Wednesday 25 June 1997
Mike Beamish Vancouver Sun
A career year is usually defined as a baseball player's finest statistical season. Catcher Todd Greene and outfielder Derrick White of the Vancouver Canadians are enjoying the kinds of productive seasons that grab personnel directors by the lapels and demand attention. A free agent signing by the Anaheim Angels' in spring training, White has stunned everyone, including Ken Forsch, the man responsible for the team's minor league system, with his bat and glovework. What impresses Forsch most of all, though, is White's knee-buckling intensity and throwback attitude. "He was out of baseball (in '96)", said Forsch, who watched the Canadians play the Edmonton Trappers Tuesday at Nat Bailey Stadium. "In fact, I believe Derrick went as far down as Single A ball (Grand Rapids) just to keep playing. We really hadn't expected a lot from him." White is the same guy who started the season with Vancouver, batted just .189 after being demoted to AA Midland, but has been hitting over .400 since being recalled on May 22. "He's been unconscious," Greene says of his teammate. "You gotta admire what he's done." Greene, of course, has introduced a new interpretation to the meaning of "career year". He crammed what seemed to be an entire season's worth of production into the first 72 games. Greene leads the circuit in hitting, slugging percentage, and extra base hits. With 66 scheduled games remaining in the second half, he is one off the C's single-season record for home runs -- 24. "If they ask me, 'Can Todd play in the big leagues?' I tell them, 'Yes'. He can play right now. He doesn't have to show me anything," Forsch says. When balloting for the Triple A all-star game closed Monday, Greene figured to be a lock for a trip to Des Moines, Iowa, July 9 as the starting catcher. White and reliever Jeff Schmidt were other Canadians put forward for selection. "For me, the all-star game is a bit of a double-edged sword," White says. "It's an honor, but hopefully I won't be around to play in it." "Without sounding cocky and arrogant, I've played in all-star games before," Greene adds, "but the only all-star game I'm interested in is the one in the big leagues."
Todd Greene is getting more flustered. The Vancouver Canadians slugging catcher said he's frustrated he hasn't been called up to the major league parent club, the Anaheim Angels, even though he's putting up Triple Crown numbers in the Triple A Pacific Coast League. Greene made his case Tuesday afternoon with Angels general manager Bill Bavasi, who is in town this week to check out the C's. Bavasi and Greene sat in the dugout while players stretched before batting practice. Bavasi seemed to be doing most of the talking. Bavasi left for meetings following his talk with Greene and couldn't be reached. He has said Greene won't be going up until there's a situation in which he could play there on a regular basis. Before the meeting, Greene was asked whether he had asked to be traded. "I don't know what that means," he replied. "Bavasi knows that I want to play in the big leagues. If he doesn't see me as part of their plans for this year, that (getting a trade) is an option."
The Calgary Cannons tried to come up with a defensive alignment to slow down Todd Greene on Sunday. He in turn came up with a hit that they couldn't cover at all. The Cannons, who shifted three of their infielders to the left side to combat the pull-hitting Greene, could only watch in the eighth as the slugging catcher deposited a two-run home run over the left-field wall to give the Vancouver Canadians a 3-2 triumph before about 4,500 at Nat Bailey Stadium. Greene took the first offering from Calgary reliever Barry Johnson, a hanging curveball, over the wall for his league-leading 21st home run of the season. He's now three short of the C's season record, set by Joey Meyer in 1986. "The shift doesn't change anything for me," said Greene, who normally faces a a bit of defensive flood to the left side but not nearly as exaggerated as the one the Cannons deployed, which saw third baseman Chance Sanford standing on the third-base line, shortstop Lou Collier in the hole and second baseman Tony Beasley normally where the shortstop would be positioned. "I just haven't been hitting well against this ball club. I just haven't been able to get things going against these guys. "I knew they weren't going to give me a whole lot to hit, so I was ready to take advantage of a mistake." Greene, who's batting .390 overall, was hitting .286 with no homers and one run-batted-in against the Cannons in five previous games this year, but Calgary may want to change the gameplan now. "I hope I'm not here to tie it (Meyer's record)," said Greene, who has been openly bucking for a call-up to Vancouver's major league parent club, the Anaheim Angels. Tim Fortugno (1-0), who came on in the seventh in relief of starter Geoff Edsell, got the win as the C's improved to 37-26. Jeff Schmidt picked up his ninth save.
Most of you know about this guy, but many people have asked me my opinion of Todd Greene, so I'll give it to you.
Todd Greene has been a major league hitter for at least three years. His power was masked last year by a broken hand, but that is fully healed now, and as you can see, his power is back. He is absolutely destroying Pacific Coast League pitching, and even if you take the standard PCL air out of the stats, it is clear he is ready for the majors. He has nothing left to prove in Triple- A, and those of you who read Todd's chat room on SportsZone last week know he is frustrated.
How good a hitter will Greene be in the majors? A conservative estimate makes him as a .270 hitter with 25-homer power, but he could be a hell of a lot better than that. There is no doubt in my mind that he will be a 25-35 homer guy. The question I have is about his ability to hit for average -- .370 at Vancouver is about .320 in the majors, but I'm not convinced he will be a .300 hitter on the major league level. I'm worried that his command of the strike zone won't allow him to maintain a .300 average, but even if he hits .270, his power will be excellent.
The rap on Greene has been his defense, but his ability to call a game has improved to beyond the passable stage, and he seems to be throwing well. His glove work is major league average; heck, even if it was below average, his bat would make up for it.
So, if he can hit, and his glove has improved, why is he still in Vancouver? Good question. The Angels say they want him to learn a few more things about catching, and they also seem to share my concerns about his strike zone judgement. The thing is, it is clear that Triple-A pitchers have nothing more to teach Todd Greene, so I'm not sure what the point is to keeping him in the minors.
