[ BASEBALL ]
Some of Hawaii’s
first timers accept
move to first baseMicah Furtado wasn't asked
to switch positions and responded
with a monster year for Texas
The short-season A and rookie leagues are used to introduce first-year players to professional baseball and give some second-year guys more time to get acclimated.
Micah Furtado (Kapaa, Lewis-Clark State) made the biggest impression with the season he had for the Rangers in the rookie-level Arizona League.
The second baseman hit .342 (66-for-193) with nine doubles, four triples and 17 stolen bases. Those numbers resulted in a late-season promotion to Spokane (Wash.) of the short-season Northwest League.
"Probably the biggest adjustment was the switch from a metal bat to wood," Furtado said. "I had to try and stay inside more, not over-swing and go to the opposite field more."
Furtado led the Arizona League in on-base percentage (.446) and was fourth in runs scored (44).
The Rangers are sending Furtado to instructional league.
Chris George (Hawaii) did not put up the kind of numbers he wanted, but the right-hander felt pretty good about making the transition from a starting pitcher to a reliever.
"I felt better about my performance at the end of the season," said George, who was promoted from Salem-Keizer (Ore.) of the Northwest League to San Jose of the Class A California League.
"I think relieving is much harder," George said. "You have to come in and have all your pitches working right from pitch one. You give up one or two hits and you lose the game and feel bad for the team.
"I felt good about moving up at the end of the season. Now I just want to come back next year better."
George, who signed with the San Francisco Giants as a free agent before the draft, was a combined 1-0 in 28 2/3 innings with a 7.85 earned run average. He will take a month off, then start preparing for spring training.
Brian Bock (Hawaii), a 14th-round pick by the Baltimore Orioles, played for the Aberdeen (Md.) IronBirds in the short-season New York-Penn League. He was the primary catcher but shared duties with other catchers on rehab assignments.
"It was a good experience," said Bock, who will participate in instructional league. "I got to play 43 of the 76 games (in 79 days) and I was happy with that."
Former UH outfielder Chad Boudon, who was drafted out of Washington by Baltimore in the 42nd round, also played for Aberdeen. He saw action at first base, third base and in the outfield.
The transition to pro ball proved a struggle at the plate for Boudon who hit .195 (17-for-87), but reported three weeks after the season began because of another priority, his wedding.
"When I got there most of the guys were set on their positions and I had to work hard to get playing time," Boudon said. "I played a lot of first base. I never played there before and feel I improved a lot at that position. You are in the game more and I can take a positive from that."
Kainoa Obrey (Iolani, Brigham Young) is the third Hawaii player to spend his initial season in the NYP League with the New Jersey (Augusta, N.J.) Cardinals following his selection by St. Louis in the 13th round.
"It's a different type of atmosphere from college ball," Obrey said. "It's a job."
The Cardinals drafted Obrey as a third baseman, but introduced him to first base this summer.
"I never played first much before, but I'm open to anything that will help me get in the lineup every day," Obrey said.
Hubert Pruett (Kamehameha) was disappointed to stay in the Arizona League with the Brewers for a second season vs. being assigned to Helena (Mont.) in the rookie advanced Pioneer League, but the move by Milwaukee had a positive side.
"They had so many pitchers in Helena they were on a eight-day rotation," Pruett said. "They told me since I was young, I would stay in Arizona. The guys in Helena either had to prove themselves or get released."
The right-hander was promoted to the High Desert (Adelanto, Calif.) Mavericks in the Class A advanced California League. Pruett started one game for High Desert and was credited with the victory.
Reid Santos (Castle, Saddleback Community College) needed time to regain his pitching shape after not competing for over a month when he joined the Burlington (N.C.) Indians in the rookie advanced Appalachian League.
"I struggled a bit for the first month, but I had fun. Pro ball was a new thing and I enjoyed it," Santos said.
Santos underwent Tommy John surgery last summer and isn't quite where he wants to be as far as his arm strength is concerned. He will go to instructional league.
Chad Bailey (Campbell, Seminole State), who was a draft-and-follow pick in the 2002 draft, came out of extended spring training with one instruction from the Los Angeles Dodgers coaches. They wanted the left-hander to be more aggressive.
"I really learned how to pitch. That was new for me because in college I was always pitching away," said Bailey, who will go to instructional league.
He has a fastball that tops 95 mph, but improved his slider and change-up this summer.
Pitching primarily in relief, Bailey was 1-2 with a 2.57 ERA but had 43 strikeouts in 42 innings for the Ogden (Utah) Raptors in the Pioneer League.
Grady Symonds (Hawaii), in his second season in the Arizona Diamondbacks organization, appeared in just 10 games for the Yakima Bears in the Northwest League. The catcher had one hit in eight at-bats.
"Grady was primarily a bullpen catcher," Yakima GM Bob Romero said. "(He) is a great guy with a good attitude who works hard. Few people would put in all the hours he did without complaining about playing time or at-bats. He's a great kid. It's too bad he didn't get more of a chance to play."
