dugan@observer-reporter.com

The Kalamazoo Kings are last in the Frontier League in pitching with a whopping 6.60 team ERA. It's not hard to figure out the Kings' biggest pitching problem. They lead the 12-team league with 102 walks allowed in 19 games.

So Kalamazoo manager Fran Riordan made a move Monday that he hopes will improve his out-of-control pitching staff. The Kings signed former Washington & Jefferson College standout Sam Mann, who in terms of control, was one of the most efficient pitchers in NCAA history.

In his four-year career with the Presidents, Mann pitched 2931/3 innings and walked only 27 batters, an average of one walk every 10.9 innings.

Riordan and W&J head coach Jeff Mountain were teammates at Allegheny College in 1997.

"I had been trying to push Sam to Fran, at least make him aware that we had a pitcher who could help him," Mountain said. "Fran said the biggest trouble his pitchers were having was throwing strikes. I told him that I didn't know if Sam could be an ace on his pitching staff, but I do know he'll throw strikes and eat up innings. If Sam gives up runs, it will be because he's giving up hits not walks."

Mann, a right-hander from Warren, Ohio, was the Presidents' Athletic Conference Player of the Year this season and became the first W&J player to be named NCAA Division III Regional Player of the Year by the American Baseball Coaches Association. The 6-3, 210-pound Mann had an 8-4 record and 1.99 ERA. In 811/3 innings pitched, he struck out 64 and issued a mere six walks. As a hitter, Mann batted .463, which ranked 11th in the nation.

Mann was used strictly as a hitter the past two summers while playing in collegiate leagues. In 2005, he played in a wood-bat league in New York and had a 5-1 record. It was last summer when Mann became noticed by scouts and independent league teams. Playing in the highly regarded Coastal Plain League, Mann was 7-0 and led the league in innings pitched and was second in wins.

"He's going to become a better pitcher now that all he has to worry about doing is pitching," Mountain said.

Mann had a 26-14 career record at W&J and holds nearly every pitching record at the school. Despite his impressive credentials, Mann was not selected earlier this month in Major League Baseball's annual first-year player draft.

"Sam doesn't throw 88 to 92 mph and have the measurables scouts look for," Mountain said. "Even with the success he's had, scouts aren't going to stick their necks out and recommend a guy who throws 86 from the right side. Those guys are a dime a dozen."

But the ones with Mann's control are rare.

Go West, Wild Things

Washington will play outside the East Division for the first time when they travel to Marion, Ill., for a series beginning tonight against the expansion Southern Illinois Miners at Rent One Park.

Though it might be hard to judge how Washington or the East Division stacks up against teams in the Central and West before the interdivision games, Wild Things manager John Massarelli doesn't like to use head-to-head results to analyze his team.

"I've never judged my teams by how we play against other teams," Massarelli said. "I go by my knowledge of baseball, which tells me we have a very talented club that plays the game hard and plays the game right."

One of the Southern Illinois starting pitchers is Danny Almonte. Don't remember Danny Almonte? Sure you do. He was the phenom who six years ago threw the first perfect game in Little League World Series history, only to have it purged from the record book when it was discovered he was actually 14 years old - two years over the age limit.

Almonte, now 20, is 0-1 with a 4.24 ERA in four starts. Almonte pitched Monday night, so he is not expected to face Washington. The Miners visit Washington next week, and if Southern Illinois keeps the same pitching rotation, Almonte will start the final game of the series June 21.

Extra bases

Washington signed two pitchers, lefty Ryan Davis of Kent State and right-hander Travis Risser of Coastal Carolina, and had them in uniform Tuesday for its game against Florence. Davis played one season at Kent State with Washington catcher Pat O'Brien and pitcher Gus Hlebovy. Risser was a college teammate of Wild Things outfielder Matt Sutton.

"Both guys come from winning programs with good pitching coaches and, most importantly, were recommended by people I trust," Massarelli said. "Both were closers for their team. We'll use them out of the bullpen."

Home