Players now managers

Players now managers

A pair of former Scrappers are now managing in the New York-Penn League.

Wyatt Toregas, who played in the Mahoning Valley in 2004 and again in 2010, is now guiding the West Virginia Black Bears, a Pittsburgh Pirates affiliate. Toregas, a former catcher, was a 24th round draft pick of the Indians in 2004. That summer he appeared in 59 games for the Scrappers, hitting seven home runs while posting a .294 batting average. In 2010, he appeared in just seven games, but went 7-for-19 with a pair of homers.

Toregas appeared in 19 games with the Indians in 2009.

Pat Osborn, a second-round draft pick of the Indians in 2002, is now managing the Staten Island Yankees. Osborn played for the Scrappers in ‘02, hitting .242 with a home run and 29 RBI. He never progressed to the big leagues.

Big League experience

Toregas and Scrappers manager Travis Fryman are two of seven former Major League players who are now managing in the NYPL.

Pat Borders, who also played for Cleveland from 1997-1999, is managing the Williamsport Crosscutters. Borders, a former catcher, is best known for his days in Toronto. He was the World Series MVP in 1992.

Joe Oliver enjoyed a 19-year big league career. His game-winning base hit off Dennis Eckersly in game two of the 1990 World Series helped propel Cincinnati to a championship. He is now the skipper for the Lowell Spinners.

Other former big-leaguers now managing in the NYPL include Luis Pujols (Aberdeen), Mike Rabelo (Connecticut) and Ed Romero (Tri-City).

Pujols is the cousin of Angels standout Albert Pujols.

Family business

While professional baseball is a new experience for the vast majority of Scrappers players, that’s not the case for infielder Gerald Bautista, who has been around the game his entire life.

Gerald’s father, Danny Bautista, enjoyed a 12-year big-league career with Detroit, Atlanta and Arizona. Danny won a World Series ring in 2002 with the Diamondbacks. In the series, he hit .583, the fifth-best average in World Series history.

“I was only seven years old, but I remember him hitting the cover off the ball against Clemens, Rivera and Pettite,” Gerald said. “It was an unreal experience.”

Gerald served as a bat boy for Arizona.

“Just being around that atmosphere was a learning experience,” Gerald said. “Then, to have my dad’s knowledge to lean on as I grew as a ball player, words cannot express what a blessing it has been.”

Close call

Scrappers pitcher Casey Shane also credits his dad for guiding him “every step of the way” throughout his baseball career. But Shane’s bond with his father almost never happened.

One month before Casey was born, his father Kenneth was shot in a random act of violence and nearly lost his life.

“He had to walk a very long way for help, and he barely made it in time,” Casey said. “The bullet was just a few inches away from his heart.”

Casey was a sixth-round draft pick in 2013 out of Centennial (Texas) High School. He played for the Scrappers at the end of the ‘14 season.

“Everything I accomplish in baseball, I owe to my dad,” Casey said. “I know I wouldn’t be in the game today if it weren’t for him being my mentor, my coach and my friend.”

Roster notes

The Scrappers’ opening day roster includes players from 16 different states ranging from Pennsylvania (James Stokes) to Hawaii (Ka’ai Tom). It also features players from Taiwan, Venezuela, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Cuba, South Africa and Aruba.

Willi Castro is the youngest player on the roster. The infielder turned 18 this past April. Castro, a native of Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico, was signed as a non-drafted free agent when he was just 16-years-old.

Pitcher James Stokes is the club’s elder statesman. Stokes, 24, was drafted in the 22nd round of the 2012 draft. He has played with the Scrappers in each of the past four years.

NYPL landscape

The Mahoning Valley Scrappers are now in their 17th season as a member of the New York-Penn League. As they were in 1999, the Scrappers are the league’s western-most franchise. However, during the same time frame, the NYPL map has experienced quite a makeover.

During the Scrappers’ inaugural season, the NYPL included 14 teams in seven different states. Cities which hosted franchises in ‘99 but no longer do today include; Utica (N.Y.), Oneonta (N.Y.), Jamestown (N.Y.) Pittsfield (Mass.), Augusta (N.J.) and St. Catherines (Ontario, Canada).

Today, the NYPL spans eight states. The newest addition is West Virginia, which acquired the Jamestown franchise at the end of the 2014 season. The Black Bears play their games at the Monongahela County Ballpark in Granville, a town located across the Monongahela River from Morgantown. The stadium is also home to the West Virginia University baseball team.

— Steve Ruman, The Vindicator