AquaSox notes
Published 9:00 pm Sunday, July 30, 2006
Opponent: Spokane Indians.
When: 7:05 p.m.
Where: Everett Memorial Stadium.
Radio: KRKO (1380 AM).
Probable starters: Everett left-hander Steve Uhlmansiek (2-1, 3.44 earned run average) vs. Spokane left-hander Michael Wagner (2-3, 4.93).
Hard work keeps Butler ahead of the curve
Tony Butler was a solitary figure before Sunday’s game, running laps around the track that encircles the football field at Everett Memorial Stadium.
Perhaps that dedication to his craft is one of the reasons why Butler’s made the unusual jump from high school to the Northwest League in less than two months.
“The people back home always tell me to stop running, stop doing this or that, relax,” Butler said with a laugh. “My work ethic may not be as good as some people’s, but its better than most.”
At 18 years old, Butler is one of the youngest players in the Northwest League. The tall left-handed pitcher from Oak Creek, Wis., was the Seattle Mariners’ third-round pick in the June draft. He arrived in the Northwest League a mere six weeks after his high school graduation, having spent about a month with Peoria of the Arizona Rookie League before his promotion to Everett.
“I’d like to think I’m ahead of schedule,” Butler said. “I’m 18, I’m young and I’m learning. Most everybody who’s here is in his 20s and has the college experience. But I think the reason they brought me up is because I showed a good maturity level.”
So far Butler’s held his own, despite his youth. In two starts he’s given up four runs in 72/3 innings, giving up four hits and seven walks while striking out seven.
“I’ve seen a couple good things, though he’s struggled with his control,” Everett manager Dave Myers said. “He has three decent pitches. He has a lot of things where you can see he’s inexperienced. He has to be in the strike zone to compete at this level, but I think he’ll be able to do that.”
Butler acknowledges his control issues and is working toward correcting them. But otherwise, he seems unfazed by his whirlwind trip from high school to the minors.
“It’s a lot of excitement, a lot of fun,” Butler said. “I want to be playing baseball. A lot of my friends are back home, enjoying their summers, then heading off to college. But baseball is my life, this is what I want to do, this is the path I chose.”
Walking man: Patience has always been a big part of Joe White’s game. But the AquaSox first baseman has taken it to a new level the past two weeks.
Going White has drawn at least one walk in 13 of his 15 previous games, as often as not drawing multiple free passes. In those 15 games he drew a total of 21 walks.
“Yeah, I’ve been able to get on base and try to help the team out,” White said. “I’m walking a lot.”
Going into Sunday’s action White was the runaway league leader in walks with 39 – Eugene’s Matt Antonelli was second with 27. As a result, White was leading the league in on-base percentage at .470, despite a modest .271 batting average. But that’s always been White’s approach.
“Through high school and college I was able to walk a lot and try to get good pitches to hit,” White said. “That’s what I’ve tried to do.
“I like Ted Williams and I read a lot about him,” White added. “He’s pretty big on getting a good ball to hit, so that’s pretty much where I picked it up.”
Nick Patterson, Herald writer
