A brand "NEW" Angel in the outfield

看板Angels作者hlpascer (HL)時間20年前 (2005/05/15 13:20)推噓2(2推 0噓 0→)

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A brand 'new' Angel in the outfield It took Prieto 12 years to make it to the Majors By Mike Scarr / MLB.com DETROIT -- It was worth the wait. In his 13th Minor League season, Chris Prieto got the call that every prospect dreams of getting: He's going to the show. With the placement of Kelvim Escobar on the 15-day disabled list, the Angels opted for Prieto to fill the spot on the roster and provide coverage in the outfield. At 32, it's a stretch to be referred to as a prospect, but Prieto would be happy at 42 or even 52 to get the call. He's just glad it came. "It is just amazing; it is an unbelievable feeling," Prieto said. "It is a dream come true." Prieto was hitting .279 with six doubles, two triples and a homer over 25 games at Triple-A Salt Lake. But over the last few days, Prieto had been mostly sitting around as two games were rained out in Tacoma and a third in Salt Lake. The call was an unexpected, yet welcome one, and he immediately phoned his wife, Kara, who became so emotional Prieto said he told her that he would Through it all it kept his dream alive. "If you love to play the game, you're not going to hang them up because of the way your career is working out," Prieto said. "You have to remember why you're playing this game and the love you have for it at any level." Prieto said his greatest fear was later on, during one of those taking-stock-of-one's-life moments, if he didn't follow through. "I'd be sitting around in some bar four, five years from now and asking myself why I didn't stick it out," Prieto said. "You have to keep playing and keep playing and make them pull the uniform off, [so] at the end you don't have any regrets." His trip to the Majors may seem providential, but manager Mike Scioscia believes all of the credit should be given to Prieto. "You always like to see guys achieve, but the bottom line is he achieved himself," Scioscia said. Prieto had his best season in 2001 with Triple-A Las Vegas when he hit .291 with 27 doubles, 19 homers and 58 RBIs. He also swiped 25 bags that year, and has stolen 314 bases in his Minor League career. With Steve Finley nursing a sore groin, Prieto adds depth in center and provides speed off the bench. The Angels will have a decision to make in their rotation when Escobar's turn comes up Tuesday. Scioscia has said he's considering reliever/spot starter Kevin Gregg, but that also Chris Bootcheck, Dustin Moseley in Triple-A Salt Lake and even Ervin Santana and Joe Saunders in Double-A Arkansas are under consideration. But Prieto is not looking that far ahead. He's not even waiting to see what tomorrow brings. The one thing he wants to do is put on the uniform, go out for stretch and then sit on the bench and hope his number is called. "The affection these guys have been showing toward me has been great," said Prieto, who was forced to wait an extra day when Friday's game in Detroit was rained out. "While I'm here I'll try to do the best I can." Give our oldest rookie a big hand! :) -- ※ 發信站: 批踢踢實業坊(ptt.cc) ◆ From: 218.184.24.52 ※ 編輯: hlpascer 來自: 218.184.24.52 (05/15 13:42)