[ MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL ]
Sakata stays with Giants,
now a roving instructor
By Al Chase
achase@starbulletin.comThe line in the transactions report on the Associated Press wire made it clear Lenn Sakata was going to be a busy, traveling man this summer.
Listed under San Francisco Giants, the line read: Named Lenn Sakata minor league roving hitting, bunting, baserunning and infield instructor.
"I guess they just decided they wanted me to coach instead of manage," said Sakata, who managed the Fresno Grizzlies in the Pacific Coast League last summer.
"The new position is a promotion and it's something different. I'll be the only roving instructor the Giants have and I'll be working with all the players at all levels in the organization.
"I'm looking forward to certain aspects a lot. I get to travel and I get to come home during the season."
As a manager in the Giants organization the past four years, Sakata would head to spring training in February. Unless he made a quick trip during an all-star break, he was on the mainland until September. Now he will have a deal similar to Bruce Walton when he was roving pitching instructor for Toronto, work so many consecutive days, then get a week off.
Sakata said he doesn't know why the change was made and he is not going to speculate.
"I wish we could have done better in Fresno (57-87 record and last in the four-team Southern Division). Some of it was my fault and some of it was beyond my control," said the Kalani High grad, who played 11 seasons in the majors. "I still have a job."
There also was talk Sakata might advance to the majors as a coach under Giants manager Dusty Baker, but Baker was not retained by San Francisco.
"There was speculation because Dusty openly said he wanted me to coach for him," said Sakata. "With Dusty moving on to the Cubs there was a possibility I might go with him. But, that didn't happen and I don't know Felipe Alou (new Giants manager).
"I don't look at it as a slight of any kind. I'm just going to keep working and help people get better."
Sakata is on a one-year contract, the same situation he has had since joining the Giants organization four years ago.
In another transaction involving a player with Hawaii ties, Patrick Scalabrini has signed with the Florida Marlins.
The former Hawaii Rainbow third baseman played the last two summers with Quebec of the independent Northeast League.
Major League Baseball
