Luvofthegame
09-07-2006, 09:55 PM
Recent callups key members of lethal Triple-A offense
By Amanda Branam
MLB.com
09/07/2006
SAN DIEGO -- One day after his September callup from Triple-A Portland, Paul McAnulty did his part to help the Padres.
His walk-off home run in the bottom of the 11th inning Wednesday gave San Diego a sweep of the Rockies, and kept it on pace with the first-place Dodgers in the National League West, just one game back entering Thursday. It also gave the Padres some breathing room atop the NL Wild Card race, with Florida and Philadelphia tied at three games back.
It's a dream story for any player to hit a walk-off at a crucial time in the season, let alone for a guy who had just 30 Major League at-bats under his belt.
It's an unlikely story, but not an unlikely occurrence that McAnulty went deep. He hit 19 homers this season for the Portland Beavers, and he was just one of many on a Portland team loaded with offense.
"I really don't know how in Portland that team didn't win 100 games. There was good pitching, but the hitting was just tremendous. You look at that lineup from top to bottom, these guys could swing the bat," said Brian Sweeney, who began the season in a relief role with the Padres, but made five starts for the Beavers this season.
"That was the best offensive Triple-A team I've been on, and since '99, I've been in Triple-A. So I mean, they were good."
Four Portland players hit at least 20 home runs and McAnulty was sitting on 19 before his callup. Along with McAnulty, Jack Cust and Terrmel Sledge joined the Padres for the final weeks of the season for what they hope ends up being a playoff run.
Sledge hit 24 home runs along with a .311 average over 367 at-bats. The outfielder made the Padres' Opening Day roster, and played in 17 games in his initial stint with the big-league club, prior to being recalled on Aug. 30.
The 29-year-old Sledge said he's never been on a team that had so many players hit 20 homers or more. He felt the biggest reason the team hit so well was simple: experience. Its savvy gave opposing pitchers more to worry about.
"You could tell that the opposing pitcher had to concentrate more. [We were], I guess, the 'older' Triple-A team," Sledge said. "Seems like, this day and age, they're bringing up the young prospects to Triple-A a lot earlier -- 23, 24. We had guys 27 and above. You could tell they [opposing pitchers] nibbled a little bit more, and we just had to be patient as hitters."
No player exhibited more patience at the plate this season than 27-year-old Cust, who joined the Padres on Tuesday along with McAnulty. Cust led all of the Minor Leagues with an amazing 143 walks. In the Pacific Coast League, Chris Carter of Triple-A Tucson (Diamondbacks) was second in walks to Cust. He had 78.
"After a start, usually the next day the starter would coach first base. I was always over there and [Cust would] get a walk and I'd say, 'That-a-way [Barry] Bonds, nice job,'" said Sweeney. "He's got a great approach. He knows what he wants to do. He waits for his pitch and he crushes it."
Aside from his .467 on-base percentage, which also led the PCL, Cust hit 30 home runs, second in the PCL only to his Portland teammate, Jon Knott.
Knott also led the league in RBIs with 113. His teammate Justin Leone, who knocked 20 home runs in 2006, was outrighted to Portland on Aug. 31. Leone's .260 average was the lowest out of the five Portland power hitters.
Despite all this power, the Beavers finished third out of four teams in the North division of the PCL with a 68-76 record, and missed the playoffs.
While the team had prolific power, the pitching posted a 4.92 ERA this season, second from the bottom in the PCL. The team had many impressive pitchers over the course of the season, it just never seemed to be in Portland at the same time.
Mike Thompson made 15 starts for San Diego as the first option for a spot starter, two more starts than he made for Portland. Rookie Cla Meredith, now holding the Padres record for most consecutive scoreless innings thrown by a reliever, made 23 appearances for the Beavers before his callup, leaving his 1.39 Triple-A ERA behind for his 0.75 Major League ERA.
Such is the life of a Minor League baseball player on the verge of breaking through, shuttling from city to city, hoping to get their chance at the Major League level. Hope springs eternal this time of year for not only the teams who can see the playoffs at the end of the tunnel, but also for players who get their chance, thanks to the rosters expanding from 25 players to as many as 40 when Sept. 1 rolls around.
"It's really exciting," said Sledge. "It's good to be in an organization where they reward the Minor League players for having good years. They rewarded us, and we're all thankful for that. They're giving us the opportunity to show what we have."
McAnulty got his chance to show what he had on Wednesday night, and after sitting on the bench for the first 10 innings, did exactly what the Padres needed him to do.
"We've got so many guys, you never know who they are going to call on," McAnulty said. "So, you've just got to stay loose. You have to be ready at all times. From the third, fourth on -- you've just got to be ready."
