Torch 2025 Feature Story: Teddy Gutman's Major League Journey

I was really sold by the well known campus, small class sizes, and being able to develop the relationships with the professors and the instructors.

Teddy Gutman 2011 on attending the UMN Crookston campus

"I just fell in love with the game, I could hear the National Anthem playing at the minor league stadium from my house," said University of Minnesota Crookston Golden Eagle Alumni Teddy Gutman 2011.

Gutman grew up in Burlington, Iowa, right outside the stadium of former minor league team the Burlington Bees. He could walk outside his front door and hear the buzz of the ballpark. This kickstarted a huge passion for baseball Gutman would carry with him throughout his life.

"I wanted to get as far as I could in the game of baseball and see where it took me, whether it's playing on the field or just being around it," Gutman explained.

U of M Crookston offered Gutman the opportunity to play baseball at the NCAA DII level and achieve his goal of getting a degree in turf management. After transferring from a community college in Iowa, he earned his degrees from the University of Minnesota in golf facilities and turf systems management and horticulture.

"I was really sold by the well known campus, small class sizes, and being able to develop the relationships with the professors and the instructors," he recalled, adding that the hands-on labs and classes were also motivating factors for him.
In addition to playing baseball, Gutman was a member of the Turf club and held work-study positions in the athletic department and in the greenhouses. For athletics, Gutman was a volleyball referee, ball boy, and announcer for the women's soccer games.

Gutman thought the camaraderie across campus between education and athletics was "so cool", and that the coaches were always respectful of each other. He enjoyed being around other students and athletes because of how tight knit the U of M Crookston campus felt.

"You know close to everybody and it just felt like you always had support wherever you would go," Gutman said. "You had support if you went to the IT desk, you had support if you went to the library, you had support in the classroom from your professors. Over on the athletic side you're walking through the gym area and everybody's waving and saying 'hi,' and you're rooting each other on, which is really cool."

Following graduation, and with a goal of finding a career where he could continue to be around baseball, be outdoors, and do so at the highest level, Gutman built his resume working the grounds on golf courses. He worked at two courses from 2010 through 2014, both ranking in the "Top 10" in the State of Iowa. Soon thereafter, he began working as a groundskeeper for the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park in Camden Yards.

"I got that MLB exposure and experience, and a lot of that had to do with my education from the turf program; it was a massive help for me," Gutman described.

Remaining on the east coast, Gutman moved from Baltimore to West Palm Beach, Florida in 2017. There, he worked for five years at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches, spring training and player development home to the Houston Astros and Washington Nationals.

Today, Gutman works for Major League Baseball as a grounds manager and calls the Jackie Robinson Training Complex his office. He oversees the entire 80 acre complex.

The fertility program, irrigation, mowing, and cultural practices are all under his responsibilities. Gutman is also currently working on a netting project for the entire stadium.

Gutman says the Jackie Robinson Training Complex formerly served as the spring training facilities for the Dodgers, and they try to keep the 'old school feel'. The property dates back to 1953, and the original spring training game occurred 75 years ago.

"The history that baseball has tied to this property and how it was maintained to the level it was maintained at when the Dodgers were here is something that I definitely pride myself on trying to, you know, achieve the standard that the Dodgers showed day in and day out," Gutman stated, noting the high demand set by the MLB. "I want to achieve that standard every single day."

"I've always prided myself on trying to maintain the 3 C's: just being cool, calm, and collective all the time and holding myself to a high standard with immense attention to detail," he added.

Gutman learned this right away when he began working in the golf industry as it came with "massive challenges" working with a growing plant.

"There's such high demand from membership and also high demand from each individual MLB team that I've worked for the Astros, Nationals, Orioles, and now even more high demand from Major League Baseball to meet expectations," he continued.

With high stakes responsibilities, Gutman makes sure he prioritizes everything and keeps a good focus. In stressful situations, he says he remembers to approach each situation "day by day and hour by hour."

Despite the demand in this role, Gutman says he is thankful to be in those situations to get experience and learn from his supervisors - learning more every day. He added that the culture at the Jackie Robinson Training Complex and the bond the staff have are something to be admired.

"The culture is really the coolest part, you know, leading the grounds crew and all the staff that I have, and our internal team here in the grounds department is the best part," Gutman explained. "I get to come in every single day, and we get to strive to achieve excellence day in and day out."

