Major success
When the Spokane Indians roll out the welcome mat for the Northwest League’s All-Star Game on Tuesday night, there’s little doubt that the league’s best ballplayers of 2004 will take the field. However, it may be the league’s less-heralded players who will become the major league stars of the future.
History shows little parallel between precocious performance in this region’s fine Class A circuit and the million-dollar jobs that define big-league ball as we know it today. Since Spokane rejoined the Northwest League in 1983, the league has produced just three dozen durable big leaguers. Many of them, in their NWL days, barely broke a statistical sweat.
For added seasoning to All-Star week, The Spokesman-Review has come up with a roster of Northwest League grads who have made the grade during Spokane’s current 21-year tenure. Three men are listed at most spots, but there are six starting pitchers and six outfielders. Most players are listed at their best major league position. Those who appeared in only a few NWL games were not included.
The league may have failed to turn out stars by the carload, but it hasn’t dropped the ball when it comes to quality.
From this period (1983-2003), at least six former Northwest Leaguers will receive consideration for the Hall of Fame, including retired slugger Jose Canseco (Medford, 1983), who may have finally played his way out of it.
Catcher Mike Piazza (Salem, 1989) looks like a cinch. Outfielder Ken Griffey Jr. (Bellingham, 1987) was a sure thing until his body – or was it his attitude? – went south. Others certain to receive votes are shortstops Omar Vizquel (Bellingham, 1985) and Miguel Tejada (Southern Oregon, 1995) and designated hitter Edgar Martinez.
More than half of the players listed were not named to Northwest League postseason all-star teams. An even higher percentage of those who were named have played little or not at all in the major leagues. Only one league MVP, Kansas City Royals third baseman Joe Randa, has enjoyed a solid big-league career.
Quite a few of those who have succeeded were duds in this league.
Mariners great Martinez hit .173 in 32 games for Bellingham in 1983. Two years later, Vizquel, now a legend with the glove, didn’t come close to leading the league in fielding. Rod Beck, among baseball’s top relievers of the 1990s, spent two seasons at Medford (1986-87) and still couldn’t get his earned run average under 5.00.
No one has matched Scott Brosius for versatility. The Oregon native did everything but catch as a pro rookie at Medford in 1987. By the time he retired after the 2001 season, his major league resume showed 934 games at third base, 166 in the outfield, 48 at first base, 40 at shortstop and 21 at second.
In the past two decades, the Northwest League has produced plenty of good shortstops and few second basemen, so ex-Spokane shortstop Jose Valentin, now with the White Sox, ended up at second. Another ex-Indian, Ken Harvey, is the only man on the roster with less than two full seasons in the big leagues. But, the big first baseman is a career .300 hitter. So is his Kansas City teammate, Mike Sweeney, a two-time NWL flop.
Kevin Appier, the most accomplished among starting pitchers who qualify, has won 169 major league games. Mike Hampton and Russ Ortiz, now both with Atlanta, as well as Oakland’s Tim Hudson and Boston’s Derek Lowe, have had 20-win seasons. Standouts such as Pedro Astacio, Terry Mulholland and Matt Clement, who worked 76 1/3 awful innings for Spokane in 1994, did not qualify.
Among managers, pickings are slim. Instruction comes first in Class A ball, so many of the best teachers were never destined to manage in the bigs. Of those who have advanced, three stand out. All three have Spokane ties.
Bruce Bochy began his managing career by leading the 1989 Indians to the city’s third straight title. With a pair of division titles to his credit, Bochy will complete a decade managing the San Diego Padres this summer.
Norm Sherry, who caught for Spokane in the PCL days, was the team’s pitching coach in 1985 after several years as a big-league manager and coach. Then, after six more seasons as a San Francisco coach, he managed Everett in 1992 and 93.
Steve Lubratich has become a big-league executive after playing, coaching and managing in Spokane.
Another former Indians manager, Al Pedrique, recently became manager of the Arizona Diamondbacks. The immediate future for Pedrique isn’t too bright. It’s much rosier for a trio of up-and-coming ex-NWL players. Keep an eye on pitching hotshot Dontrelle Willis of the Florida Marlins, Anaheim’s all-purpose virtuoso Chone Figgins and Minnesota closer Joe Nathan. You may be able to say “I saw them when …”