Post-college days are a learning experience for pitchers

By Bob Hohler, Globe Staff  |  August 22, 2004

The odds are overwhelmingly against them. For every Abe Alvarez, who made a cameo at Fenway Park in July just 13 months after the Red Sox drafted him out of Long Beach State, there are dozens of top-rate college pitchers who will toil in the farm system and never reach the majors.

In the last two years alone, the Sox have signed more than 25 collegiate pitchers and dispersed them throughout the organization. The new pros may dream of becoming the next Roger Clemens, the former Texas star who became the most successful collegiate pitcher the Sox have drafted. Or they may harbor simpler ambitions of merely making it to the bigs, like Casey Fossum, a supplemental first-round pick in 1999 out of Texas A&M, or Mike Maroth, a third-rounder in '98 out of Central Florida.

Fossum pitched parts of three seasons with the Sox before they traded him to the Diamondbacks in a package for Curt Schilling, a second-round selection of the Sox in '86 out of Yavapai Junior College in Arizona. Maroth has pitched three seasons for the Tigers since the Sox traded him in '99 for Bryce Florie.

The Sox continue to have high hopes for Alvarez, who was summoned from Double A Portland to make an emergency start in the opener of a day-night doubleheader July 22 against the Orioles. The lefthander allowed five runs on eight hits and five walks over five innings in an 8-3 loss before he returned to Portland, where he is 9-9 with a 3.52 ERA.

Alvarez has fared better than righthander Chris Smith, the team's top collegiate pick in 2002, a fourth-rounder out of the University of California at Riverside. Smith, whose pro career was first interrupted by a freak dune buggy accident, now is lost for the season with a shoulder injury. He went 5-2 with a 3.75 ERA for Portland while recording 85 strikeouts in 74 1/3 innings.

Smith and Alvarez are the only college pitchers the Sox have drafted recently who have regularly faced competition higher than Single A this season. But several of the organization's top former collegians have flourished at Single A.

None has thrived more than righthander Jon Papelbon, a fourth-rounder last year out of Mississippi State who has overpowered the Florida State League for Single A Sarasota. Papelbon entered last night ranked among the leaders in wins (he was 12-5), ERA (2.75), and strikeouts (143 in 117 2/3 innings). Opponents were batting only .217 against him.

Notable among the other recently drafted former collegians at Sarasota are relievers Brian Marshall, a fifth-rounder last year from Virginia Commonwealth, and Jason Sturge, a 12th-rounder out of Coastal Carolina. Marshall was 1-1 with a 3.93 ERA, Sturge 4-3 with a 2.97 ERA.

One of the best surprises for the Sox has been Single A Augusta starter Jarrett Gardner. The righthander, a 19th-round pick last year out of Arkansas, has dominated the South Atlantic League, going 12-5 with a 2.48 ERA. Gardner lacks Papelbon's strikeout prowess, fanning 83 in 123 1/3 innings, but he has held batters to a .248 average while making an overwhelming case for a promotion next year.

Righthander Beau Vaughn, a third-rounder last year from Arizona State, also has fared well for Augusta, going 7-3 with a 3.30 ERA while holding batters to a .219 average. And lefthanded reliever Randy Beam, an 18th-rounder this year out of Florida Atlantic, has held batters to a .111 average without allowing an earned run in 16 innings over his first 13 appearances with Augusta since he was promoted from short-season Single A Lowell. In nine games at Lowell, Beam went 1-2 with a 1.62 ERA while limiting batters to a .167 average.

Several other collegiate pitchers have fared well for Lowell since turning pro this year. Lefthander Andrew Dobies, a third-rounder from Virginia, has fanned 28 in 17 2/3 innings and allowed opponents to hit only .209 while going 0-2 with a 3.06 ERA in his first 11 starts. Fourth-round lefty Tommy Hottovy of Wichita State has gone 0-1 with an 0.42 ERA while allowing a .177 average and striking out 30 in 21 2/3 innings.

Mr. Clutch
Brian Daubach has hit 19 home runs and knocked in 70 runs in 76 games for Triple A Pawtucket. He was batting .315 with runners in scoring position and .200 with the bases empty . . . Righthanded closer Brandon Puffer, acquired July 2 from the Padres, had not allowed a run in his last seven outings, picking up three saves. He had not walked a batter over 15 1/3 innings in his last 12 outings . . . The Sox announced their rosters for the Arizona Fall League, with six Portland players getting the call, including infielders Kenny Perez and Stefan Bailie. They will play for the Peoria Sagauros with lefthander Kason Gabbard, righthander Jerome Gamble, catcher Alberto Concepcion, and outfielder Sheldon Fulse . . . Portland left fielder Justin Headley reached safely in his first nine games after returning from offseason shoulder surgery . . . Dashing any doubts about his ability to compete at the next level, outfielder Brandon Moss hit .531 with a .583 on-base percentage in his first nine games at Sarasota after he ripped through the South Atlantic League for Augusta . . . Third baseman Chad Spann, who last season was the team's minor league player of the year for Augusta, returned to Sarasota after surgery on his left knee sidelined him for 10 weeks. He was hitting .228 in his first 16 games back.