Rolio Elder
Apprentice to the Exalted Mystic
Camacho Order #26
Donkeagle Press
In a complete reversal of the typical flippant Sacramento attitude towards Spring Training performance, the Mad Popes rewarded the solid play of several fringe ballplayers with spots on the 27-man roster. Jose Dominguez, Manuel Ortiz, and Francis Trujillo will all travel with the club to open the season with a three-game set in Valencia.
Jose Dominguez
Manuel Ortiz
Francis Trujillo"They showed up to play," said new Popes skipper Chip Saunders. "I sat down all 63 spring training invitees and told them it's an open competition this spring. I told them to show up to play. Those three guys you mentioned did just that."
Dominguez, who was selected in the second round of this offseason's Rule 5 draft out of Vancouver's organization, won the starting DH spot against right-hand pitching with an impressive offensive showing. The 22-year-old led the team with a .365 average and 1.131 OPS. He stroked three homers, three triples, and four doubles in 52 at bats.
"Sarge (Saunders) told me not to miss out on the golden opportunity Sacramento gave me this year," Dominguez said. "He also said he believed in me. I'd run through a brick wall for that guy. I'll tell you that right now."
Whereas Dominguez was being looked upon to prove himself worthy of making the squad, pitchers Ortiz and Trujillo were invited to spring training merely as warm bodies and extra arms. Instead, both went out and seized the moment.
"I wasn't likely going to get another shot at my dream of playing in the bigs," said Rule 5 pick Ortiz. The right-hander pitched 9.1 innings this spring, giving up only five hits, one walk, and one earned run. But, according to Shoeless, the native of Lloret de Mar, Spain, will need to continue to pile up solid innings to remain with the club.
"We nabbed Ortiz in the Rule 5, because we felt his propensity to induce grounders would work well for our vacuum-style defensive play," Shoeless said. "But, he's going to be riding the bubble for quite some time."
As surprisingly good as Ortiz was this spring, teammate Francis Trujillo was even better. The minor league free agent wasn't even invited to spring training until after the second week but was brought into the fold due to poor performances by several pitchers. The 29-year-old pitched 11 2/3 scoreless innings before finally surrendering a run. He finished the spring with 0.75 ERA and a 2-0 record.
"Rain, Rain, Rainbows," sang Exalted Leader Ralph Dewaldo. "Let the sun split us whole."