Suzuki shines in full season of Double-A baseball

Some with Hawaii connections showed promise, but others were disappointing

SECOND IN A SERIES

SEVERAL professional baseball players with local ties made quite a showing in Class AA this past season.

Kurt Suzuki, Brandon Chaves and Kila Ka'aihue played a full year in Double-A ball. Rex Rundgren and Keoni DeRenne had brief stints in Triple-A, and Jeff Coleman and Kea Kometani advanced from Single-A during the season.

Suzuki (Baldwin/Cal State Fullerton) continued his yearly climb up the Oakland Athletics' organizational ladder, playing 99 games for the Midland Rockhounds in the Texas League.

The catcher hit .285 with 26 doubles, one triple, seven homers and 55 RBIs, before joining Team USA in the middle of August for the Olympic qualifying games in Cuba.

"It has been a pretty memorable year from making the Texas League All-Star team to playing in the Futures Game to being on the Olympic Team," said Suzuki, who is relaxing this offseason.

He talked about some insights gained during his time with the Olympic team.

"Cuba was a different type of atmosphere because of the poverty level. There were kids on the streets asking for food and money," Suzuki said. "It gives you a different perspective. You realize how fortunate we are to be here."

His first at-bat in the qualifying round also was memorable.

"I entered the game in the eighth as a defensive replacement, but Brazil tied the score in the top of the ninth," Suzuki said.

Suzuki ended the game in the bottom of the 10th inning with a walk-off homer.

"That was huge. I played a lot more after that," Suzuki said.

This is his "protection year," meaning Oakland either adds Suzuki to the Athletics' 40-man roster to protect him or he is eligible to be selected in the Rule 5 draft at major league baseball's winter meetings in December.

Suzuki will know his status next month. He hopes to be invited to the big league spring training camp to have a chance to prove to Oakland he belongs in the majors.

Coleman (University of Hawaii), who sat out the 2005 season following rotator cuff surgery on his right shoulder, opened the season with Stockton in the California League.

After compiling a 3-1 record with a 3.90 earned run average and just six walks vs. 31 strikeouts in 30 innings, Oakland promoted the right-hander to Midland in midseason.

Coleman, in his fifth pro campaign, continued his solid season in the Texas League by winning all four decisions and posting a 2-to-1 (29-to-14) strikeout-to-walk ratio.

"I was pretty happy with the season. Personally, I think it was the best season I've had even though the numbers don't exactly show that," Coleman said. "I got back to 88 to 92 (mph) and hopefully I can get a little more back next year."

DeRenne (Iolani/Arizona) was disappointed in his season that began and ended with the Eastern League's Portland (Maine) Sea Dogs. He did replace an injured player and play 10 games at second base for the Pawtucket (R.I.) Red Sox in the International League after missing the month of June with a sprained right ankle and Achilles' tendon.

"I had a tough April, but started to come around when I was in a collision at home plate on May 31," DeRenne said. "I tried to avoid the tag, but my right foot caught in the dirt and rolled over. That set me back.

"I was glad that I could physically go out and play when I went to Pawtucket. I wasn't surprised or disappointed to go back to Portland. We ended up winning the league title. That was special.

"I would like to think I had an off year. I felt I could have contributed more. The whole season was so much more difficult than in the past."

DeRenne, who will test the free-agent market again this year, only hit .224 for Portland, the lowest average in his seven pro seasons.

Kometani (Punahou/Pepperdine) began his second pro season by moving up to the California League with the Bakersfield Blaze. He was 4-2 with a 3.30 ERA and a good walk (13) to strikeout (56) ratio when the Texas Rangers promoted him to the Texas League's Frisco Roughriders.

"I felt I was ready to go up, but it was between me and another guy and you never know when it is going to happen," Kometani said.

The right-hander's introduction to the higher level was rough. He lost his first five decisions.

"I think I was trying to do too much. I was thinking Double-A was a bigger deal than it was," Kometani said. "I needed to relax a bit and just start doing the things I was in high A ball. Looking back, I was trying to be so much better in a day."

With the change in his thought process, Kometani won his last eight decisions. His earned run average dropped from 8.46 when he was 0-5 to 4.69 at the end of the season.

"There definitely were a few games where my team helped me out. I gave up five runs in the first inning once, then nothing through eight and we won in the ninth," said Kometani who felt he learned a lot from watching his older teammates.

Chaves (Hilo/Hawaii-Hilo), a shortstop most of his seven-year career, played mostly third base for the Eastern League's Altoona (Pa.) Curve in 2006.

However, he also saw action at shortstop, second base, left field and center field. His only other experience in the outfield was one game in 2002. Chaves was named winner of the Curve's inaugural unsung hero award for starting at five different positions.

A free agent, Chaves thought about looking for another team, but knew he had to have a good season to explore the market. However, he re-signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates for a seventh pro season.

"I didn't have the season I wanted. I feel comfortable with the Pirates. They told me I probably would go back to Double-A, but that they would give me a chance to make the Triple-A team," Chaves said.

"I need to have a good spring and go from there. People have told me I'm probably better off knowing and playing at all the positions I did this year. I hadn't played the outfield since my freshman year in college, but I didn't make any big mistakes out there."

Chaves hit .228, but was successful on nine of 10 steal attempts, led the Curve in sacrifice flies (7) and hit by pitch (11). He also tied for the sacrifice bunt lead with seven and tied a team record with three doubles in a July 13 game.

Rundgren (Mid-Pacific/Sacramento City), in his sixth pro season, spent most of his second consecutive year with the Carolina Mudcats in the Southern League. He did play in eight games for the Albuquerque Isotopes of the Class AAA Pacific Coast League early in the season, when he hit .192

A shortstop in the Florida Marlins system, Rundgren finished with a .232 average at Carolina, one point better than 2005, but 20 points under his career average. He led the Mudcats with 12 sacrifice bunts.

This was Ka'aihue's first season at the Double-A level and it proved difficult for the left-handed hitting first baseman.

His batting average bounced on either side of the Mendoza Line all season. He ended up just under with a .199 average.

"It was a disappointing season. I'm just trying to forget it," Ka'aihue said. "Everybody saw the stats. I really don't want to talk about it."

One positive was his strikeout (73) to walk (49) ratio.