Sin City shapes future stars
Triple A is just one level in a player's ascension to major league success, but in the case of the Los Angeles Dodgers -- and formerly the San Diego Padres -- it might be the most important one.
Sixteen former Las Vegas 51s/Stars players have become All-Stars at the major league level, and 51s manager Lorenzo Bundy said the pressures of playing in Las Vegas prepared them for future fame.
"When you look at Las Vegas, obviously this isn't your run-of-the-mill Triple-A city," Bundy said. "This is a big league town, there's no doubt about it. The nightlife compared to any major league city -- I mean, I would say any city would be second to here. That's where individual discipline comes in."
The temptations of Sin City combined with that other X-factor -- sweltering heat for much of the season -- provides a degree of difficulty unseen with most, if not all, Triple-A teams.
But that's just for the hitters, and many 51s/Stars hitting prospects have become major league stars. Sandy Alomar Jr. and Benito Santiago, Carlos Baerga and John Kruk, Russell Martin and Dioner Navarro. Of the 16 would-be major league All-Stars, 13 were nonpitchers.
For pitchers, there's an added degree of difficulty -- high elevations throughout the Pacific Coast League.
"This league forces a pitcher to have some feel of how to pitch, some command of the fastball down in the strike zone, have a quality second pitch," said De Jon Watson, the Dodgers' assistant general manager/director of player development. "This is a notorious hitter's league, and I still believe that confidence and success go together.
"When you're looking at a pitcher, you always want to keep them in that positive frame of mind.
"But Chad Billingsley pitched here, Jonathan Broxton pitched here, and I think they both have All-Star-caliber stuff."
Bundy warns about looking too far into the future for success, though. Unlike in the NFL or NBA, when high draft picks frequently turn into All-Stars, even in their rookie seasons, top baseball prospects never are guaranteed to succeed in the major leagues.
"A lot of times, success at the Triple-A level -- success here in Vegas -- doesn't translate at the major league level," Bundy said. "Your No. 1 draft picks in the NBA, the NFL go on to have pretty productive, All-Star careers. Here, you're not even guaranteed your No. 1 pick is gonna play in the big leagues.
"That crystal ball that we have to use to evaluate players, sometimes we shake it up and it doesn't come out the way we thought."
Here's an All-Star team of former 51s/Stars players, based on how they performed in the major leagues:
CATCHER -- SANDY ALOMAR JR.
Played for Las Vegas: 1988-89
Major league All-Star selections: Six (1990-92, '96-98)
All-Star line: 5-for-12, one home run, three RBIs, two runs scored, 1997 All-Star Game Most Valuable Player
The take: Alomar edged Benito Santiago for the honor, scoring six All-Star selections to Santiago's five. Alomar was one of the American League's best catchers in the 1990s, playing for the Cleveland Indians from 1990 to 2000 and for five other teams through last season after beginning his career with the San Diego Padres. Alomar played two seasons for the Stars, winning Pacific Coast League Most Valuable Player in 1988 and '89. Alomar batted .302 in 860 at-bats, with 147 runs scored, 42 doubles, 13 triples, 20 home runs and 172 RBIs in his two seasons in Las Vegas.
Honorable mention: Santiago (five-time All-Star), Russell Martin (two-time All-Star)
FIRST BASEMAN -- JOHN KRUK
Played for Las Vegas: 1984-86
Major league All-Star selections: Three (1991-93)
All-Star line: 2-for-5, two RBIs, one run scored
The take: Kruk was a pivotal member of the Philadelphia Phillies' run to the 1993 World Series, which they lost to the Toronto Blue Jays. A fine contact hitter, Kruk had his best season in 1992, when he finished third in the National League with a .323 batting average and second in on-base percentage (.423). Kruk has the highest career batting average in the history of the Stars/51s at .344. His .351 average in 1985 paced the PCL and is the fourth-highest single-season clip in team history.
Honorable mention: Derrek Lee (two-time All-Star)
SECOND BASEMAN -- CARLOS BAERGA
Played for Las Vegas: 1989
Major league All-Star selections: Three (1992-93, '95)
All-Star line: 4-for-6, one double, one RBI, three runs scored
The take: Roberto Alomar, a 12-time All-Star, is the clear pick -- but he spent only nine games with the Stars, in 1988. So we'll go with Baerga, a linchpin for the Indians in the early- and mid-1990s, after he and Sandy Alomar Jr. were traded by the Padres in 1989 for Joe Carter. Baerga had his first go-round with Las Vegas in 1989 as a 21-year-old, batting .275 in 520 at-bats with 143 hits, 28 doubles, 10 home runs and 74 RBIs. He played in 21 games for the Stars in 1999, batting .286.
