I have a confession to make.

No, I wasn’t involved in the Astros cheating scandal, nor did I test positive for PEDs or anything at all of that nature. My confession – and probably that many Dodger fans – is that I had no idea that ‘Will ‘The Thrill’ Ireton (as he was and is still affectionately known) is back with the Dodgers.

In fact, and here’s the real confession part, I had no idea that when the rock-star-like former interpreter for rock-star-like former Dodgers right-hander Kenta Maeda wasn’t with the team during the 2019 season, it was because he had been appointed as a ‘Development Coach’ for the franchise’s Triple-A affiliate Oklahoma City Dodgers.

Who knew, right?

But wait… there’s more!

During his time as OKC’s Development Coach, OKC manager Travis Barbary called upon the (then) 30-year-old Tokoyo, Japan native and former minor league infielder to be his first base coach.

Who knew, right?

But wait… there’s more!

Ireton returned to the (Los Angeles) Dodgers late in the 2019 season to, once again, serve as Maeda’s interpreter up to and through the Dodgers (painfully brief) postseason.

But here again, like most Dodger fans, I just naturally assumed that Ireton had (again) left the Dodgers when Maeda was traded to the Minnesota Twins on February 10 in exchange for former Dodgers farmhand Luke Raley, fireballer Brusdar Graterol, and cash considerations.

Needless to say, I was pleasantly surprised when I saw ‘Will the Thrill’ in the Dodgers spring training clubhouse at Camelback Ranch last week when pitchers and catchers reported.

After exchanging pleasantries and with Maeda no longer with the team, I asked Ireton what his current role is with the major league Dodgers.

“It’s called ‘Performance Operations Coordinator,’” he answered. “Really, at the end of the day, it’s helping out the coaching staff, helping out the staff on the major-league side and whatever they do to prepare for each game.

“Last year I was a minor league coach in Triple-A and that helped me really understand what it’s like to be on the coaching side of things,” Ireton added.

Ireton acknowledged that his time at OKC was his first experience as a coach and that he very much enjoyed it.

“It was great,” he said of the experience. “Really got to know how difficult it is to obviously go through a minor league season. It’s not an easy job, seeing how the coaches work, it’s not an easy job.”

Although Ireton’s official title at OKC was Development Coach, he was, as noted, also on the front line as OKC’s first base coach.

“I did first base coach, I was also… my official title was Development Coach,” Ireton said, adding that he did so for the entire 2019 season.

Did his time and experience at the Triple-A level prepare Ireton for his new role as the Dodgers Performance Operations Coordinator?

“I hope so. Being at Triple-A kind of gives you a different kind of perspective, it’s different from major league baseball,” he replied. “But it’s a great opportunity… it was a great opportunity for me to learn the game in a more personal way.”

Needless to say, a lot of the players that Ireton coached at Oklahoma City are now in that same Dodgers major league clubhouse at Camelback Ranch, of which Ireton is quite happy about.

“That’s a nice thing,” he said with a smile.

The Thrill is Back!

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