Sunday, April 8, 2001

[ PROFESSIONAL BASEBALL ]

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28 players with
isle ties toil in
minor leagues

Fernandez, Ah Yat, Masaoka
and Ross start seasons
in AAA

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By Al Chase
Star-Bulletin

THIRTY-EIGHT professional baseball players with Hawaii connections went to spring training.

Three were on the opening-day rosters of the major league teams they played for a year ago. They are Benny Agbayani with the New York Mets, Chris Truby with the Houston Astros and Mike Fetters with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Twenty-eight more players survived spring training and remained employed, while seven Hawaii-connected players were given their releases and are free agents.

The minor league structure for most major league teams includes two rookie league clubs, a short-season A team, full-season low A and high A teams, then double A and the final step before the big time, triple A.

Sid Fernandez will continue his comeback attempt with the New York Yankees' Triple-A team at Columbus, Ohio, in the International League. The 38-year-old left-hander was scheduled to start last night's game for the Clippers at Louisville.

Jason Ross, an outfielder and a non-roster invitee to Atlanta's big league camp, stayed with the Braves until the 25-man roster was announced last weekend. Ross, in his sixth pro season, starts at Richmond. Va., in the Class AAA International League.

Keoni DeRenne, who joined Greenville, S.C., for the playoffs to conclude his first pro season a year ago, begins the 2001 season with the Class AA Southern League team.

Left-hander Paul Ah Yat returns to Nashville, Tenn., in the Class AAA Pacific Coast League after spending 312 weeks with the Pittsburgh Pirates as a non-roster invitee.

"I had a good experience, just looking at the talent there and knowing I could pitch with them," said Ah Yat.

He suffered a separation of his lower left rib cage and missed a week but returned to active duty the final week of spring training.

Infielder Brandon Chaves moved up to the Pirates' low-A Hickory, N.C., team in the South Atlantic League.

Jay Spurgeon will be with the Rochester Red Wings in the International League. The 6-foot-6 right-hander rose from Class A to the majors last season and was expected to battle for a spot in the Orioles starting rotation this spring, but he was farmed out March 18.

Thomas Ford did well enough in spring training to advance to Baltimore's low A team in the South Atlantic League, Delmarva, located in Salisbury, Md.

Left-hander Dusty Bergman has been promoted to Double-A Arkansas in the Texas League by the Anaheim Angels. He finished the 2000 season with Rancho Cucamonga in the high-A California League after a solid campaign with Cedar Rapids, Iowa, in the low Midwest League.

Jerome Williams, one of the San Francisco Giants' top prospects, jumps to the Double-A Texas League. The 6-foot-3 right-hander will be with the Shreveport (La.) Swamp Dragons.

After spending the second half of last season with El Paso in the Texas League, left-hander Mike McCutcheon begins 2001 with the Arizona Diamondbacks' Lancaster team in the California League.

Another player starting his pro career in the California League is catcher Dane Sardinha. The Cincinnati Reds have assigned him to the Mudville Nine (Stockton, Calif.).

Mike Tejada, also a catcher, has been assigned to Asheville, N.C., in the South Atlantic League. Tejada suffered a dislocated shoulder last season, played hurt, then had off-season surgery.

"He's back swinging the bat from both sides better than ever," said Colorado Rockies manager of minor league operations Marc Gustafson.

Rodney Choy Foo, an infielder, is in extended spring training with the Cleveland Indians. He will be assigned to either Burlington, S.C., in the rookie advanced Appalachian League or to Mahoning Valley (Niles, Ohio) in the short-season New York-Penn League.

Right-hander Mark Johnson, a non-roster invitee with the Detroit Tigers, was optioned early and begins the season at Erie, Pa., in the AA Eastern League.

Another Tiger farmhand, Miles Luuloa, moves up from rookie ball to West Michigan (Comstock Park, Mich.) in the full-season, low-A Midwest League.

The Kansas City Royals have kept right-hander Kahi Kaanoi and outfielderthird baseman Billy Pieper in extended spring training but have assigned them to Spokane (Wash.) in the short-season A Northwest League which starts play June 19.

First baseman Chad Santos has been assigned to Burlington, Iowa, in the Midwest League.

"Chad has matured as a hitter. His bat control is better and he came to camp in shape," said Shaun McGinn, the Royals' manager of minor league operations.

Jandin Thornton-Murray had a great spring but is temporarily caught in the numbers game. He is in extended spring training with the Chicago Cubs according to Oneri Fleita, the director of player development.

"Jandin has started to show some power with the bat. He's always had the arm to play short or third," Fleita said. "With his show of power, I expect he will be the starting third baseman for Boise (Idaho) in the short-season Class A Northwest League.

"However, if something happens, he could go to Lansing, Mich., (Midwest League) earlier."

Darren Blakely, an outfielder acquired by the New York Yankees from the Anaheim Angels for Glenallen Hill on March 28, reports to Norwich, Conn., in the Class AA Eastern League.

The Montreal Expos have kept right-hander Justin Wayne at Jupiter, Fla., in the high-A Florida State League where he pitched five games at the end of last season. He was scheduled to start the Hammerheads' home opener last night against St. Lucie.

Older brother Hawkeye, also a right-handed pitcher, begins the season with the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers in the Midwest League after two seasons of rookie ball.

Right-handers Corey Miller and Tyler Yates start at Modesto, Calif., and Midland, Texas, in the California League and Texas League, respectively. These are the same teams they finished up with in 2000.

The Los Angeles Dodgers have assigned left-hander Onan Masaoka to Las Vegas in the PCL and outfielder Shane Victorino to Wilmington, N.C., in the South Atlantic League.

Keith Luuloa, who signed as a free agent with the San Diego Padres in November, has been optioned to Portland, Ore., in the PCL.

Brandon Villafuerte, a right-hander acquired by the Texas Rangers in a December trade with the Detroit Tigers, has been sent to the Oklahoma RedHawks in the PCL.

The players released include four pitchers, a catcher, an infielder and an outfielder.

Ian Perio (Castle, University of San Francisco), a left-hander, was let go by the Boston Red Sox April 2. The Houston Astros released right-hander Damon Yee (Punahou, Vanderbilt) March 28. The Oakland Athletics released right-hander Rich Snider (UH), and right-hander Jeff Martin (Kailua H.S.) was cut by the Pittsburgh Pirates on March 30.

Snider said he plans to finish his degree requirements at East Central University in his hometown of Ada, Okla., starting with the fall semester.

Buster Small (Punahou, Princeton), a catcher in the Toronto Blue Jays organization, was let go March 20. Key Voshell, an infielder who began his college career with the Hawaii Rainbows, was released by St. Louis on March 23. The Minnesota Twins cut outfielder Scott Suraci (Hawaii Pacific) March 25.

Matt Wheeler (UH), a right-hander who has played independent ball the past two summers, is working as a financial planner with the long-range goal of opening his own business.

"I think it's time to start making some money," Wheeler said from his Nevada home.

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Hawaii's minor league players

Here's a look at where minor-league baseball players from Hawaii will start the 2001 season: