Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, September 3, 1995 TAG: 9509060111
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C-12 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RAY COX STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
Pitching, the Rockies delivered. Spacious new Salem Memorial Baseball Stadium, which the team occupied for the last 22 games of the season, was the perfect showcase for it, too.
``Jamey Wright, Doug Million, Mike Saipe, Brent Crowther, Matt Pool ...Give me those five healthy and I'll tee it up with anybody in this league,'' said Billy Champion, the Salem Avalanche's pitching coach, before a game this past week while sitting at his desk in the posh new clubhouse.
Inconveniently for the Avalanche - and painfully for the individuals - the health portion of the equation didn't always work out.
Saipe, the surprise of the staff and perhaps the last pitcher who made the team out of spring training, was placed on the disabled list July 31 and subsequently was sent home to rest a sore elbow. Wright, a 1993 first-round draft pick and the ace of the staff, battled blisters and other minor ailments that forced him to miss some starts.
Million, the 1994 first-rounder, came into spring training out of shape and spent almost a month on the disabled list. Doug Walls, an erratic but talented right-hander, was sent home after a loose pitching shoulder was patched surgically.
All the injuries brought Crowther, a Canadian right-hander, to Salem. He responded by verifying the credentials that have made him one of the chain's top pitching prospects.
``I love his approach,'' Champion said.
Crowther, in his second year of pro ball, throws four pitches for strikes, but his lights-out pitch is a forkball.
Wright always was mentioned along with Kinston's Bartolo Colon and Wilmington's Glendon Rusch on the short list of the league's top pitching prospects.
Wright went 7-14 with a 5.97 earned run average while surrendering 188 hits in 1431/3 innings in 1994. Champion wanted the hits down and the innings up this year. Wright was up to the task, leading the league with 171 innings when he left for Class AA New Haven (Conn.). He surrendered 160 hits. The record was 10-8 with a 2.47 ERA. In one stretch, he went 16 starts between losses.
Million, the prized left-hander, was overweight when he arrived. After he went on the disabled list, he lost about 20 pounds and was down to a svelte 190 when he returned to the rotation. Million impressed everybody when he came off the DL with the diligence he brought to his craft. Accordingly, he finished strongly.
Saipe and Pool were the kind of stories every pitching coach loves. Saipe discovered a change-up and Pool some stamina.
``When Saipe left here, he didn't realize how good he was or how good he can be,'' Champion said. As for Pool: ``With the POW body of his, we thought he'd be the first one to wilt. Instead, he's been right up there with Jamey in innings pitched [Pool would finish with 165 innings].''
The bullpen wasn't as good as the rotation, but that often happens when you have strong starters because the relievers never get a consistent work load.
The two guys who stood out were closer Matt Aminoff and setup man Scott LaRock. Aminoff went into the weekend with 16 saves. LaRock made 50 appearances, second most in the league this year.
The everyday lineup started with two Latin American players, center fielder Edgard Velasquez and second baseman Vicente Garcia.
Velasquez, a relative of the late Baseball Hall of Famer Roberto Clemente, was the only Avalanche player who made the league All-Star team selected at the end of the season. He had batted .294 with 144 hits and 64 RBI and was approaching 500 at-bats through Thursday.
Garcia was part of a terrific double-play combination with Chris Sexton, who came to the team in June after a trade with the Cincinnati Reds.
``Edgard showed a more consistent approach with the strike zone,'' said Salem manager Bill Hayes. ``He also learned to lay off bad pitches more. Vinnie might have been the best on the team at hitting the fastball when he knew it was coming.''
Sexton turned out to be the leadoff man the Avalanche needed. He entered Friday's action with a team-leading 77 runs scored, along with 118 hits and 88 walks, but he tailed off badly in the second half and took a .261 average into the weekend.
``His swing got lazy on him and he started hitting too many fly balls,'' Hayes said. ``He's an inside-out guy and pitchers started to pound him in. When you play shortstop every day like he did, you get tired, though. We didn't know what we were getting when he came here and he's turned out to be a very good player for this organization.''
Keith Grunewald moved from shortstop to third base and handled himself well at the new position.
On the other side of the diamond, Nate Holdren led the team with 15 home runs and 67 RBI. The homers were down from 29 in 1994 with Asheville (N.C.) of the South Atlantic League. The expansive new park had something to do with that decline. So did Holdren's tinkering with his stance and swing.
``He's the kind of player who can change a game with one at-bat, a dangerous player,'' said hitting coach Tony Torchia.
Added Hayes: ``He's probably the most game-aware player on the team. He knows what's going on out there.''
In the outfield, there was another good hitter in Brian Culp. The bat will have to carry him as he learns to play the outfield from now on. That's where the Rockies have decided he's going to sink or swim after he came to the organization as a catcher. John Giudice, whose season ended when he slammed into the outfield wall in Salem, has a terrific arm but needs to work on his hitting.
Forry Wells didn't work out as a third baseman, where he was tried this year, but his bat will ensure him a job in the outfield or at first. Like Wright, he finished the season with New Haven.
Catcher was a revolving door. Replacement player Randy Snyder started there but retired during the season, hitting a home run in his last at-bat. Yohel Pozo finished there.
The Avalanche was doomed to the franchise's 14th and 15th consecutive losing half-seasons, but the team was in the Southern Division pennant chase in the second half until the last week of the season. The pitching made the team competitive with anybody in the league.
And the organization loved Salem and its new ballpark.
``If the Rockies could sign a 10-year contract, they would,'' Torchia said. ``What does that tell you?''
by CNB