SHORTSTOP -- OZZIE GUILLEN
Played for Las Vegas: 1984
Major league All-Star selections: Three (1988, '90-91); All-Star manager, 2006
All-Star line: 0-for-2
The take: Now known primarily as the loud-mouth -- and successful -- manager of the Chicago White Sox, Guillen was quite the player in his day, garnering 1985 American League Rookie of the Year honors. Guillen's tenure in Las Vegas lasted 122 games and 463 at-bats, and he had a solid line: .296 batting average, 81 runs scored, 26 doubles and nine steals.
THIRD BASEMAN -- JOEY CORA
Played for Las Vegas: 1987-90
Major league All-Star selections: One (1997)
All-Star line: 0-for-1
The take: Cora's finest season, 1997, also happened to be his penultimate year in the majors. Cora batted .300 with 105 runs scored in his lone All-Star campaign before he succumbed to injuries before the 1999 season. Cora's presence in Las Vegas cannot be ignored, though: Playing parts of four seasons, Cora totaled 378 games and batted .305 in 1,471 at-bats, ranking in the top 10 in 11 career categories, including first in stolen bases (98).
OUTFIELDER -- TONY GWYNN
Played for Las Vegas: 1983
Major league All-Star selections: 15 (1984-87, '89-99)
All-Star line: 7-for-29, one double, four RBIs, four runs scored
The take: Gwynn, a Hall of Famer, is one of the best hitters in major league history. His stat line speaks for itself: eight batting titles, 3,141 hits, .338 batting average, 1,138 RBIs, 1,383 runs scored. Gwynn made the most of his brief stay in Las Vegas, batting .342 in 73 at-bats for the Stars in 1983.
OUTFIELDER -- GARY MATTHEWS JR.
Played for Las Vegas: 1999
Major league All-Star selections: One (2006)
All-Star line: 1-for-1
The take: Matthews cashed in on an impressive contract year, batting more than 50 points better than his career average in 2006. Named to his only All-Star Game that season -- so far -- Matthews batted .313 with 194 hits and 44 doubles. Matthews spent most of the 1999 season with Las Vegas, batting .256 in 422 at-bats while stealing 17 bases.
OUTFIELDER -- BIP ROBERTS
Played for Las Vegas: 1987-88, '95
Major league All-Star selections: One (1992)
All-Star line: 2-for-2, two RBIs, one run scored
The take: Roberts was a top player in the NL for much of the early 1990s but had only one All-Star appearance. He made the most of his shot, though, going 2-for-2. Roberts was a fixture in the Stars lineup in the outfield and at second and third base in the late 1980s, hitting .329 in 702 at-bats with 139 runs scored, 56 steals and 39 doubles over two seasons.
STARTING PITCHER -- MATT CLEMENT
Played for Las Vegas: 1998
Major league All-Star selections: One (2005)
All-Star line: one inning, no runs, no hits, one walk, one strikeout
The take: Clement got off to a quick start in 2005 in his first season with Boston, jumping to a 10-2 pre-break record, and was called upon to replace the injured Roy Halladay in the All-Star Game. Clement hasn't been the same since a right shoulder strain in mid-2006. His one season with the Stars was a wild one: He ranks third on Las Vegas' single-season strikeout list (160) but also ranks third in walks (85), first in hit batsmen (30) and second in wild pitches (18).
COMPLETE LIST OF ALL-STARS WHO PLAYED AT LAS VEGAS
Roberto Alomar -- 2B
Sandy Alomar Jr. -- C
Carlos Baerga -- 2B
Ricky Bones -- P
Matt Clement -- P
Joey Cora -- 2B
Eric Gagne -- P
Ozzie Guillen -- SS
Tony Gwynn -- OF
John Kruk -- OF
Derrek Lee -- 1B
Russell Martin -- C
Gary Matthews Jr. -- OF
Dioner Navarro -- C
Bip Roberts -- OF
Benito Santiago -- C
Contact reporter Jon Gold at jgold@ reviewjournal.com or 702-380-4587.
