Saturday, March 30, 2002
Sea Dogs' day almost here

The Portland Sea Dogs 2002 roster is close to completion, with the season opener just six days away.

As expected, one of baseball's top prospects, first baseman Adrian Gonzalez, is headed to Portland.

But one likely surprise will be the absence of second baseman Kevin Hooper, last year's MVP in Portland after batting .308 with 24 stolen bases.
Hooper was part of the Sea Dogs' promotional tour in January, but he's apparently getting promoted to Triple-A Calgary.
"He's sitting in the Triple-A camp right now," said Jim Fleming, player development director for the Florida Marlins, parent club of the Double-A Sea Dogs.
"He's done well in camp and obviously he did well for (Portland) last year."

Fleming said the Sea Dogs' roster is "90 percent ready," although he threw in a cautionary "everything is tentative."

He still has not determined who will play shortstop for Portland.
Last year's starter Derek Wathan, who hit .252, was just dropped from the major-league camp and will be assigned to Calgary or Portland.

The rest of the infield features Gonzalez, second baseman Jesus Medrano and third baseman Heath Honeycutt.
Drew Niles and Jose Santos should be the utility infielders.
Matt Treanor will catch.

Among the outfielders will be Chris Aguila, Matt Padgett, Anthony Iapoce and possibly Quincy Foster.
Brett Roneberg, who has a bruised hand, should also make his way to Portland.

The tentative starting rotation consists of Omar Ortiz, Nate Robertson, Nate Bump, Geoff Goetz and Jose Cueto.
Joe Sergent could start and relieve.
Chris Clark, Brandon Bowe and Bobby Rodgers are scheduled for the bullpen.

The big name on the roster is 19-year-old Gonzalez, the No. 1 selection in the 2000 draft.
He batted .312 with 17 home runs and 103 RBI last season for Class A Kane County.

Treanor started last year in Portland before an ankle injury slowed him.
Medrano will be exciting to watch. He had 61 stolen bases for Class A Brevard County.
Both Honeycutt (.242) and Niles (.237) are Hadlock Field veterans, Honeycutt for two years and Niles for three.
Santos, whose arrival could be delayed by a sore arm, led Brevard with 18 home runs last season.
Both Aguila and Foster split time last year between Portland and Brevard. Aguila hit .257 for the Sea Dogs, Foster .215. Roneberg was a call-up last year from Brevard and hit .262 in Portland.
Padgett hit .293 with 81 runs batted in for Brevard.
Iapoce, 28, last played in the Brewers' organization, reaching Triple-A.

Ortiz (4-10), Robertson (11-4) and Sergent (12-6) come in after full seasons at Brevard.
Bump was 4-5 for Portland last year. Goetz (1.53 ERA) will be moving from the Sea Dogs' bullpen to the rotation.
Cueto, entering his fifth year of pro ball, mostly at the Class A level, was acquired this week in a trade with the Chicago Cubs involving former Sea Dog Antonio Alfonseca.
Bowe could be the closer. He pitched mostly at Brevard last year but had a 1.56 ERA in nine games with Portland.
Clark (3.18 ERA) spent parts of the previous three seasons in Portland.
Rodgers (3-2, 2.03) would be spending an unprecedented fifth season in Portland.

The Sea Dogs open their season on the road next Friday at New Britain.
Portland's home opener is April 12 at 6 p.m. against Binghamton.

Tuesday, April 2, 2002
Dogs' roster all set

New Portland Sea Dogs manager Eric Fox was relaying the name of a pitcher who had just been added to his team's roster. Pearsall, he said.
First name?
"Hey, I've been having enough trouble learning last names," Fox said with a laugh.

A most unusual off-season is winding down for both Fox and the Sea Dogs, who are scheduled to arrive in Maine tonight (8:54 p.m. at the Jetport).
A welcoming dinner is scheduled for Wednesday night at the Portland Expo, and opening day is Friday in New Britain, Conn.

"I'm very happy with the team I've got," said Fox, who until the recent sales of the Montreal Expos and Florida Marlins had been scheduled to manage Double-A rival Harrisburg.
"There's not a lot of loudness, not a lot of rah-rah to them. I think they know what I expect. I just want them to go out and play hard for as many innings as we play."

The Marlins, Portland's parent club, will send Fox north today with 12 pitchers and 14 position players, including two who will open the season on the disabled list.

It will be a young club.
Only one starter, third baseman Heath Honeycutt, played all of last season at Double-A or above.

First baseman Adrian Gonzalez is likely to receive the most attention.
The No. 1 overall draft pick in 2000 who received a $3 million signing bonus, Gonzalez won't turn 20 until May.
Last year, in his first full season, he hit .312 with 17 home runs and 103 RBI to emerge as the top prospect in the Class A Midwest League.
Second baseman Jesus Medrano led the organization with 61 stolen bases last year in Class A.
The shortstop will be slick-fielding Wilson Valdez, claimed a few days ago when the Expos tried to slip him through waivers. Valdez, who will be making his Double-A debut and was recently discovered to be 23 instead of 21, was rated Montreal's 24th-best prospect.
Brandon Harper hasn't been healthy all spring, so Matt Treanor will be the everyday catcher.

The starting outfield will be Chris Aguila in left, Matt Padgett in right and Anthony Iapoce, who is 28 and has Triple-A experience but did not play last year, in center.
Among the backups are Sea Dogs veterans Quincy Foster, Drew Niles and Kelly Heath, who, like outfielder Brett Roneberg, will start the season on the DL.
Other bench players are catcher Stephen Morales and third baseman Jose Santos, who on Monday hit his fourth spring-training home run in as many days.

Right-hander Omar Ortiz (4-10, 5.38 in the Florida State League) is expected to start Friday's opener.
The other starting pitchers are lefties Geoff Goetz and Nate Robertson and righties Nate Bump and Jose Cueto. Like Valdez, Cueto aged two years in the off-season, to 25.
In the bullpen, closer Brandon Bowe will be joined by fellow right-handers Chris Chavez, Chris Clark and Bobby Rodgers and lefties Tim Hamulack, Joe Sergent and J.J. Pearsall.

"I think they're going to be exciting," said Fox, whose club compiled an exhibition record of 12-5 that included three victories and a tie in four games with Florida's Triple-A club. "I've had coaches at different levels (of Florida's system) compliment this team. They expect good things out of these guys, and I do, too."