Three Hawaii players extended their baseball season in the Arizona Fall League, where a 44-game schedule is played from Oct. 1 to Nov. 23. 3 Hawaii players
thrive in fall ball
By Al Chase
achase@starbulletin.comIt was time well spent for Dane Sardinha, Shane Victorino and Jerome Williams, all of whom thrived in a league designed to enhance the progress of major-league prospects.
Sardinha, a catcher for the Eastern Division winner Scottsdale Scorpions, found his batting eye after struggling much of the summer in the Southern League. He hit .310 (33-for-106) with eight doubles, four homers and 24 runs batted in. Sardinha's RBI total was third best in the league.
Victorino hit .330 (36-for-109), with six doubles, a home run and 14 runs scored, and had 10 RBIs for the Peoria Javalinas, the Western Division winner. The outfielder was successful on 8 of 15 stolen-base attempts. Victorino was 2-for-4 with an RBI, a run scored and a stolen base as Peoria beat Scottsdale 7-1 in the league championship game.
Williams pitched 22 innings for the Grand Canyon Rafters, who were managed by Lenn Sakata. Williams allowed just 10 hits, walked seven, struck out 25 and fashioned a fine 2.05 earned run average. The right-hander was recently added to the San Francisco Giants 40-man roster.
In other news involving players with Hawaii ties, St. Louis and HPU alum Benny Agbayani, an outfielder, is hitting .328 with the Mochis Sugercane Growers in the Mexican Pacific League. He has 10 doubles, one triple and seven homers among his 44 hits. Agbayani remains on the Boston Red Sox's 40-man roster.
Also playing in the Mexican Pacific League are right-handed pitchers Jay Spurgeon with the Obregon Yaquis and Brandon Villafuerte with the Hermosillo Orange Growers. Spurgeon is in the Baltimore Orioles' organization and Villafuerte is on the San Diego Padres' 40-man roster.
Damien alum Chris Truby, a third baseman and a free agent, is playing for Estrellas in the Dominican League, where he is batting .302.
Keith Luuloa, who played in the Milwaukee farm system this past season and became a free agent Oct. 15, has re-signed with the Brewers for 2003.
Bryce Uegawachi has been released by Cleveland. Uegawachi, who played for Kaiser and Hawaii Pacific, saw action for two seasons with the Mahoning Valley Scrappers, the Indians' short-season team in the Class-A New York-Penn League.
Primarily a shortstop, Uegawachi hit .224 in 250 at bats during his time with the Scrappers.
