COURTESY OF THE STOCKTON PORTS
Baldwin alumnus Kurt Suzuki played for the Stockton Ports in the California League this season and is currently playing for the Phoenix Desert Dogs in the Arizona Fall League.
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Ka‘aihue grows under Sakata
Editor's note: This is the first in a series of five stories on Hawaii's minor league players
Kila Ka'aihue, Brian Finegan and Kurt Suzuki put together the most productive seasons of the nine Hawaii position players who played for Class A teams this season.
Rodney Choy Foo and Tim Montgomery did not get started until midseason after recovering from injuries. Duke Sardinha and Kaulana Kuhaulua saw little action while recovering from surgery.
Former Hawaii Rainbows Pat Scalabrini thought he should have done better and Brian Bock felt he improved.
Kala Ka'aihue did well, but Isaac Omura struggled in his rookie season of pro ball.
This was easily Kila's best season in four years as a pro. A .246 hitter a year ago in the Midwest League, he moved up to the California League with the High Desert Mavericks and batted .304.
The first baseman from Iolani led his team with a .428 on-base percentage, showed good power with 31 doubles and 20 home runs and had 90 runs batted in.
He credits his offseason training that began last November with Lenn Sakata with making the big difference.
"I think I matured as a ballplayer and worked really hard with Lenny. We worked on the basics and fundamentals (of hitting)," Kila said. "Lenny worked on my swing and approach, what to do at the plate. He understood what I was doing wrong."
Kila went through the 2005 season without a slump, a first for him. Hitting became second nature and it carried him through his first 350 at-bats.
"If I didn't feel good during the season, I just went out and did the drills Lenny showed me," Kila said. "I played with confidence. I was the only one on my team to hit over .300 the whole season. It was overwhelming and exciting the whole year."
He was named to the California League All-Star team for the annual mid-summer showdown with the Carolina League stars.
Kila is attending instructional league to improve his defense at first base.
SUZUKI (Baldwin, Cal State Fullerton) was behind the plate in 102 of the 114 games he played for the Stockton Ports in the California League.
"I got off on the right foot and had a solid year," Suzuki said.
He is currently in Arizona playing for the Phoenix Desert Dogs in the Arizona Fall League.
The Oakland Athletics' second-round draft pick in 2004, hit .278 with 26 doubles, five triples, 12 homers and 65 RBIs in his first full season as a pro. His walk to strikeout ratio (63 to 61) was excellent.
"I had a lot to learn. It was all about staying tough mentally, staying up every day and keeping my body healthy," said Suzuki, who did miss a week and a half after being hit on his right wrist with a foul ball.
He was pleased with his improved hitting after having completely adjusted to the switch from metal to wood bats.
"You face a top prospect every day. You just can't be overwhelmed. You have to stay within yourself and within your game," said Suzuki, who has always had a good idea of the strike zone.
He says it was an honor to be invited to the AFL.
"I like the fact the teams are mixed (with players from different organizations). A lot of guys in this league have played in Triple-A, some briefly in the majors. You get excited every day," Suzuki said.
Finegan (Hawaii) said it was like culture shock playing for the Lake County (Eastlake, Ohio) Captains for the first few weeks of the South Atlantic League season.
"I had to get used to playing in cold weather. We got snowed out a couple of times. Remember, I went to Hawaii for a reason," Finegan said.
He adjusted and put together an excellent season, his first full campaign in Class A.
"My goal was to keep my average above .290. As long as I did that, I was happy," said Finegan, who started off a little slow.
He led the Captains in batting average (.292), doubles (30) on-base percentage (.374) and, surprisingly, slugging percentage (.374). He was second on the team in walks (44), a category he might have led had he not been promoted to the Buffalo Bisons in the International League for the final week of the season and the IL playoffs.
Finegan is attending instructional league, where he will concentrate on improving his throwing from the shortstop position.
"I made a lot of errors early, most of them throwing. Defense is my game and the coaches worked hard on getting me straightened out. I only made 15 errors in the last three months," Finegan said.
MONTGOMERY (UH) joined Finegan in mid-June after being in extended spring training rehabbing a torn labrum in his right shoulder.
"My throwing is still not back to 100 percent, but I am pain-free and will continue to work on it in the offseason," said Montgomery, who was primarily a designated hitter for a month before finally moving to the outfield.
"I will stick to the rotator cuff program that pitchers use for the rest of my career."
Montgomery finished with a .245 batting average, but saw that average slide slowly downward from the .280 mark he reached the third week of July.
"I did not have a good August, but my biggest goal was to get healthy," said Montgomery. "I wasn't able to lift weights and work on my upper body for a long time. That's where I want to get stronger in the offseason. I also want to work on making more consistent contact."
He struck out 77 times while drawing just 17 walks.
Choy Foo didn't report to the Cleveland Indians' spring training camp in Florida until extended spring training started. He still had a cast on his left foot after offseason surgery.
"It took me about a month, a month and a half to get into playing shape," Choy Foo said.
Then, after the multi-position infielder was assigned to the Kinston Indians in the Carolina League, it took two weeks to really feel game comfortable.
He played in 65 games and had a .286 batting average, a considerable improvement over the combined .215 mark he had with two teams in 2004. The former Kailua standout had 15 doubles, five triples, five homers and was successful on seven-of-10 stolen base attempts.
"I was more relaxed, didn't put too much pressure on myself this year," Choy Foo said.
Chaves started the season with the Altoona Curve of the Class AA Eastern League, the same team he played half a season with in 2004 before being injured. He did not get off to a good start and was hitting .215 in 52 games when the Pittsburgh Pirates sent him to the Lynchburg Hillcats of the Carolina League.
This was the first time the shortstop's career took a step backward.
"When you get sent down, it isn't anything you want to hear. When they first told me after a game, I couldn't believe it," said Chaves who played for Hilo High School and the UH-Hilo Vulcans.
"I had a hard head for a couple of weeks. I didn't take it (being demoted) like I should. I'm not the first player to have that happen. I finally realized that I just had to play hard and control the things I can control."
He finally got back on track and finished with a .300 batting average at Lynchburg.
"The coaching staff at Lynchburg just let me play. They knew I was older and there was no pressure," Chaves said. "Next year I'll have a different outlook. No one from the Pirates has talked to me. I don't know what they are thinking."
SCALABRINI (UH) signed with the Baltimore Orioles last spring after four summers in the independent Northern League.
"It was a one-year deal to help the organization. Honestly, I'm not doing amazingly well, but I have enjoyed the experience," Scalabrini said.
"I always wanted to see what kind of numbers I could put up. I have no regrets and can't blame anyone else."
The former UH third baseman began the season with the Frederick (Md.) Keys in the Class A Advanced Carolina League, but did not play on a regular basis and struggled with a .245 average.
The Orioles transferred him to the Delmarva (Salisbury, Md.) Shorebirds where he played every day and moved across the diamond to first base when an injury sidelined the starting first baseman.
"The arms (pitching) I faced are better than independent ball, but the guys are much younger and less experienced," said Scalabrini, who turned 28 in March.
He doesn't expect to be re-signed by the Orioles, but hopes to continue his baseball career in Australia this winter.
Bock (UH) will get a championship ring when he reports to the Baltimore Orioles spring training camp next year.
The Frederick Keys swept the Kinston Indians 3-0 in the best-of-five Carolina League championship series. Bock, who caught every playoff game, knocked in the second run in the Keys' 2-0 win in the title-clinching third game.
"I improved from last year. My average improved. I was a little more selective in what pitches I wanted to hit," said Bock, who was promoted to the Keys after starting the season with Delmarva in the South Atlantic League. "I wasn't chasing as many bad pitches and I was throwing the guys out I should throw out."
Bock's combined batting average was .256, best in his three pro seasons.
"I go into every year trying to move up higher. I think my game calling improved a lot this year. I learned more about what pitchers can and cannot do," Bock said..
Omura's first taste of pro ball with the Vancouver Canadians of the short-season Northwest League was all about adjusting to the Oakland Athletics' hitting philosophy.
"They preach a lot about working the count. They want you to take a strike, put yourself behind in the count. That is uncomfortable," said the second baseman, a 2005 17th-round draft selection.
"The first part (of the season) was a struggle. I hit better at the end. Including the playoffs, I think I got up to about .220."
Omura finally decided to be more aggressive at the plate, much like he did in three years with the UH Rainbows.
"If I got my pitch, I swung at it without hesitating. If I got a hit, the coaches wouldn't say anything, but, if I didn't, they would," Omura said.
KALA KA'AIHUE sputtered his first three weeks as a pro following his signing a free-agent contract with the Atlanta Braves.
He was just 3-for-22 (.136) to start with the Braves in the Gulf Coast League. The first baseman from Iolani suddenly got hot and was 33-for-105 (.314) the remainder of the season.
Kala did so well, the Braves promoted him to the Danville Braves of the Appalachian League for the final week of the season (he hit .438 in five games) and the playoffs.
"I felt good that the organization had enough confidence in me to move me up. I had been playing since January so it was a long season," Kala said.
"The season went really well. In the beginning I had some muscle spasms in my back and didn't really start hitting the ball until halfway through the season."
The Braves have Ka'aihue at instructional league in Florida until Oct. 22.
"There are a lot more coaches here. The more people you can shake hands with the better. It can help you move up if you make a good impression on a coach.
Sardinha (Kamehameha, Pepperdine) spent a second season recovering from surgery on his right wrist. He was limited to 31 at-bats with the Asheville Tourists of the South Atlantic League.
"They took out scar tissue. That is supposed to increase my range of motion," Sardinha said. "I've started dry swinging and soft toss. I'm hoping to be ready by spring training."
Kuhaulua (Waianae, Long Beach State) wasn't able to try and play until the final three weeks of the season after undergoing offseason surgery on his left ankle for a fracture and torn ligaments. The middle infielder had just five at-bats for the Twins in the Gulf Coast League.
"I tried to play at the end. I could run, but I couldn't round the bases very well. It just wasn't worth it, so I shut it down," said Kuhaulua, who already has been told by the Minnesota Twins to report to spring training next year.
"It is still healing, but still swells up. I'll be getting a lot of physical therapy this offseason," the 25-year-old said.
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