By Tom Vaeth:
I never loved talking about myself. Baseball, for me, has always been about showing up, doing the work, and helping people move forward. If you stay long enough in this game, you realize it is not really about you anyway. It is about the players, the staff, the families, and the communities that surround a team.
I have been lucky to spend most of my life inside clubhouses and ballparks. From scouting and coaching to managing and building rosters, I learned early that the smallest details matter and that relationships matter even more. Over the years, baseball gave me opportunities to wear a lot of hats, but the purpose stayed the same. Help teams compete. Help players grow. Do things the right way.
My time in Winnipeg shaped much of who I am. Seventeen seasons is a long time in any profession, especially in baseball. I was part of championship teams, historic offenses, and countless individual success stories. What I remember most is not the numbers on the board, but the hours spent in the cages, the late conversations with players trying to find their footing, and the trust built inside a clubhouse over time. Watching players reach the best seasons of their careers or earn opportunities they had been chasing is something I never took lightly.
Player procurement became an extension of that mindset. I enjoyed finding players others might overlook and putting them in environments where they could succeed. That meant long conversations with scouts, agents, and college coaches, but also listening closely to players themselves. Every roster spot represents a person with a story, and I always believed if you take care of the people, the results will follow.
Managing was never about control for me. It was about clarity. Setting expectations. Being consistent. Letting players know they were supported and held accountable at the same time. Whether stepping in as an interim manager or leading winter league clubs, I leaned on preparation and trust. The wins were a byproduct of that approach.
When the opportunity in Washington came, it felt familiar in the best way. A chance to help build something meaningful, not just on the field, but within the organization and the community. The early mornings, the structure, the standards, and the shared belief in doing things right have been energizing. Watching players buy in, grow, and take pride in the work has been the most rewarding part.
Outside the lines, baseball has always been a bridge for me. It opened doors to serve in the community, connect with kids and families, and give back in ways that matter. The game has a way of bringing people together, and I have always tried to honor that responsibility.
I still approach each season the same way I always have. Show up early. Stay late if needed. Care deeply. Pour everything I have into the people around me. Baseball has given me a life full of purpose, and if there is any legacy at all, I hope it is found in the players and communities that were made better along the way.
The work continues, and I am grateful for that.
Building a Legacy – about Tom’s Career!
Tom Vaeth’s coaching career is not defined by a single stop or a single title. It is defined by sustained excellence, record breaking performance, and a level of impact on independent professional baseball that very few have ever achieved.
For more than two decades, Vaeth has been one of the most influential baseball minds in the independent game. Working along side other local legend and long time Goldeye Manager Rick Forney, Tom’s 17 year tenure as assistant coach with the Winnipeg Goldeyes stands as one of the longest and most successful coaching and player procurement runs in modern independent baseball history. During that stretch, Winnipeg became a model franchise, consistently competitive, relentlessly prepared, and annually built to win.
The results speak loudly.
Vaeth was a central figure in three American Association championships in 2012, 2016, and 2017. Those titles were not isolated peaks but part of a broader pattern of sustained dominance. Under his offensive leadership, Winnipeg finished in the top five in team hitting in 14 of 17 seasons. Multiple league batting champions emerged from his system, including Northern League batting champion Kevin West and American Association batting champion Shawn Pleffner.
The 2016 and 2017 seasons stand as historic benchmarks. In 2016, Winnipeg led the league with 594 runs scored and shattered the league single season record with 462 walks, a testament to an offensive philosophy built on strike zone discipline, preparation, and relentless pressure. In 2017, the Goldeyes led the league in team batting average, ranked second in runs scored, and produced the first season in franchise history where four players drove in 70 or more runs. That same year featured an American Association Player of the Year, multiple All Stars, and postseason All Star selections, many of whom were identified, acquired, and developed through Vaeth’s player procurement network.
Player acquisition became one of Vaeth’s greatest competitive advantages. He built deep relationships with Major League Baseball scouts, front offices, player agents, college coaches across all NCAA divisions, and fellow independent league executives. His ability to identify undervalued talent and place players in positions to succeed directly resulted in countless career years, contract purchases, and second chances for players who flourished under his guidance.
Vaeth’s influence extended beyond offense and roster construction. As an interim field manager, he consistently produced winning records, managed daily game operations, executed player transactions, and handled media responsibilities with professionalism and clarity. His leadership was steady, trusted, and results driven.
