Not quite a ‘cup-of coffee’ – but at least they saw the café.
By Ben Foster
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As the dog-days of spring draw to a close and Major League clubs make their final roster moves preparing for the arduous season ahead, it’s interesting to see a few new names appearing in box scores around the league.
While names like Durrington, Williams and Huber may not be a surprise to many when it comes to Aussie action in ‘the show’ – it seems that some of our other stars are mixing it up with the big boys this spring- albeit briefly.
Sure the majority may not appear on a major league roster opening day, but if nothing else, the following players have certainly opened enough eyes to warrant a mention;
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The journey-man minor leaguer is well and truly knocking on the door this spring and probably the best chance for an Australian to be on an opening day roster. After a solid performance with the Blue Jays’ AAA affiliate last year and a good WBC showing, Burnside is looking more and more like he will finally crack the big leagues. Boasting a 2.79 ERA and 8 strikeouts in 9.2 innings of work this spring, the lefty specialist is a genuine chance after 10 years and six different minor league organisations. |
| Adrian Burnside |
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What more can be said about the rapid ascendency of our boy Pete. But with two days left before the season-proper starts, Moylan is still firing ‘side-arm’ bullets at big league hitters. While in reality he is more than likely to start the season in the minor leagues – if you had asked Peter six months ago if he’d be relieving John Smoltz in a game this year (as he did on Friday), I’m sure he’d have directed you towards a long walk on a very short pier. He may not be there just yet, but with an ailing Atlanta bull-pen and 5 strikeouts in 4 innings so far – Russell Crowe may not be the only ‘Cinderella man’ coming out of Australia this year. |
| Peter Moylan |
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Maybe it was his effort to rob the home run against Italy during the World Baseball Classic, or maybe it was simply the numbers game as spring training winds to an end – but for whatever reason Trent took another step toward achieving his ultimate goal when he pinch ran for Shannon Stewart in the 7th inning of Minnesota’s clash with the Baltimore Orioles on March, 29. Not happy with simply running the bases, Trent scored a run and singled in what ultimately proved to be a 5-4 Twins victory. If things continue to develop for Oeltjen, he could soon be our second ‘Trent’ in the show. |
| Trent Oeltjen |
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Not to be outdone by his team-mate and countryman, Hughes followed suit the following day when he pinch ran for Minnesota in the 6th inning. While he was unsuccessful in his only at bat against the Pittsburgh Pirates, Luke obviously flashed enough leather during his brief stint against the Dominican Republic in the WBC to warrant the reward from Twins’ management. With Minnesota’s history of Australian’s in the big leagues (Thomas, Balfour, Nakamura) it’s good to see Hughes in the mix. |
| Luke Hughes |
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After announcing himself as a genuine prospect in the Angels organisation with a great season in ‘A’ ball last year, Collins rewarded the faith shown in him this spring by knocking out a pair of hits in his only two at-bats during camp – one of which was a two-run homer! Sure he may have only been invited to assist with the additional catching workload in the bullpen, but if the career .294 minor league hitter has anything to do with it, his Spring training highlight won’t be his last in a major league LA uniform. |
| Michael Collins |
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So, after a breakthrough year in 2005 that saw three Aussies make their Major League debuts - we may not have a stack of talent lined up to compete on Opening Day 2006 - but one thing is for sure. With a combination of two hard fought games at the World baseball Classic and a series of solid training camp performances, just like Ebby Calvin Laloosh in ‘Bull Durham’ - Australian Baseball and the individuals who represent us have certainly “announced their presence with authority” this spring. | |
