and mustaches: Miracle's Kanzler aims for majors
The metamorphosis of mustache maven Jason Kanzler began after being cut from his first college baseball team.
Kanzler, who waxed and twirled the ends of his mustache upon first arriving to the Fort Myers Miracle late last July, began carving the chip on his muscled shoulders upon getting dismissed by the Northeastern University baseball program in 2008.
Kanzler, now 25 but then fresh out of Penfield High near Rochester, N.Y., stood 6-feet and weighed 170 pounds and was of no interest to college recruiters. Seven years and more than 30 pounds of muscle later, Kanzler has transformed himself into one of the most interesting characters and unheralded outfielders in the minor leagues.
"Sometimes I want to email the coach there and say, 'See what you missed out on,'" Kanzler said. "But I never have. I don't need to rub it into his face. And it was probably the right decision at the time. I probably wasn't good enough. I might not have been good enough then, but I'm good enough now."
Former Northeastern coach Neil McPhee retired after 29 years with the program following the 2007 season. His replacement, Mike Glavine, was in his first season as coach in 2008. Glavine said he couldn't even remember Kanzler, who was with the Huskies as a preferred walk-on.
"That was probably the first of my many mistakes," said Glavine, the brother of former Atlanta Braves pitcher Tom Glavine.
Kanzler, in his second year with the Fort Myers Miracle, has continued to overcome adversity and has done so in relative obscurity. Unlike his Miracle predecessor, Byron Buxton, who ranked No. 1 on Baseball America's prospect list, Kanzler does not even rank in the top 25 of his own team's top prospects. Yet ask anyone who scouted or coached Kanzler, and they all marvel at his prowess, especially when he's roaming center field.
Jake Mauer, who managed Kanzler on the Low-A Cedar Rapids (Iowa) Kernels last season, has coached a number of standout center fielders, including Buxton.
Kanzler stood out. His 27 stolen bases last year were the third-most among Twins minor leaguers.
"He's an intense guy," Mauer said. "There's no doubt about it. Defensively, he's one of the better ones we've had here. It was just a matter of him learning himself as a hitter and staying within himself."
Getting noticed
After getting cut at Northeastern, Kanzler played in an American Legion summer league in 2009. One of his coaches became an assistant at the University of Buffalo.
"I took up lifting, and I kind of made it an obsession, knowing that my size was holding me back," Kanzler said. "I was crushing the ball. I hit 10 home runs in like 15 games. It was really weird. Everything got so much easier after I got stronger. He said, 'Why don't you come play for Buffalo?'"
At Buffalo, Kanzler became best friends and roommates with catcher Tom Murphy, now a prospect with the Colorado Rockies. Murphy and Kanzler became favorites of Buffalo coach Ron Torgalski.
"The kid was determined to prove people wrong," Torgalski said of Kanzler. "He got hooked up with the right guy when he was here. I've never seen two guys work their asses off more than the two of them. They made the commitment to the weight room. They made the commitment to the conditioning. They made the commitment to being the first ones to practice and the last ones to leave."
The Minnesota Twins selected Kanzler in the 20th round of the 2013 draft.
"My approach to working out, everything has a purpose," Kanzler said. "I try to always maintain my mobility and my flexibility while also being athletic, strong and powerful as opposed to just being musclebound.
"I train less like a baseball player and more like a football skill player, because that suits my position more."
Despite Kanzler's low draft status, Torgalski predicted a big-league future.
"I tell people around here, he's going to make it one day to the big leagues, just based on his determination and his work ethic," Torgalski said. "You won't find a guy as determined as Jason. He plays the game with a chip on his shoulder. 'Nobody recruited me. OK, I'll show 'em. Nobody drafted me, OK, I'll show 'em.' He put up numbers when he was here. But defensively, I've never seen a better player."
When Murphy was being scouted, Rockies scouts sometimes asked him about Kanzler.
"There's no doubt in my mind he's under-evaluated," Murphy said. "To this day, he's still the best center fielder I've seen play out of everybody I've been around."