Outside of Winnipeg, his managerial success continued. As field manager of the Toronto Rush in the California Winter League, Vaeth delivered immediate impact. In his first season, the club reached the playoffs. In 2018, they won the Canadian Division with one of the league’s best overall records. In 2019, they captured the California Winter League championship while finishing with the top record in the league.
Before his long tenure in independent ball, Vaeth’s baseball foundation was built at every level of the game. He served as an associate area scout for both the Florida Marlins and San Diego Padres, evaluating amateur talent throughout the Chesapeake Bay region. He worked inside a Major League clubhouse as a batting practice ambidextrous pitcher and bullpen catcher for the Baltimore Orioles, gaining firsthand insight into professional preparation and standards. At the amateur level, he coached NCAA Division I baseball at Towson University, managed elite high school showcase teams featuring future Major League stars, and became an assistant head coach at the junior college level at just 21 years old.
Today, his impact continues to grow.
Since arriving in Washington, Vaeth has quickly established himself as a transformative leader. His tenure has been marked by elevated expectations, cultural change, and measurable performance gains. The Wild Things have benefited from his experience, structure, and unwavering standards, setting new benchmarks for preparation, accountability, and competitive identity. His approach has reshaped how the organization builds rosters, develops players, and competes daily.
What separates Tom Vaeth is not a single statistic or championship banner. It is the combination of longevity, adaptability, and results. Few coaches can claim influence across scouting, player development, roster construction, offensive production, and championship level leadership at the professional level. Even fewer have sustained that influence for more than two decades.
Tom Vaeth has not simply coached teams. He has built systems, shaped careers, and raised the standard for independent professional baseball. His record is not just impressive. It is enduring.
Dustin & Tommy’s connection
by Dustin Pease:
Now it’s my turn.
One of the most influential people in my life growing up was Tommy Vaeth, and he still is. He was essentially a second older brother to me. We were incredibly close, and he made a massive impact on both my life and my baseball journey.
It is hard to fully articulate just how much advanced knowledge Tommy poured into me during my younger years and how profoundly it shaped my development. To put it simply, when I met Tommy in seventh grade, I knew immediately that he was serious about baseball. That energy connected with me right away. He was working at the highest levels of the game with the Baltimore Orioles, right down the street from where I grew up in Baltimore. His information was real, grounded, and earned, and it drew me in from the very beginning. I begged my parents to let me take pitching lessons, and to specifically work more closely with Tommy. I knew it wasn’t easy for my parents to do this, but I’m forever thankful they agreed to allow me to start and continue lessons with Tommy for over 5 years, and he ended up coaching me at Archbishop Spalding HS with Dave Lanham! Tommy became an assistant to help out when he could. I attended Spalding 01′-03′.
Together, we built a game plan, a strategy, and a long term roadmap for how I should train from a young age with the goal of reaching the Major Leagues. Looking back, what he was able to do with me was remarkable. He molded and shaped me into a legitimate pitching contender when, based on my size and raw ability alone, I probably never should have been. Transitioning me into a sidearm delivery at a young age to help me standout, create deception, and teaching me the true value of pitching location and command changed everything for me. Those concepts resonated deeply and still do today. They remain overlooked in the modern game and often hold aspiring pitchers back from advancing.
The wisdom Tommy shared gave me an edge. It allowed me to outproduce and outperform bigger, stronger, and more physically gifted peers. He taught me that baseball is a skill game, and he poured every ounce of his effort into helping me master it. For that, I am forever grateful.
Tommy also introduced me to fishing, a passion of his that quickly became one of mine. That is how and why fishing has remained such a meaningful part of my life, and something I now share with my own son. It is incredible how someone else’s passion can take root in you when you see how much joy it brings them. That kind of influence is infectious. I have countless memories of the time we spent together between baseball fields and fishing spots (and all the times he had to un-nest my line), and I know without question that I would not have had a career in baseball without Tommy in my life. I also know I would not have been prepared or developed enough to play the game at the professional level.
What Tommy was able to do for me goes far beyond mechanics or results. It shaped who I am. It is one of the biggest reasons I chose to pursue coaching, private instruction, mentorship, and ultimately build the culture behind Pease Baseball. Making a lifelong impact on someone is a rare and powerful thing. My hope is that what we are building can create stories like mine every day, week, month, and year.
Tommy, it goes without saying how proud I am of you and everything you have accomplished in this game. The championships, the records, the countless success stories, all of it. You have earned every bit of success through preparation, consistency, and the standards you live by. Your legacy in baseball will be lasting, and I am incredibly honored to be one of your students. I truly cannot wait to see how much more you continue to impact this game and people in the years ahead.