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There’s an oft mentioned saying in baseball that sometimes the best moves are the ones you don’t make. Blackwater’s All-Star centerfielder Aaron Frausto knows all about it.
For the third-straight season the Kolts’ Gold Glove outfielder has been the subject of intense off-season trade speculation, and for the third-straight season Frausto will be wearing his trademark No. 5 for the Kolts on opening day at John Candy Memorial.
“It seems that every season, I go through the same thing,” said Frausto, 24, who hit .284 while swiping a team record 47 bases last season. “It’s something I’ve just learned to deal with.”
Thanks to the presence of perennial All-Star centerfielder Estefan Condrey, Kolts Owner/GM Steve McCoyne said that trade offers for the former first-round draft pick have been a fact of life for Blackwater since acquiring him from Lethbridge four seasons ago.
“When you’ve got two of the better centerfielders in the CBL, you’re going to get your fair share of inquiries,” he said. “The fact is, we keep holding out. Every year for the past three years we’ve predicted Aaron would surpass what he did the season before, and so far he hasn’t disappointed. Anytime you‘ve got a line-drive contact hitter with his kind of speed, exciting things are going to happen.”
But by far the biggest source of excitement for Blackwater faithful this off-season has been the emergence of Kolt left-fielder and odds on Rookie of the Year candidate, 23-year-old Al Grantham.
Another product of the Lethbridge system, Grantham will join Frausto, and former Rookie of the Year and two-time Gold Glove winner Billy Tyack, to complete the youngest, and one of the more explosive outfields in the CBL today.
“This is the outfield we envisioned four years ago when we drafted Billy (Tyack) with the No. 2 overall pick,” said Kolt Manager Leeland Kunkle. “Last year, Frausto and Tyack were nothing short of sensational. We’ve been very patient with (Grantham) because we knew he was the missing piece. We could have brought him up last season, but we felt we would be better served if we kept him in the minors and worked on increasing his strength. It definitely paid off. We think he can put up the type of numbers that Marc Gakeler did when he brought the first Rookie of the Year award to Blackwater in 2000.”
Condrey, who’s been content with a DH role the past three seasons, said he’s happy that Frausto isn’t going anywhere.
“There aren’t too many guys out there who’ve won a Gold Glove and been named an All Star in the same season. I would hope our organization can recognize his value , and do what they can to lock this kid up for the next decade.”
Last year’s spring training for Blackwater resembled more of a circus than anything. Nearly every starter was fined, or otherwise disciplined, for a host of infractions ranging from public drunkeness to the solicitation of prostitutes during an exhibition game in Vancouver. But McCoyne said that this year, it’s been a different story.
“Anytime you assemble a group of kids like ours, you’re gonna have some problems,” said McCoyne. “Especially kids like (3B Morrie) Hemond, who’s got 70 career homeruns and can’t legally order a drink in a bar. All of these guys are growing up in Kolt uniforms, but I think, knock on wood, that the worst is behind us.”
“This team grew up a lot last season,” said Condrey, the team’s clubhouse leader and a Blackwater elder statesman at the ripe old age of 27. “I think the fact we just missed the playoffs two years ago, coupled with our second place finish last season sends a strong message to the teams in our division. These kids can play.”
For the third-straight season, the Kolts will field the CBL’s youngest team. And for the third-straight season, the team will feature the CBL’s oldest pitching staff.
“It’s definitely a paradox,” said veteran southpaw Yakov Pletcher, 39. “There’s an obvious generation gap when you look at the kids on the field and the old men in the bullpen, but I think it works for us.”
The Kolts are banking on a stripped-down, four man rotation featuring a host of talented verters. Pletcher, Emory Fail, Footsie Egger and Gordie Tobada will lead way for veteran relief men Preston Eastwood, Grey Bonnett and Burl Stoy.”
“We like the make-up of our staff this year,” said McCoyne. “We added many of these guys, mid-season, and this year we are moving to a Coors-type field to accommodate the speed of our position players. We think this most recent version of the Kolts is the best we’ve put on the field since 2003.
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