Written By: Noah Douglas
On the field, Bryan Bonnell is valuable. Off it, he is indispensable.
Shelby Lackey put it succinctly.
“He’s the most important guy on and off the field.”
When he’s on the field, he is a fierce competitor. With his veteran experience, aggressive play style and intimidating 6-foot-5 stature, the ace of the Lake Country DockHounds’ makes his presence felt.
“When you need someone to command and control the clubhouse, Bryan is the guy,” Lake Country pitching coach Paul Wagner said. “He obviously brings the veteran leadership, but he also brings a great sense of camaraderie.”
“If there’s one thing I learned from my time in the big leagues, it’s that you can have a lot of talent, but there is something to clubhouse culture. There’s something about bringing veteran leadership in that makes the difference, and that’s the effect Bryan has had.”
Bonnell’s character radiates through the DockHounds organization. Coming in with the “veteran” tag, he was immediately looked up to—something Bonnell embraced.
“He’s the complete leader,” Wagner said. “He speaks out, enforces locker room rules, and demands good play. He’s a great listener and a great mediator between the coaches and players. Coming from a coach, things can be taken either way, but when those same words come from a player, they often mean a lot more.”
Bonnell has embraced the never-ending pursuit of trying to get better. As his primary focus has been on tweaking his craft to better himself, his transition into leaving a “legacy” on the rookies has become a focal point in his new leadership position.
“The never-ending pursuit doesn’t only include me,” Bonnell said. “The legacy I want to leave is that I was just a cog in the machine and helped others on their journey. I want to be remembered as someone who busted their ass every single day for not just me, but for others while playing with no regrets.”
Battling Through Injury
Not playing recently, Bonnell’s still living regret-free. After straining his hamstring on July 7, he could have removed himself from the game and no one would have judged.
Instead, he felt the strain, ignored the pain, and fought for his team.
“He felt his hamstring go, and the only thing he said was, ‘I can’t leave the bullpen stranded; let me finish the inning,’” Lackey reminisced. “It takes a special kind of guy to pitch when it hurts, but that’s just Bonnie. He’s the most selfless leader.”
Selfless—a common theme used to describe Bonnell. The righty was placed on the inactive list shortly after the injury occurred, allowing him to step away while the team traveled on the road. However, Bonnell again refused to abandon his guys.
Bonnell joined the trip and attended every single game while inactive. He wasn’t paid to be present. There wasn’t even a chance he was going to play. He just wanted to support his teammates.
“I thought that if I didn’t travel with them, I wouldn’t be happy with myself,” Bonnell said. “I couldn’t picture myself being away.”
The clubhouse leader, savvy veteran, and experienced player could have stepped away, but was instead compelled to impact the team even more. His off-the-field presence echoed, catching the attention of rookie Luke Hansel the most.
“He was the first guy to approach me, and even though he was injured, he quickly welcomed me into the professional atmosphere,” Hansel said. “Even though he gave me crap on the field, he was really personal with helping me, and that’s a lot more meaningful because I understand he’s coming from deep down.”
Bonnell wears several caps within the clubhouse: teammate to all, coach to many, and friend to most. But no matter the situation, he’s approachable and caring.
“He’s done a really good job of being on both sides of leadership,” Hansel said. “He listens, cares and speaks with a lot of knowledge. Being able to be friends with the older guys and also teach the younger guys, it’s admirable.”
To Hansel, Bonnell can be viewed as a mentor, but to Lackey, Bonnell is an inspiration.
“He’s lived a few different lives,” Lackey said. “He’s been in Triple-A affiliate ball, rehabbed from injury, come back from shoulder surgery, played in Mexico, the Dominican Republic, and Puerto Rico. He’s been around the block. He isn’t knowledgeable just about baseball, it’s about life.”
As Bonnell and Lackey’s relationship blossomed this season, a brotherhood was born.
“He’s honestly saved my career,” Lackey said. “In Fargo, when I had that bad outing, I was ready to call it quits. I called my mom, dad and my fiancée and I said, ‘Hey, I don’t know if I want to do this anymore.’ But that night Bryan came to me and talked to me for two hours. He said, ‘You’re not giving up on this. You’re not giving up on me. You’re not giving up on us, and most importantly, you are not giving up on yourself.’”
“He’s the only reason I am still wearing a jersey today.”
Though Bonnell’s on-field impact can be measured, his passion for the sport and peers’ admiration cannot.
“It means the world,” Bonnell said, getting choked up. “This game has been my life for 20 years. I’ve watched my brothers do it and I just fell in love with it from the day I picked up a baseball.”
“I didn’t imagine being the leader on this team and I definitely didn’t know being a leader would mean this much to me, but I wear the label with pride,” Bonnell said. “None of this was intended but I feel very honored.”
