Biscuits Welcome new Field Manager
Prior to his arrival in Montgomery, River Region Sports caught up with Ensberg to discuss his past successes and what he expects in his first year as Biscuits manager. Morgan Ensberg arrives in Montgomery as the Biscuits' fourth field manager in franchise history. He brings with him eight years of coaching experience, most of which was in the Houston Astros organization.
By Graham Dunn
Editor/Publisher, River Region Sports
A native of Hermosa Beach, Calif., Ensberg played eight years in the Majors with the majority of those seasons with the Astros. He was part of the 2005 squad that reached the World Series. That also was his best year as a pro, finishing with 36 home runs and 101 RBIs. He earned a Silver Slugger Award and was an All-Star that season.
He also spent a time with San Diego and the New York Yankees and later retired after being released by Tampa Bay after spring training in 2009.
A walk-on at Southern Cal, Ensberg was part of the Trojans’ program between 1995-98 when the team made two College World Series appearances and won the national title in 1998.
Prior to his arrival in Montgomery, River Region Sports caught up with Ensberg to discuss his past successes and what he expects in his first year as Biscuits manager.
Talk a little bit about your playing career.
“I was seven years (at Houston), a year at San Diego and then with the Yankees. My time at Houston was great. I was drafted in 1998… got called up in 2000 and was able to put together a career there where we got the chance to get to the World Series (in ’05). We were in the playoff race every year. I got to play with countless current Hall of Famers and future Hall of Famers. It was a great time.”
You were there with the “Killer Bs” (Craig Biggio and Jeff Bagwell).
“Yes. We also had Jeff Kent, Roger Clemens, Roy Oswalt, Andy Pettit, Lance Berkman, Carlos Beltran... lots of great players.”
After a solid playing career, you got a chance to stay in baseball as a coach…
“My baseball career has really been a surprise. I was a walk-on at Southern Cal. And, I was lucky enough to get to play until I was about 34 years old. It was definitely something I was not expecting but it was an incredibly fun time. Even though I was a player and enjoyed that, I am a teacher at heart, and knew that coaching and managing was my calling. It’s great to have this opportunity. At the root of it, I’m a teacher. My mom is a teacher. I happen to know baseball but there is nothing more satisfying than working with a team or player and watching them acquire the skills to move up to the next level and ultimately to the big league level. There is no greater feeling for me.”
While you were playing, how much did you begin your preparation for coaching or becoming a manager?
“I never was one to have amazing ideas. I would find people better than me and copy them. I would try to understand technique… Or why someone was able to do something I couldn’t. I would try to learn and eventually teach it.”
Since you were in the Astros system, you had a hand in the development of players that went on to win the World Series a couple of years ago…
“All of these guys that came through the system with Houston and I was a part of many of their starts. I was coaching as a rover for four years. So, I worked with (Carlos) Correa, (Alex) Bregman, (George) Springer; several of the pitchers. All of those guys that came through the system, I coached them.”
Who had the biggest influence on you when it came to learning?
“In terms of baseball, it was my high school baseball coach, Tim Ammentorp and my college coach, Mike Gillespie… Coach Ammentorp taught me how to work hard and about grit. Coach Gillespie (at USC) also taught me about grit but he probably had the highest baseball I.Q. of anybody I’ve ever met. I couldn’t believe how much he knew about baseball and how to teach it. I’ve probably learned 90 percent of what I know about baseball from him.”
When it comes to “growing” a player, is it any different today with players than when you were playing?
“The players today have played twice as many games today as when I played at the same age. When it comes to teaching the game and technique, there are very few coaches in the country that can teach correct technique across the board on offense and defense and on top of that the base running type decisions. I’d say less than 5 percent of coaches today know true technique.”
Is that by choice or has the training not been there?
“For most of your youth, you don’t get to choose your coaches. You (play) Little League and you have parents there (and that’s a great experience). You move on to high school and you hope to have a good program and coaching. If you get a chance for travel ball but it seems like that is built on revenue and you don’t know what you get there either. You move onto college… I was a walk-on so I didn’t get college offers… but you don’t know what you are gonna get there when it comes to teaching. You get to pro ball and you still don’t know about the coach and if he knows the proper technique to get you to the big leagues. By a complete fluke, I had incredible teachers in my baseball career. Luckily because of that, I was able to learn something very rare.”
Is there something specific you feel very comfortable teaching your players?
“You want something simple as an example, but powerful. As an example, let’s talk about catching a thrown baseball. Most say, ‘of course. No big deal.’ But do teams have a commitment to teaching the proper way to catch a baseball? Will they come off the base and put their body in front of it to make sure the opposing team doesn’t get a free base based on that throw? Most coaches will tell you, ‘sure, we emphasize it,’ but I’m not sure they do. What is important to the teacher is important to the student.
“I look at things that are very intricate. ‘technique’ is a word that reminds me of body movement. When I watch a baseball game, I look or notice things that baseball fans may not pay attention to.”
Are you surprised how little those lessons are implemented or are prioritized?
“I am surprised a little bit but I am surprised that people don’t know and it’s something easy to teach. I think many coaches just assume players are on the same page. I guarantee you, they are not.
“Same is true with umpiring…. When I go out to disagree with a call, I am usually going out there to talk positioning. If they are in the correct position, they should make the best call. That’s not done consistently. They would have seen (it better) if the player is safe or out.
