Angels hope Weaver's worth the wait

By: JOHN MAFFEI - Staff Writer | Sunday, June 26, 2005 8:41 PM PDT ∞

Jered Weaver made his long-awaited professional debut last Monday, and it was an affair to remember.

Weaver, the first-round draft pick of the Angels in June 2004, signed earlier this month after a protracted holdout and was assigned to Rancho Cucamonga of the Single-A California League.

Weaver's first appearance in a pro uniform was somewhat of a celebrity event in Lake Elsinore where Storm officials issued 37 media credentials, more than when the Padres make a spring-training visit at The Diamond. On a good night, a Storm game will have only three media members in attendance.

Four TV stations from the Los Angeles area covered the game along with writers from the L.A. Times, Orange County Register, Long Beach Press-Telegram, Riverside Press-Enterprise and the L.A. Daily News.

"It was crazy, but it was a lot of fun," Storm general manager Dave Oster said. "We drew a few more fans for the game, but it was really a media event. The fans that are pretty tuned into pro ball know about the guy and wanted to see him.

"There was a buzz at the ballpark, and Weaver really threw pretty well."

Weaver, a right-hander out of Long Beach State, threw three innings in a 3-1 loss to the Storm and allowed one run on an RBI singled by Drew Macias. Weaver walked two and struck out four.

His fastball was clocked at 93 mph, and Oster said the radar gun at Lake Elsinore is known to be 2-3 mph slow.

The sad part, however, is that Weaver is a year behind in his development.

He picked super agent Scott Boras as his representative, and Boras chose to haggle with the Angels until the 11th hour, hoping for the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. But Boras didn't get his client a dollar more than if Weaver had signed last June.

"That's sad, really sad," said Bob Scanlan, who pitched for six major-league clubs during a nine-season big-league career. "The kid has missed a whole year of development, a year he'll never get back.

"So now, instead of being in Double-A with a chance to move to Triple-A at the All-Star break, he's in A ball. Instead of knocking on the door of the big leagues, he's in A ball in June, pitching three innings. From what everyone says, he has the talent to pitch in the big leagues, but now he's behind."

Weaver started again Saturday night, this time at home against Stockton. He allowed five hits and four earned runs in 2 1/3 innings and took the loss.

Padres All-Stars

> Triple-A Portland second baseman Josh Barfield will play in the Futures Game on July 10 at Comerica Park in Detroit. Barfield, who has been on a tear the past month, entered Sunday hitting .289 with eight home runs and 35 RBIs. He is hitting .354 in June.

> Two of Lake Elsinore's California League All-Stars ---- pitcher Paul Abraham and outfielder Steve Baker --- were promoted to Double-A Mobile and will miss Tuesday's game against the Carolina League stars Tuesday in Frederick, Md. They were replaced by Storm catcher George Kottaras and pitcher Jared Wells. Storm shortstop Juan Ciriaco also made the All-Star team. Ciriaco has 26 errors, but is hitting .285 with six homers and 46 RBIs. Kottaras is hitting .300 with seven homers and 36 RBIs. Wells, who got a glowing scouting report from Padres scouting director Bill Gayton, is 9-2 with a 3.39 ERA.

> Single-A Fort Wayne's Matt Varner got the save for the East in its 4-2 victory over the West in the Midwest League All-Star Game on Tuesday. Varner, who has 22 saves, worked a scoreless ninth to close the game. Left-hander Michael Ekstrom, who played last season at Point Loma Nazarene, pitched a scoreless inning. Ekstrom is 9-2 with a 3.26 ERA. He has walked only 19 batters in 91 innings with 60 strikeouts.

Locals watch

> Third baseman/designated hitter Eric Munson, a Mt. Carmel High product, was named to the International League All-Star team but was called to the big leagues by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays and won't play in the July 13 game against the Pacific Coast League stars. Munson, the third pick in the 1999 draft, was let go by the Tigers after last season and signed with the Twins. He was released at the end of spring training and signed with the Devil Rays, who summoned him to the big leagues after he hit .289 with 16 homers and 46 RBIs at Triple-A Durham.

> Rancho Bernardo High graduate Danny Putnam will play in the California League-Carolina League All-Star Game on Tuesday. A first-round pick of the Oakland Athletics last season, the outfielder is hitting .299 with 10 homers and 61 RBIs for Stockton.

> Former Fallbrook High left-hander Troy Cate, who missed the first two months of the season with tendinitis in his shoulder, is pitching again and hasn't given up a run in 5 2/3 innings over four outings for Inland Empire of the California League. He threw two shutout innings Friday against Lake Elsinore to earn a win.

> Former Rancho Bernardo left-hander Cole Hamels, a first-round pick of the Philadelphia Phillies who missed the first two months of the season after breaking his hand in an altercation outside a bar, threw five no-hit innings and struck out eight in his first start for Single-A Clearwater.

> Third baseman Cole Liniak, a San Dieguito High alumnus, is playing in Italy for Danesi Nettuno. He played 15 games for the Chicago Cubs from 1999-2000.

Around the bases

> Power-hitting 1B Greg Sain, who played his college ball at the University of San Diego, was promoted to Portland from Mobile on Wednesday and hit home runs Thursday and Friday.

> RHP Miguel Asencio has struggled in his return from elbow surgery. In three starts at Portland, he 0-3 with a 9.42 ERA.

> The Padres signed OF Adam Bourassa after he was released by Bakersfield, a Texas Rangers affiliate. Since joining Lake Elsinore, he has batted .343 in 18 games.

> Lake Elsinore 1B Michael Johnson is in Arizona on a rehab assignment after breaking the hamate bone in his hand.

> Kyle Blanks, a 6-foot-6, 270-pound first baseman out of Yavapai Junior College in Arizona, broke into pro ball with a bang. Playing for the Padres' club in the Arizona Rookie League, he was 3-for-4 with a home run, double and six RBIs against the Mariners.

Contact staff writer John Maffei at (760) 740-3547 or at jmaffei@nctimes.com. The minor-league report and player periscope run each Monday through the end of the minor-league season.

< METS: 1B Doug Mientkiewicz was placed on the 15-day disabled list after injuring his right hamstring in the on-deck circle. The Mets purchased the contract of veteran IF Jose Offerman from Triple-A Norfolk.

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