"Being outside working in south Florida, sometimes it's hot during the summertime, but getting my hands dirty and working outdoors is really also something that I take for granted, it's such a blessing to just be outside all the time," he added.

Gutman admitted he is not the type of personality that can spend too much time cooped up in an office, so, in this role, he has the "luxury" to step out and drive around the golf cart whenever needed. Another rewarding piece of Gutman's work is to experience these full circle moments.

At a young age, Gutman looked up to former MLB baseball outfielder Ken Griffey Jr. drawing similarities between them since they both batted left-handed. When Gutman came to tour the complex during his interview, Griffey Jr., who played for the Seattle Mariners, Cincinnati Reds, and Chicago White Sox, was on site which was "really cool" for Gutman to experience.

"It was really cool to kind of idolize Ken Griffey Jr., and look up to him, and how he approached the game of baseball and how he approaches his life currently, by just giving back," Gutman expressed. "That's kind of something that I've always wanted to be like."

Ken Griffey Jr. occasionally visits the facility and gives speeches to children guiding them.

Gutman gives back to the game he loves through the many youth development programs they run. The Jackie Robinson Training Center has a program called 'Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities' for kids who don't have the resources to play the games "we all love", said Gutman. As a groundskeeper, he is able to prepare the field for these visits as a way of giving back.

Gutman has gotten used to being around many "legends of baseball" and tries to "let them do their thing" because he acknowledges they are human and just trying to do their job. He draws inspiration from players like David Ortiz, another left-handed batter whose approach to the game and mindset was one that Gutman admired. Gutman says a lot of the players are happy to chat and he has been able to meet and converse with Cal Ripken Jr. and Manny Machado as well.

"It's just fun to have regular conversations with them, but at the end of the day they're people and we're people too," he pointed out. "You know I don't want to go and be starstruck, and say, 'Oh, my gosh, you're amazing!' You know, they're just people, and that's something that you kind of develop being around high level individuals."

Speaking of amazing, Gutman is grateful to have been on the receiving end of a World Series ring. Players and staff on the winning Major League Baseball World Series team can get their name on a World Series ring. The ring is an individual award that symbolizes the team's victory.

"It's got my name on it, which is incredible!" Gutman exclaimed.

When the Astros won the World Series in 2017, Gutman was able to take a picture with the trophy and then when the Nationals won in 2019, Gutman was able to attend World Series Game 2 in Houston.

"It really gives you goosebumps, and you know it just makes you reflect back on all the efforts and hard work that you put in just playing the game, trying to be around the game, and then just getting to kind of reap the benefits that the players do is…I don't have words for the experience, it was just really incredible to be around it," Gutman recalled.

"Sometimes it's hard to sleep because you get excited to come to work and that's not something that everybody is blessed with day in and day out, so I'm very grateful to be in that position," he added.

Starting his MLB journey in 2015 and now 10 years later in 2025, Gutman says it's almost like he's achieving another dream.

"These are pinch me moments, seeing the trophy, you know, walking around Camden Yards, working," he shared. "You know that's my job. I was working on a baseball field and still am working on baseball fields at the highest level."

When he's not on the field, Gutman enjoys time with his wife, who he met when he moved to south Florida, and their son. His wife, son, parents, and sister are among his biggest support systems.

"They motivate me just to be the best, to keep on going, and just to always want to achieve a high standard every single day," Gutman endured.

"My family is a big part of what I do and there's often times I'm away because of my job, and that certainly affects me," he disclosed. "It's challenging, and I always want to be challenged; I embrace the challenges."

Gutman always pushes himself to learn and grow every day.

"In all honesty that kind of traces all the way back to U of M Crookston and my education and what I learned there, and really, the standard the professors held for us students," Gutman mentioned.

Gutman keeps tabs and stays in contact with old friends, professors, and classmates via social media. To Gutman, the U of M Crookston is where you develop those relationships that have an impact on your life.

Gutman's advice to current students looking to break into the professional sports world is to not be afraid to branch out and try something new.

"Without a doubt it was a big leap for me, leaving my small town of Burlington, Iowa, and moving to Baltimore, Maryland," he confirmed. "That was a big leap, but that's where I gained invaluable experience and had exposure to the major league game."

He encourages others to not let themselves be complacent and always continue to grow.

"There's so many ways to learn and so many different avenues to take in sports, whether it's sports management, sports marketing, sports communication, there's just so many different routes you can take within all levels and different sports," Gutman described.

"Just go for it."

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