The Regina Red Sox are making a change in their front office, after general manager Gary Brotzel announced his retirement from the position Thursday. Mitch MacDonald will be taking over for the 2027 season. Broztel has been the team’s GM since the Red Sox were revived in 2005 in the then Western Major Baseball League. He played a pivotal role in bringing baseball back to Regina at the Western Canadian Baseball League (WCBL) level, raising the necessary finances and building a community-owned, not-for-profit organization that took the field that year. “It is difficult to put into words what the Red Sox and the baseball community in Regina have meant to me over the past 20-plus years,” said Brotzel in a media release. “When we brought the Red Sox back in 2005, we wanted to build something that belonged to the community, and I am incredibly proud of what this organization has become. The championships, the players, coaches, volunteers, sponsors and, most importantly, the people who supported us along the way have made this journey incredibly special.” Since the organization’s return in 2005, Brotzel has served as President or GM and has been instrumental in building the Red Sox both on and off the field. Under his leadership, the Red Sox captured WCBL championships in 2011, 2012 and 2025. Brotzel’s contributions to baseball and the community have been recognized throughout Saskatchewan. He was inducted into the Saskatchewan Baseball Hall of Fame in 2019 as a Builder and the Regina Sports Hall of Fame in 2022. He was also a recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal in 2022 for his volunteerism and the King Charles III Coronation Medal in 2025 for his community service. Prior to founding the Red Sox, Brotzel coached the Regina White Sox AAA program from 1995 through 2003. “I was thrilled to see the Red Sox transition to private ownership with Queen City Sports and Entertainment in 2025,” he said. “It was important to me the organization had a strong future; I know the Sox are in very good hands with Mitch MacDonald, Gordon Pritchard and Brandt Sports & Entertainment. The Red Sox will continue to be leaders in the community, and I am excited to watch the organization continue to grow.” MacDonald enters his 13th season with the Red Sox as either a player, coach or member of management and is one of the most accomplished alumni in WCBL history. He first joined the Red Sox as an 18-year-old player in 2006. Following a stint in professional baseball with the Miami Marlins organization, he returned to Regina in 2009 and played with the Red Sox through 2012. MacDonald remains the only player in WCBL history to win the Triple Crown. He was also a three-time WCBL champion with Regina in 2011, 2012 and 2025. The former league MVP later transitioned into coaching and management, serving as an assistant coach in 2014, 2015, 2019 and 2022 before becoming the Red Sox manager from 2016 through 2018. He most recently served as assistant general manager, continuing to play an integral role in the organization’s baseball operations. “Mitch has been a part of the Red Sox family for nearly two decades, and there are very few people who understand this organization and the game of baseball at the level he does,” said Red Sox CEO Gordon Pritchard. “[He] is one of the smartest baseball minds in our community, he understands the game from every angle, from being a player and coach to now working in management.” MacDonald will take over the position immediately as the Red Sox prepare for the 2027 WCBL season, set to begin next May.
