MAHONING VALLEY SCRAPPERS Ready for the challenge

Mike Sarbaugh has gone from hitting coach to first-year manager.
By BRIAN RICHESSON
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
NILES -- Mike Sarbaugh spent nine years in the Cleveland Indians organization answering to someone else.
That time has ended.
Now, Sarbaugh will be the person to whom others bring their questions, concerns and advice.
"Before, I just did my thing," said Sarbaugh, hitting coach with the Double-A Akron Aeros for the past four years. "Now I'm the guy with the final say, and that takes a little bit of an adjustment."
Testing ground
The 36-year-old Pennsylvania native is beginning his first season as manager in a professional baseball organization, and his testing ground will be with the Mahoning Valley Scrappers.
"It's more of just keeping everything organized," said Sarbaugh, a former player in the Milwaukee Brewers and Indians organizations.
Because of his new position within the organization and the youthful energy he exudes, Sarbaugh can relate to his players.
"I'm going to make mistakes, but you have to learn from them," he said. "Even though I do feel like I'm prepared for it, there's always going to be things that come up that I haven't experienced, so it'll be a learning experience for me, too."
His experience began this spring in Winter Haven, Fla., where Sarbaugh led a group of players in the Indians' extended spring training program.
"That really helped," he said. "You can really do some trial and error down there."
All that preparation will culminate Friday at Eastwood Field as the Scrappers play host to the Auburn Doubledays in the New York-Penn League opener at 7:05.
Roster update
The roster continues to take shape as the Scrappers await players drafted by the Indians earlier this month. Draft picks who have signed will report tonight, Sarbaugh said.
"It's more about getting them acclimated to how our organization runs and all the fundamentals of the game," he said of the first-year players. "This is their first couple days of pro ball, so you don't want to overwhelm them."
Reporting for the Scrappers thus far is the group of players who had been working out in extended spring training.
"It's about continuing with what we've been doing in Florida -- mainly just trying to get pitchers work and get some simulated games in," said Sarbaugh, admitting that rain in the Valley has affected their routine since arriving here last weekend.
That group, which met with the media Monday, includes seven players who were previously assigned to Mahoning Valley. They are pitchers Dan Cevette, Mark Harris, Matt Knox, Roger Lincoln, Michael Hernandez, Chip Southerland and Todd Pennington.
"The plan is to work on things that I worked on in spring training, like selection of pitches and adjusting to the pro game," said Lincoln, who started his pro career with the Scrappers last year.
"It's like putting the puzzle together here."
richesson@vindy.com