As for why Kanzler continually went unnoticed, Murphy had no clue.
"I really, couldn't even tell you, because it's so obvious," Murphy said. "He has a never-give-up attitude, and it's contagious. He's going to give you everything he's got. It's not like he's the best player in the world, but he just works so extremely hard."
Gunning for championships
Kanzler hit .286 (90-for-315) with nine homers, 48 RBI and 15 stolen bases in 84 games for Cedar Rapids last season. But his final 27 games with the Fort Myers Miracle helped them win their first Florida State League championship.
Two of Kanzler's postseason home runs powered the Miracle into the record books.
In the Miracle's first playoff game, Kanzler hit a game-tying grand slam.
In the Florida State League championship series against the Daytona Cubs, Kanzler hit a go-ahead, two-run home run in the top of the 11th inning for a 4-2 lead, the series-clinching game's final score.
"He was a big part of what they did at the end of the year into the fall," Twins director of minor leagues Brad Steil said. "Jason is a competitive guy. He's a hard-nosed player. He brings a lot of energy to the lineup every day."
Kanzler was slowed a little this season after his right hand was spiked and sliced during a head-first slide into second base on May 22, forcing him to the disabled list for 18 games.
"It kind of derailed me a little bit," said Kanzler, who in 54 games through play Wednesday has hit .235 (43-for-183) with five homers, 17 RBI and 11 stolen bases in 18 attempts.
"I was swinging a pretty good bat," Kanzler said. "I kind of found a groove. My first game back, I was atrocious, but ever since then it's been good. The only thing is I'm still a little freaked out trying to slide into second base. The two times I've tried to steal, I've been thrown out because I hesitated on my slide. Instead of sliding head first like I normally do, I've awkwardly tried to slide feet first. Aside from that, everything has been going good."
The six-pound burger
Kanzler works hard at entertaining his teammates off the field.
While on a college road trip in North Carolina, he attempted to eat a six-pound burger in less than 60 minutes. Each player received $20 in meal money, and he knew he would get all of his money back if he ate the entire burger in time.
"It was a two-pound burger patty, one-pound bun, one pound of fries, one pound of cole slaw and one other pound of something else," Kanzler said. "Then there were two pitchers of sweet tea, and I had to put it all down in an hour.
"Maybe halfway through, I started sweating and losing steam a lot, and I wasn't even halfway done. The D.J. started playing 'Eye of the Tiger,' and the whole restaurant and bar started really getting behind me and started cheering for me.
"I felt really terrible all night. I probably threw up a few times."
Torgalski said the incident just exemplified why it's good to have Kanzler on your team.
"Who says I can't do it? OK, I'll do it," Torgalzki said of Kanzler's attitude, whether it be toward an eating contest or facing an elite pitcher. "He didn't get it done. But it was pretty darned close. The whole place was watching him, too. He got a standing ovation."
The 'stache
If actor Tom Selleck from his "Magnum, P.I." days had been into weight lifting, he and Kanzler could pass for at least close cousins, if not brothers.
Kanzler and most of his Buffalo teammates, including Murphy, grew mustaches during a spring break trip in 2013.
More than two years later, all of the players but Kanzler have shaved them off.
"We had some pretty nasty mustaches," Murphy said. "We were all kind of goofballs. I gave that up a long time ago."
Kanzler, however, hasn't.
In Cedar Rapids, fans began calling Kanzler "The 'Stache."
Should Kanzler continue advancing, "The 'Stache" is sure to stick.
"I think I can pull off a mustache," Kanzler said. "At least more than other people. I think once you get over that hump of how awkward it can look, you know, I can twirl the ends and put wax on it, and it looks awesome. It's kind of sweet.
"Some people grow gardens. I grow mustaches."
Connect with this reporter: David Dorsey (Facebook), @DavidADorsey (Twitter).
Saturday night's game
What: Fort Myers Miracle vs. St. Lucie Mets
When: 6:05 p.m.
Where: Hammond Stadium at CenturyLink Sports Complex
Parking: $5
Postgame: Fireworks
Tickets: $9.50-$7.50