Bill Mitchell's Minor League Ramblings

Minor League Ramblings For the week of :
March 25, 2002

Minor League Ramblings is produced by Bill Mitchell for Minor League Watch.

Good health finally brings Enochs to the brink of the big leagues
March 27, 2002

Chris Enochs was supposed to have already been in the major leagues. An All-American at West Virginia University, the right-handed pitcher was selected in the first round (11th overall) by the Oakland A's. It was only going to be a matter of time before Enochs would take his place in the Oakland rotation.

But a variety of injuries, from tendinitis to hip problems, prevented Enochs from reaching his full potential in the A's organization. In the meantime, teammates like Tim Hudson were making the jump from the Athletics' farm system to the major league rotation.

Enochs never gave up and kept a positive attitude throughout his trials and tribulations. "I worked pretty hard to get healthy, so I hope that it's behind me," said Enochs about his time lost to injury. He added, "For the last year and a half I've felt really good. So hopefully, (I'm) going to stay injury-free."

The time spent recovering from his injuries was not a total loss. "We've more or less worked the last couple of years on my mechanics," commented Enochs, "and I think they (the Oakland staff) are pretty happy with it."

The 2001 season was a real turning point for the native of Newell, West Virginia. Enochs started the year in the bullpen for class AA Midland before gaining enough strength to return to the rotation. He finished with a 5-4 record and a 4.33 ERA, pitching primarily in what has always been a tough park for pitchers. His velocity got back into the low 90s and he was throwing a nasty curveball.

Chris Enochs For his performance in AA, Enochs was rewarded by being sent to the Arizona Fall League, where he excelled in a relief role for the Phoenix Desert Dogs. In 15 innings, Enochs struck out 19 batters while walking only five. Opposing hitters batted only .207 off him.

"The Arizona Fall League is always a great experience," Enochs commented about his time in the league. "You're playing against some of the top prospects from each organization ... that was only something that could help me."

His performance in the AFL resulted in a spot on Team USA playing in the World Cup tournament in Taiwan. "It was awesome," Enochs said about the experience. "We played against some crowds that were 30,000, that's something I've never experienced before." He added, "Just the idea of playing for your country was kind of a whole different feeling, a whole different pressure level."

Enochs, now 26, believes he's just about ready to contribute at the big league level. "Everything's there. I just need to get a little more consistent with them (his pitches) and be able to throw them when I'm behind in the count," Enochs said about his main area for improvement. "And you can always locate them a little better."

He added, "I'm happy with where I'm at and I feel like I have the things to where I can make an impact sometime this year."

Chris Enochs paid his dues in the minor leagues. With continued hard work and good health, the right-hander should soon become an integral part of the Oakland pitching staff.

--- Bill Mitchell