AquaSox manager aiming to win third straight championship

EVERETT — The biggest thing that stood out to John Shoemaker was the joy.

Shoemaker and the Single-A Rancho Cucamonga Quakes had lost 14-8 to the Modesto Nuts on Sept. 19, 2023, securing the California League Championship for Modesto. For then-32-year-old Modesto manager Zach Vincej, it was the perfect way to start his managerial career.

But Shoemaker could see something more than a young manager happy for himself. Shoemaker, now 69, has been with the Los Angeles Dodgers organization as a player or coach since 1977. He has managed at every level from Rookie League to Triple-A. He’s seen everything there is to see in this game, and interacted with every type of character.

So to question if Shoemaker would have a good read on baseball figures would be to ask if a librarian could analyze The Very Hungry Caterpillar. Watching Vincej celebrate with his players, Shoemaker could sense the dynamic they had.

“He was excited not only for winning, but for his players and how well they performed,” Shoemaker told The Herald last week. “You could just see it was a genuine affection between him and his players.”

Vincej and Modesto followed up their 2023 title by going back-to-back in 2024, defeating the Lake Elsinore Storm in three games. Baseball America named Vincej its 2024 Minor League Manager of the Year.

Promoted to manage the Everett AquaSox in 2025, Vincej is vying for his third straight championship as the AquaSox face the Eugene Emeralds in the Northwest League Championship Series. The second-half champion Emeralds entered the series winning 11 of their last 12 games, the heavy favorites against an Everett team that sunk to the bottom of the standings following its first-half title.

But the reputation Vincej, now 34, has built through just three seasons has given people confidence that Everett will at least put up a competitive fight, if not pull off the upset.

So what about Vincej’s managerial style has produced the success it has through three seasons? According to those who work with him in the organization, as well as a couple on the outside looking in, several common themes come up.

Shoemaker touched on the relationships Vincej forged with his players, and that his ability to relate to them makes him an effective leader. Seattle Mariners Vice President & Assistant GM Andy McKay echoed that sentiment.

As a former collegiate player who worked his way through the minors to reach Major League Baseball, Vincej followed a path that most of his players are currently on. McKay sees Vincej use that connection to strengthen the relationship with his players and aid in their development process.

“When he talks, people listen,” McKay said. “And his ability to influence and inspire… It’s a track record. He’s done this for three years. He’s going to be in the playoffs three times, and he’s promoted so many players off of his roster. So you know, again, when you look at our organization and the number of our top players that Zach Vincej has impacted, it’s really impressive.”

Lukas Ray, the manager of the 2024 Lake Elsinore squad who fell to Modesto in the California League Championship last year, called Vincej an “ambassador” to the game. Ray, 29, is in the same age group as Vincej, and the two managers are on a similar career path.

The two would catch up anytime their teams faced each other last season, and they also see each other during spring training since their two parent organizations — the Mariners and San Diego Padres — share the same complex in Arizona. Ray said he’ll observe how other managers operate, and he’s learned some things from Vincej that he’s been able to spin into his own.

“Throughout his professional playing experience, (he’s) helping the guys develop positive routines,” said Ray, who now manages High-A Fort Wayne in the Midwest League. “And help them learn in ways that may not have worked for him, and he has experience playing and then also now managing, so just helping the guys learn how to navigate the ups and downs.”

Aside from Vincej’s player development, the people around him tout his ability to delegate responsibility among the rest of the coaching staff. Viewing from afar, Shoemaker complimented the way he utilized his coaching staff, but AquaSox pitching coach Matt Carasiti experiences it first-hand.

Working in his first minor league coaching job, Carasiti said it’ll be hard for him to work for another staff down the line based on how high Vincej set the bar.

“‘Vinny’s’ an incredible manager of the game and the guys, but also he trusts me and lets me do my thing,” Carasiti said. “And he trusts my opinion on the pitchers just based on the rapport we’ve built, and I think he knows that I care. He knows that I’m going to do a good job, so it’s a great feeling.”

With the buy-in and belief of both his players and fellow coaches, Vincej has built a culture that creates a successful foundation even as top prospects continually get promoted to the next level. The organization focuses primarily on development, but Vincej fosters competition in every game, demanding his players continue fighting no matter the score.

In addition to the AquaSox players emphasizing that point to The Herald throughout the season — whether it was after an exciting comeback victory or even a blowout loss — Ray could feel it in 2024 when the best-of-three series between Modesto and Lake Elsinore was tied 1-1 and came down to a final do-or-die game.

“You’re going against a team that was going to play hard, and they were going to be competitive for all 27 outs,” Ray said. “Him and the rest of the staff, they prepared their guys at the highest level, and kind of navigated those high-stress situations with calmness. And yeah, I mean, he’s super competitive, and you knew that was going to permeate through the team.”

Whether all those factors will combine to help Vincej and the AquaSox pull off the upset against Eugene remains to be seen, but there’s little doubt among his peers about what those factors will carry Vincej as he follows his managerial path.

“I even stated to him that I felt that one day, he was going to be a major league manager,” Shoemaker said. “After seeing the work that he did. He just had an ease about him and a confidence factor. … There’s just something about him. I just felt like when I saw this guy and the way he acted and the way he handled himself. He didn’t get too excited, he didn’t get too frustrated.”

For now, Vincej is just focused on the championship series this week. Following Everett’s final regular season matchup against Eugene on Aug. 31 — a 7-5 win following five straight losses to begin the week — the manager himself shed some light on how he plans to use what he learned in the last two championship series in Modesto to try to win a third here in Everett.

“I think just keeping the guys loose, keeping the guys confident. Just reminding them it’s just another game,” Vincej said. “Yeah, the stakes are a little bit higher, but I think reminding the guys, ‘Hey, if we just play the baseball that we’re capable of playing, we’re putting ourselves in a really good position to win.’ So I like our chances when we play good, clean baseball and play the game the right way, and we’re smart on the base paths, and we’re playing clean defense.

“I like our chances.”