[ BASEBALL ]
Hawaii’s next class of major
leaguers just a step away
Seven baseball players with ties to the islands
toiled in the Triple-A ranks this past season
The list of Triple-A baseball players with Hawaii ties is almost as long as a lineup card.
Dusty Bergman, Keoni deRenne, Mark Johnson, Dane Sardinha, Chris Truby, Brandon Villafuerte and Justin Wayne spent all or most of the season playing at the top minor league level.
Wayne began the season with the Florida Marlins, Bergman had a cup of coffee with the Anaheim Angels and Villafuerte also pitched several weeks for the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Bergman (Hawaii) felt he threw the ball well and ended up with some respectable numbers for the Salt Lake Stingers of the Pacific Coast League. He also pitched in one game for the Angels as an emergency call-up that lasted 10 days.
The left-hander appeared in 45 games for Salt Lake, posted a 2.85 earned run average, the second best in his sixth-year career. He walked just 13 and fanned 54 in 72 2/3 innings.
The Angels sent him to the Arizona Fall League (Phoenix Desert Dogs) where top prospects work on specific aspects of their game.
"I worked on the cutter in the offseason. It became my main pitch. That was the big difference this year," said Bergman.
"I'm going to work on my slider in Arizona. It's kind of sweeping and it needs to be more down. I need to tighten up my curve. I want everything ready for spring training."
The Angels see Bergman's role as a left-handed relief specialist who can come in for one or two batters or go a couple of innings if necessary. He did that in Salt Lake.
DeRenne started the season in the California League, spent the last two weeks in the Texas League, but in between was with the Tucson Sidewinders in the Pacific Coast League, his first season in Triple-A ball.
"It was awesome. I'm on cloud nine," said deRenne (Iolani, Arizona), released by the Atlanta Braves and New York Yankees a year ago.
The Arizona Diamondbacks wanted the middle infielder to get at-bats, hence the assignment to Lancaster in the Cal League, but promised him he would move up as soon as a roster spot opened.
"They were true to their words and I'm very happy the way things ended up," said deRenne. "We had 18 players from the Sidewinders move up to the Diamondbacks. Yes, I would have liked to go up, but because of the moves, I was able to stay in the lineup and stay consistent all year."
DeRenne hit .306 for Tucson. His combined batting average for three teams was .300, well above his career .252 average entering the 2004 season.
He will spend most of the offseason working out with a strength and conditioning coach as the house guest of fellow Iolani grad Mike Fetters.
"I want to think I'm close to where I want to be (the major leagues). This program will benefit me," said deRenne.
Sardinha (Kamehameha, Pepperdine) started the season fast, then was sidelined with a pulled right oblique muscle. However, he never was on the Louisville Bats disabled list since the International League team carried three catchers.
"I thought the first half of the season was good, but the second half was so-so, kind of downhill, mostly from the hitting side," said Sardinha. "I was in a (hitting) slump the second half and I don't know why."
Sardinha was batting .293 May 29 but slowly tailed off to finish at .262. He did have 17 doubles, one triple, nine home runs and 40 runs batted in. The fourth-year pro would like to change two statistics, 10 walks and 94 strikeouts, next year.
Mark Johnson finished his eighth season of pro ball with an 11-strikeout performance in the final game of the season for the Las Vegas 51s who finished third in the Pacific Coast League's South Division with a 67-76 record.
The former Rainbow right-hander was named the 51s' most valuable pitcher at the end of the season. He started 21 of 37 games, did some closing and middle relief.
"I led the team in quality starts, did everything they asked me to although I never really knew what my role was," said Johnson. "I had five bad starts in a row that hurt my ERA, but I was proud to get it down to 5.39 by the end of the year, especially pitching in that (Cashman Field) small park."
Johnson threw the second-most innings (140 1/3) for the 51s, had a 6-12 won-loss record, walked 42 and fanned 89.
"I finished up all right, was happy with my innings and really enjoyed being in the (Los Angeles Dodgers) organization," said Johnson.
He will become a free agent Oct. 15, but would like to remain with the Dodgers.
Truby put up solid numbers for the PCL's Nashville Sounds, leading the team in games, at-bats and nine other offensive categories. He tied for fourth in the PCL with 41 doubles and 68 extra-base hits, but he did not get a call from the Pittsburgh Pirates when major league rosters expanded Sept. 1.
"The season wasn't bad, but I'm disappointed that I'm home right now (third week of Sept.)," Truby said in a telephone interview from his offseason home.
"I had a good year and that makes it even harder. I know they are not very good up there with what they have and no one got hurt, never, throughout the year.
Truby showed his versatility by playing 22 games at first base, 38 at second base and 79 at third base.
He said he has heard talk that the Pirates might put him on the 40-man winter roster, but the Damien graduate will wait and see. He will become a free agent Oct. 15.
Wayne was in 19 games with the Marlins, had a 3-3 record and a 5.79 ERA, but was sent to the PCL Albuquerque Isotopes after a two-game stop with the Jupiter Hammerheads of the Florida State League.
The right-hander (Punahou, Stanford) had LASIK eye surgery after the 2003 season. It's a procedure intended to reduce a person's dependency on glasses or contact lenses.
"I had a lot of issues, dryness, watering, with my eyes this year. I'm nearsighted and it was hard to pick up signs from the catcher in the dark," said Wayne. "I started wearing contacts again in spring training, but the prescription wasn't full, probably should have been stronger. It's my fault for not getting it checked. I'm having laser in situ Keratomileusis (LASIK) again to correct the problem.
"My season wasn't there because I was out of focus."
Wayne was 1-5 with a 6.58 ERA at Albuquerque and walked almost as many (34) as he struck out (43).
Villafuerte signed with Arizona as a free agent in the offseason and produced good numbers at Tucson to start the season. He was 2-2 with a 2.64 ERA in 23 appearances when his contract was purchased by the Diamondbacks.
In 20 games for Arizona the Big-Island born right-hander was 0-3 with a 4.05 ERA and walked more than he fanned. After a couple of unsuccessful outings, he opted for free agency in late July instead of accepting assignment back to the Sidewinders.
