The early grade is an A+. A team that surrendered a gaudy 1208 runs last season currently stands at 36-29, already approaching their win total from last season, and sits in second place in the division and first in the NL Wild Card standings. They inserted Rule 5 pick Ralph Scalici directly into the rotation, and that has been a stroke of genius. Scalici has rewarded Helena's confidence in him with a 7-3 record and a 3.67 ERA in 14 starts. The former 13th overall draft pick has been a breath of fresh air, bouncing back from an atrocious Season 8 at Triple-A Louisville where he labored to pitch in 59 games, walked an astonishing 235 batters, and posted a catastrophic 15.78 ERA. "It's a relief, to tell you the truth," says the 26-year-old, who features a blazing 95 mph fastball and a knee-buckling 12-to-6 curve. "Last season, they expected me to pitch all the time. I would start one day and then pitch in two other games the same week. It really drained me."
Scalici also credits pitching coach Greg Lieber with helping him utilize his full repertoire of pitches. Lieber has had a similar effect on starter Harry Torrealba, who similarly struggled with his control last season en route to a 6-17 mark. The former University of Notre Dame star has begun the season 7-1 and has held opposing hitters to a .194 batting average. "No one ever doubted the ability of this guy," says Lieber of the 6'3" lefty. "Somebody just had to put him in the right situation to succeed." Torrealba, more of a finesse pitcher than his rotation mate Scalici, has done more than that; he has thrived.
Offensively, the Hitters have been led by another Rule 5 acquisition: RF Tom House. After being restricted to part-time duty last season in the minor leagues, House has burst onto the major league scene with a 1.010 OPS and 10 HR. Hitting coach Randy Lesher, who was a big proponent of acquiring House, is not surprised at all. "You could tell just from the approach this kid takes from every at-bat that he would have success," says Lesher of the switch-hitting right fielder. "He studies pitchers for tendencies, and he knows what he wants to do whether he's hitting right or lefty." It is that sort of ability to recognize talent that has this team making such a dramatic turnaround.
Young teams such as Helena need veteran leadership, and fortunately for the new regime, that was already readily available in the person of 3B Tony Granados, who in his eighth major league season continues to demonstrate the plate discipline that has allowed him to average over 100 walks during the past six seasons. His 11 HR are also good for second on the team. "What these young guys sometimes don't realize is that it's a grind out here, man," says the Costa Rica native. "You gotta come to the park ready to play 162 times, because if you don't, the other team will be ready to take advantage." No one is taking advantage of this team anymore.
Amazingly, gccoach has been able to assemble a nice blend of young talent and veteran stability while maintaining a payroll of only $40 million, allowing the team to build for its future as well. Already since taking over, the new front office has signed four impact international free agents: RP Philip Post, C Julio Benavente, RP Carlos Santiago, and CF Gregg Ramirez. The team has also stayed active on the waiver wire, and recently selected University of Nebraska senior 1B Steve Lavarnway with the first overall pick in the draft. The Hitters hope that Lavarnway's prodigious power only continues to grow; his colossal blasts during this year's College World Series are already the stuff of legend.
The Helena Hitters are off to as fine a start as could possibly have been expected by the Helena fans; however, things will not get any easier. The NL West has been dominated by the incredible seven straight division titles of the Los Angeles Blue Knights, and the Hitters trail them by seven games. Helena also carries a Pythagorean record of just 33-32, suggesting they have been somewhat fortunate in posting their current record. Torrealba recently hit the DL with shoulder soreness and is expected to miss a full month, and such a young team that is still being pieced together does not have a great deal of depth. They have searched for a closer, and the bullpen has struggled in the meantime, blowing seven saves. Once again, though, the team seems to have found the answer, as veteran Danys Amaral has added some much needed stability. The team has also posted a .352 OBP, good for third in the NL, and they show no signs of slowing down. If they can continue to be road warriors (15-11 away record), the MLB playoffs could be headed to Big Sky country sooner than anyone expected.
Update: Just as we start to discuss the ways that Helena could fall back to the pack, owner gccoach stays one step ahead of the curve, swinging a blockbuster deal to acquire hammering lefty 1B Victor Cordero. While the club did send out some promising prospects in the deal, they brought back a 6'5", 216-pound behemoth from the Dominican Republic who is known in his homeland simply as "El Victor." Perhaps even better from the Hitters fans' standpoint, the club has cut ties with the aging and unproductive platoon of Daryl Snopek and Chance Ramsay, who between them had produced only 13 HR. Cordero brings his 30 HR this season, a career 1.142 OPS (wow!), and a genuine enthusiasm to his new team. "I look around this clubhouse and I see players who want to win," says the big slugger. "That why we play the games, to win. We [Tampa Bay] played in the playoffs last year, and it was very exciting. I think this team can do that too." Obviously, the Helena front office agrees; this move is tantamount to sending a postcard to the rest of the league saying: Look out. Here we come.
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