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Tuesday, August 15, 2000
No one with Hawaii ties has ever risen through the professional baseball ranks faster in one season than Jay Spurgeon. Spurgeon part of
Baltimore’s youth crusadeBy Al Chase
Star-BulletinThe Baltimore Orioles purchased Spurgeon's contract yesterday from Rochester of the Class AAA International League, completing an amazing ascent for the 6-foot-6, 225-pound right-hander.
He began the 2000 season where he toiled in 1999, with the Frederick (Md.) Keys in the Single-A Carolina League.
After posting an 8-2 record and pitching 8 innings of hitless ball in his final outing for the Keys, he was promoted to the Bowie (Md.) Baysox in the Double-A Eastern League.
That stop lasted six games. Spurgeon was 3-1 with an impressive 1.62 earned run average.
He moved up to the Rochester Red Wings on Aug. 4 and won both starts. In 13 innings Spurgeon allowed just five hits and one earned run while compiling an 0.66 ERA.
For his efforts in July, the Orioles named him Minor League Pitcher of the Month. His combined ERA with Frederick and Bowie was 0.85.
The transformation from 1999 when Spurgeon was 6-9 with a 4.75 ERA at Frederick to a pitcher ready for the majors is the result of his believing in himself.
"He has developed a feeling of confidence in his pitching," said Don Buford, Baltimore's director of minor league operations.
"He has learned to use both sides of the plate. He has the confidence to get the ball over and get people out."
Spurgeon has three pitches, a 90-plus mph fastball, change-up and slider. He has learned how to control those pitches, a problem during his three seasons at the University of Hawaii and early in his professional career.
In his first three seasons in the Orioles' organization, Spurgeon allowed 9.2 hits per nine innings. He cut that to seven this year.
His walk to strikeout ratio also improved this year to one free pass for every three strikeouts.
This season he is a combined 13-3 after posting an 18-13 record in his first three seasons.
Spurgeon joins an Orioles staff that has just one starting pitcher with a winning record, Jose Mercedes, who also began 2000 in the minor leagues. They shipped away many veterans prior to baseball's trading deadline July 31 in an effort to build a younger base, and Spurgeon is now part of that movement.
The Orioles haven't announced when Spurgeon, 24, will get his first major league start.
When Spurgeon does make his major league debut, he will be the fourth player with Hawaii ties to do so this season. Mark Johnson, Keith Luuloa and Chris Truby made the jump earlier this year.
Baltimore Orioles