The window of opportunity may be a small one for these guys, and they are aware that like McAnulty, they have to take the opportunity and run with it. Or, maybe more appropriately, hit with it
By Amanda Branam
MLB.com
09/07/2006
SAN DIEGO -- One day after his September callup from Triple-A Portland, Paul McAnulty did his part to help the Padres.
His walk-off home run in the bottom of the 11th inning Wednesday gave San Diego a sweep of the Rockies, and kept it on pace with the first-place Dodgers in the National League West, just one game back entering Thursday. It also gave the Padres some breathing room atop the NL Wild Card race, with Florida and Philadelphia tied at three games back.
It's a dream story for any player to hit a walk-off at a crucial time in the season, let alone for a guy who had just 30 Major League at-bats under his belt.
It's an unlikely story, but not an unlikely occurrence that McAnulty went deep. He hit 19 homers this season for the Portland Beavers, and he was just one of many on a Portland team loaded with offense.
"I really don't know how in Portland that team didn't win 100 games. There was good pitching, but the hitting was just tremendous. You look at that lineup from top to bottom, these guys could swing the bat," said Brian Sweeney, who began the season in a relief role with the Padres, but made five starts for the Beavers this season.
"That was the best offensive Triple-A team I've been on, and since '99, I've been in Triple-A. So I mean, they were good."
Four Portland players hit at least 20 home runs and McAnulty was sitting on 19 before his callup. Along with McAnulty, Jack Cust and Terrmel Sledge joined the Padres for the final weeks of the season for what they hope ends up being a playoff run.
Sledge hit 24 home runs along with a .311 average over 367 at-bats. The outfielder made the Padres' Opening Day roster, and played in 17 games in his initial stint with the big-league club, prior to being recalled on Aug. 30.
The 29-year-old Sledge said he's never been on a team that had so many players hit 20 homers or more. He felt the biggest reason the team hit so well was simple: experience. Its savvy gave opposing pitchers more to worry about.
"You could tell that the opposing pitcher had to concentrate more. [We were], I guess, the 'older' Triple-A team," Sledge said. "Seems like, this day and age, they're bringing up the young prospects to Triple-A a lot earlier -- 23, 24. We had guys 27 and above. You could tell they [opposing pitchers] nibbled a little bit more, and we just had to be patient as hitters."
No player exhibited more patience at the plate this season than 27-year-old Cust, who joined the Padres on Tuesday along with McAnulty. Cust led all of the Minor Leagues with an amazing 143 walks. In the Pacific Coast League, Chris Carter of Triple-A Tucson (Diamondbacks) was second in walks to Cust. He had 78.
"After a start, usually the next day the starter would coach first base. I was always over there and [Cust would] get a walk and I'd say, 'That-a-way [Barry] Bonds, nice job,'" said Sweeney. "He's got a great approach. He knows what he wants to do. He waits for his pitch and he crushes it."
Aside from his .467 on-base percentage, which also led the PCL, Cust hit 30 home runs, second in the PCL only to his Portland teammate, Jon Knott.
Knott also led the league in RBIs with 113. His teammate Justin Leone, who knocked 20 home runs in 2006, was outrighted to Portland on Aug. 31. Leone's .260 average was the lowest out of the five Portland power hitters.
Despite all this power, the Beavers finished third out of four teams in the North division of the PCL with a 68-76 record, and missed the playoffs.
While the team had prolific power, the pitching posted a 4.92 ERA this season, second from the bottom in the PCL. The team had many impressive pitchers over the course of the season, it just never seemed to be in Portland at the same time.
Mike Thompson made 15 starts for San Diego as the first option for a spot starter, two more starts than he made for Portland. Rookie Cla Meredith, now holding the Padres record for most consecutive scoreless innings thrown by a reliever, made 23 appearances for the Beavers before his callup, leaving his 1.39 Triple-A ERA behind for his 0.75 Major League ERA.
Such is the life of a Minor League baseball player on the verge of breaking through, shuttling from city to city, hoping to get their chance at the Major League level. Hope springs eternal this time of year for not only the teams who can see the playoffs at the end of the tunnel, but also for players who get their chance, thanks to the rosters expanding from 25 players to as many as 40 when Sept. 1 rolls around.
"It's really exciting," said Sledge. "It's good to be in an organization where they reward the Minor League players for having good years. They rewarded us, and we're all thankful for that. They're giving us the opportunity to show what we have."
McAnulty got his chance to show what he had on Wednesday night, and after sitting on the bench for the first 10 innings, did exactly what the Padres needed him to do.
"We've got so many guys, you never know who they are going to call on," McAnulty said. "So, you've just got to stay loose. You have to be ready at all times. From the third, fourth on -- you've just got to be ready."
The window of opportunity may be a small one for these guys, and they are aware that like McAnulty, they have to take the opportunity and run with it. Or, maybe more appropriately, hit with it