“Everybody is human and I’m not asking for perfection, but things we are teaching are very difficult. If it were easy, everybody would do them immediately. But it takes discipline and it takes reps. They will mess up a ton. The things they have to learn are such a high level, they have already mastered what got them there. To get to the big leagues they have to master a movement that is much more difficult to do. I’m not a brow beater but I never let them off the hook in terms of technique.”
When you became a candidate for the job in Montgomery, how did they approach you about what they were looking for in a manger at the Double A level?
“They didn’t say, ‘this is what we want.’ Overall the interview was trying to understand what I knew about baseball and how I taught it. Was I open minded or close minded? I think they found out very quickly I was open-minded. They give total autonomy on how to manage the team but you have to fall in the framework on do we agree on the same type of things in the game of baseball and I do. I see it the same as Tampa so there is no conflict.”
What do you know about this team early on in the process? What will this team look like?
“I’ve been very impressed with the athleticism in the (Tampa) minor leagues. I am shaking my head in shock. Everybody is massive and fast. It’s weird. This is a coach’s dream. Trust me, I look like a better coach when the players are outstanding. My teams basically have always been relentless in their ability to attack. There is never any holding back. Pitchers attack the strike zone with four pitches. They will throw any pitch at any time. We are incredibly aggressive on the base paths. We force the opposing pitcher to make decisions. We are going to run non-stop. If we are hunting mistakes, and feel as though the opponent is giving us an advantage, we will smash through that. If you pay attention to those things we talked about earlier, those mistakes are there all the time.”
How do you help players recognize those opportunities?
“You have to teach them what to look for and you have to allow them to them mess up. You have to create an environment that 1 - they enjoy being there and 2 - they are not afraid to fail. If they are afraid to fail, you are not getting their best. You run into that a lot early until they see that I’m encouraging that and tell them I love it even though they got thrown out by 20 feet because the decision was incorrect.
“I don’t care about outcomes. I care about the process. I know that if we make good decisions over time, the outcome will go in our favor.”
You sound like another coach up in Tuscaloosa…
“I have read all of (Nick Saban’s) stuff. He does it a lot better than everybody else. It kills me because SC football has been struggling so watching him, I’m like, ‘I wish we could have that. I love coaches that do things better than everybody else. The great coaches usually rise to the top and I’m fascinated by that.”
You were a big surfer growing up, is that right?
“I grew up surfing and skate boarding. It was the California lifestyle. I grew up in Hermosa Beach, which the only thing that comes out of there athletically are volleyball players and skateboarders and surfers.”
So, are you the best baseball player to come out of that area?
“I’m the only person to come out of Hermosa to play baseball (professionally). (Royals Hall of Famer) George Brett came out of the area so I’d say he’s the best. We have good baseball but you don’t see a lot of professionals come from there.
“Hermosa is the smallest city in the area. We weren’t built around amazing coaching. My dad said, ‘you are not going to be a professional athlete so go out and have fun.’ He didn’t mean that derogatively. We had a big Norwegian background. You were taught to work hard.”
You weren’t thinking “pro baseball” while you went through your early years of playing?
“I didn’t have any ideas or dreams of playing pro baseball. I thought I would be a banker like my dad.
“I loved to compete in baseball. I had those dreams while playing wiffle ball in the backyard but I would be happy being a banker. But every time I got another year of playing, I was thankful. I enjoyed being coached, enjoyed learning. There was no pressure from my family to be an athlete. They expect you to work hard, keep your mouth shut and have fun. You respect your coaches, your teachers… those were the expectations.”
What do you do when you are not coaching?
“I’m a big reader; enjoy going to breakfast which is sort of our dinner due to our work schedule. I listen to Podcasts. I enjoy golf but don’t get to play much.”
Your favorite ball park as a player?
“New York – loved the energy. You could get a great meal there. My dad grew up in Long Island so I felt like I always had an attachment.
“I also loved playing at Dodger Stadium. That was the team I rooted for growing up. It was strange playing against them and wanting to beat them but it was special since I used to go there as a kid.”
What do you want to take from your first season as the Biscuits manager?
“I am looking forward to watching our players play. I shake my head when I watch due to how good they are. I look forward to teaching them strategy; helping them develop the skills to get to the big leagues. They are bigger, stronger and faster. There is no greater feeling to coach them and watch them acquire a skill and make it to the next level.”
MORGAN ENSBERG FACT BOX
Morgan Paul Ensberg
Age: 43
Born: Hermosa Beach, Calif.
Father of 3 - Twin sons, Beckett and Chase (age 13) Daughter, Ava (age 10)
Playing Career
College: USC (1995-98) – 1998 All-American/Team MVP on National Championship team; Owns school record for home runs (20) and stolen bases (20) in a single season.
Pro: 1998 Draft: 9th round pick - Houston
Played for: Houston (2000/02-07); San Diego (2007); NY Yankees (2008)
Highlights: Part of 2005 Astros team that won NL Pennant; Hit .283 with 36 HR/101 RBIs and named NL All-Star that season; Earned Silver Slugger Award and finished fourth in NL MVP voting. Homered in Game 2 of World Series vs. White Sox (Mark Buehrie). Traded to San Diego in ’07; Signed with Yankees as FA Jan., ’08; Signed as FA by Indians, June, ’08; Signed as FA by Tampa Bay, Feb. ’09.
Coaching career
2011-12: Cal-San Diego – Hitting coach
2013-18: Houston – (’13-16: Roving Instructor; ’17: manager, Short A Tri-City, NY-Penn League; ’17: manager, Class A Buies Creek (Carolina League)
2019: Montgomery Biscuits - Manager