Former AppleSox Righty Mortensen Keeps Winning

Some people are just born winners.

Clayton Mortensen didn’t know what it was like to finish in second place with the AppleSox. In both of his seasons in Wenatchee, 2005 and 2006, the AppleSox won the West Coast League Championship.

Mortensen carried that championship pedigree to the professional level, winning three more titles, two of which came in the same season. In 2013, Mortensen pitched in 24 games for the Boston Red Sox and, though he was no longer a member of the organization when they won the World Series that fall, still received a ring.

That same year, Mortensen tossed three games for the Omaha Storm Chasers, two of which came in the postseason, as they went on to win the Pacific Coast League Championship. Omaha would repeat in 2014 and Mortensen was more of a contributor this time, appearing in 18 games on the mound.

It’s fitting that Mortensen is still collecting championships. After retiring in 2018, Mortensen was hired to become the pitching coach for the Idaho Falls Chukars, the Kansas City Royals’ short-season team in the Pioneer League at the Rookie Advanced level. The Chukars captured their eighth Pioneer League Championship.

Now, Mortensen looks to carry that success with him to another team. Last week, he accepted a job as the Myrtle Beach Pelicans (Chicago Cubs Low-A) pitching coach for the 2021 season.

Mortensen has succeeded no matter where he has gone and across different jobs. His time in Wenatchee was brief, but he credits then-head coach Ed Knaggs for teaching him an important lesson.

“He kind of got on me at one point to tell me to figure it out,” Mortensen said. “I was kind of just going through the motions in the summertime. Getting called out was kind of what I needed to get my butt going.”

Every player looks at summer ball differently. Mortensen admitted that he hadn’t taken it seriously and Knaggs let Mortensen know that he had the potential to be something special if he made the most of his time with the AppleSox.

“The summer season doesn’t have a whole lot of responsibility besides just playing baseball,” Mortensen said. “So, we were having fun and we were kind of dinking around. He kind of called us out on it and was just like, "Hey, if you expect to go anywhere in this game, you need to start figuring it out. Just demand more of yourselves.’"

In 2005, Mortensen went 3-1 with a 2.13 ERA and struck out a team-high 47 batters to earn a spot on the all-WCL first team. He saved his best for last, tossing a complete game on the road in Game 1 of the Championship Series and the Sox went on to sweep Bend.

Mortensen was even better the next season. He finished 3-1 with a 1.48 ERA and appeared on the All-WCL second team. The righty also tossed another impressive complete game (his second of the season) late in the summer, this time in Game 2 of a season-ending doubleheader against the Aloha Knights. Needing a win to send the Sox to the Championship Series against the Spokane RiverHawks, Mortensen didn’t allow a run over the final eight innings and the AppleSox won, 2-1.

Despite all of that, Mortensen almost didn’t become a member of the AppleSox. In June 2005, he was drafted by the then-Tampa Bay Devil Rays in the 25th round following his sophomore year at Treasure Valley Community College in Oregon.

To many, getting drafted is a dream come true. This was the case for Mortensen, but he felt he still had more work to do. 

“I just didn't feel like I was ready to go,” Mortensen said. “So I just thought, ‘You know what? I'm gonna go play for the AppleSox.’ Then, when I showed up and saw the team, I was like, ‘Sweet. This is awesome.’ It ended up being a good decision on my part.”

Thanks in part to his success with the AppleSox, Mortensen was able to transfer from Treasure Valley to Gonzaga. 

He would again get drafted, this time following his senior year by the St. Louis Cardinals 36th overall in the compensation round following the first round. Mortensen made his debut in 2009 and would toe the rubber 73 more times across five seasons.

Mortensen enjoyed his time in Wenatchee not just because of Knaggs, but also because of the people he spent time with here. He recalled seeing former teammate Travis Vetters a few years ago in Spring Training. The two picked up where they left off in 2005 and Vetters, a Nike rep, even hooked Mortensen up with a couple of gloves.

It was about more than just baseball for Mortensen. He also really enjoyed the time spent with his host parents, Robin and Tracey Thompson, and the bond formed between them. 

“I still keep in touch with my host family,” Mortensen said. “We hit it right off the bat when I first came in. They brought me in and got me anything I ever needed while I was there.” 

AppleSox alums have gone on to various different careers since leaving Wenatchee. Mortensen just hasn’t stopped winning regardless of his employer.