Wolf ready to move on after season in Mexico

SANDUSKY — Adam Wolf is trading fastballs for finance. The Edison graduate has retired from baseball after playing nine seasons and pitching in 241 professional games, topping out in Triple-A two years ago in the Detroit Tigers system. Wolf played his final season last summer in the Mexican League. He was released by the León Bravos with seven games to play after he was sidelined by a triceps impingement. "The plan was to go down there and get signed in America, maybe go play in Asia," said Wolf in an interview this week. "When the season ended and I didn't get signed, I figured I was not going to be significantly better one year later. "It's been a good run. It was kind of almost poetic — it was like 10 years after high school." Wolf, 29, got married to Mackinzie Boals in January and began working as a financial advisor at 1280 Financial Partners in downtown Sandusky that same month. "I love the job," he said. "I really enjoy talking people through how investing isn't scary. The earlier you start, the better you're gonna be." Wolf was a star player and finance major at the University of Louisville. He used some of his classroom skills after he was drafted in the fifth round by the Tigers in 2018. "When I signed with the Tigers, I was 21 and, 'hey, here's money,' so fortunately I had a finance degree," he said. "I had to be smart with it. I invested a lot of it and was able to watch it grow. It's a valuable skill and something I'm passionate about." Wolf had talked to Brett Kinzel, senior vice president at 1280 Financial Partners, before heading to Mexico. When the big left-hander returned to Ohio last August, they discussed the possibility of Wolf joining the firm. He passed all required tests and is enjoying his new life — complete with a great office view of Sandusky Bay. It's quite a change from a year ago when he was pitching for the Bravos. León is located in central Mexico and is more than 6,000 feet above sea level. "That was fun as a pitcher," Wolf joked. "Balls go up in the air and, 'oh, that's gone by a mile.' I gave up a grand slam on a slider, one down the line. The guy hit it 88 miles per hour (exit velocity). It was the softest home run I've given up in my life. He clipped it and I was like, 'no way.' "The amount of 17-14 games we played, it feels like an AFC North matchup. And no pitch clock, so they're long. We played 4 1/2 hour games sometimes. That got old." Wolf pitched in 22 games, striking out 41 and walking 40 in 50 innings. He had a 3-2 record with a 5.90 earned run average. "The league ERA was in the mid-5s so I guess statistically I was average. It was not great," he said. "I never felt the same after I broke my foot the year prior; I never got back to normal. The velo never came back. "I was 88, 90 on a good day. It was a slimmer margin for error. By the time we had a month left in the year, I figured it was not gonna happen." It almost happened for Wolf a couple years ago. He pitched for the Triple-A Toledo Mud Hens in 2024, but his season was cut short by the foot injury. "The end of 2022 and the majority of '23 I could've pitched in the big leagues," he said. "I'll be the first to admit like 2024, first half of '22, I wasn't good enough. I think I have a pretty good idea of what it takes. "I think there was a season and a half when I was ready, but the Tigers weren't making a run those years so there was no real incentive to move anyone up. We had a juggernaut just stuck in Double A." The Tigers released Wolf after the 2024 season. After considering his options, he chose Mexico. He said the experience was positive, but it also made him appreciate the comforts of home. "There were some great times and some tough times," he said. "You take for granted Wi-Fi and hot water. Simple stuff like air conditioning — that was a huge one. We had so many bus rides with no air conditioning and we were just boiling." Wolf was in Mexico for five months. Mackinzie, a kindergarten teacher at Sandusky Central Catholic School, was able to join him for two months. They spent the all-star break in Puerto Vallarta. "She was a celebrity there, this little gringa," Wolf said. "Everyone knew she was with someone on the team." The Bravos were managed by former big-league star Miguel Tejada. Wolf said there usually were a handful of Americans on the team and he got to pitch against some former major leaguers, including Robinson Cano. Wolf's only complaint about the food was the overuse of hot dogs. "The first day of spring training we had hot dog eggs — little cut-up hot dogs in our scramble eggs," he said. "That wasn't exactly what I was looking for. They put hot dogs on everything." Wolf admired the enthusiasm of the Mexican fans, who take their baseball seriously. He was named player of the game after throwing three scoreless innings and was interviewed on the field. "They poured Gatorade on me," he said. "They say a few words, all in Spanish. I said a couple things in Spanish that I knew and threw up a fist and everyone went nuts." Wolf started eight games and worked 14 games out of the bullpen before his injury. "I threw five out of six games one week and that next Tuesday I went like 65 pitches out of the bullpen," he said. "After that I couldn't throw the rest of the week. I had a MRI and it came back minor, like two weeks of rest. There was a week left in the year so I got to go home." But first, he got paid. More financial savvy kicking in. "The big struggle was making sure I got my last paycheck," he said. "As soon as they said I was going home, I couldn't get a hold of anyone for a day. I had to find them. I told them I wanted my last paycheck. Not that I don't trust you, but I don't trust you. "Everybody said make sure you get paid before you leave or you'll never see it." Wolf is upbeat about his new job and living in Sandusky. He knows he was close to pitching in the big leagues, but seems content and focused on the future. "There are so many guys who have been so close and didn't make it, so it's not unique to my situation," he said. "When you're with an organization for a while and you're really close to making it, you don't, you break your foot, you go to Mexico, you lose the sadness of it a little bit. "It was a fun summer, but I was ready to move on."