Newlywed Grant Wolfram aims to keep big year going, make Rangers
HAMILTON - The season hasn't started but it is already a big year for Grant Wolfram.
Before he headed off to spring training with the hopes of making the Texas Rangers big-league club, Wolfram married Abby Rasmussen to start 2023 off in style.
"Abby has been a great supporter of my career already - for a long time - and I love having her every step of the way. It has been awesome. I am excited to be married," Wolfram said.
Now, he is excited to keep his Major-League dreams alive, and the memorable year.
"This is what I dreamed of. It is super special. If it happens, it will be one of the happiest days of my life for sure – definitely second after marrying Abby. It will be special if that time comes. If it doesn’t, I am still blessed to play professional baseball," Wolfram said. "I would be lying if I said it didn’t creep into my mind. That is the hard part for me. I don’t want to set expectations on myself and have a letdown. But I know where I want to be and what the hard work looks like to get to that point."
Wolfram, a Hamilton High School graduate, had a strong season in Double-A last year with the Frisco Rough Riders, leading the team to the league championship. He was 3-3 with a 4.42 ERA. He had eight holds and two saves. In 57 innings, he struck out 71 and walked 43.
He is looking to keep that success going - especially with how the end of his season went.
"Just picking up right where I left off this fall. If I can do that, I will be in a really good spot. That is all I can do, just pitch and stay healthy," he said. "If they call my name, they call my name. If they don’t, they don’t. I am just blessed to have the chance to keep playing. I am thankful for that."
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Wolfram isn't working on any new pitches right now, just working on finessing what he has and building his arm strength for the season.
"More of it is just working on some of the things I did last year, like seeing a body specialist and things like that. Getting them to teach me certain things about mobility and rehab in season to maintain my arm strength. That was huge for me last season. Learning that and applying it right away this year is going to help me a lot," Wolfram said. "I want to go into the season continuing to learn and visualizing."
This year will be easier to visuialize since it is his third full spring training, allowing him to not have the same level of nerves as his first time. He knows what to expect and can just get after it.
"Knowing what to expect from the season and spring training. All the nerves, it gets a lot easier. I know what to expect when I had to Arizona," he said. "I know there will be ups and downs in the season. Being able to cope with those and stay even keel is the key for me. The unknown anxiety isn’t there anymore. There is a calmness, but excitement about it. I can just focus on baseball."
With all of that focus on baseball, this might continue to be Wolfram's year.
Contact sports editor Dan D’Addona at Dan.D’Addona@hollandsentinel.com. Follow him on Twitter @DanDAddona or Facebook @HollandSentinelSports.
This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Newlywed Grant Wolfram aims to keep big year going, make Rangers
