For
the week of :
April 21, 2003
More
observations from the Yard
Interview with Terrmel
Sledge
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Minor League Ramblings is produced by Bill Mitchell for Minor League Watch.
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Sledge working hard to
join Montreal's baseball family It's easy to root for players like Terrmel Sledge. He's not the biggest player on the field, nor is he generally the fastest.
Yet, the Montreal Expos' outfield prospect is as heady and determined a player as you're likely to find on any diamond. "He's one of the bright young players in the Expos organization," remarked Edmonton Trapper coach Tommy John, who managed Sledge last year in the Arizona Fall League. "I know (Montreal manager) Frank Robinson likes him, and he's going to play down here almost every day." Sledge is in his fifth professional season after playing college ball at Long Beach State. The Expos acquired the 1999 eighth round draft choice from the Seattle organization late in the 2000 season, just after the left-handed hitter led the High Class A California League in batting with a .339 average. He spent most of his first two seasons with the Montreal organization with the Class AA team in Harrisburg, hitting .277 and .301 in 2001 and 2002, respectively. The 6'0", 180 pound Sledge stole a combined 41 bases in the two years before moving up to AAA Ottawa for his final 80 at bats in 2002. His performance earned Sledge an invitation to play in the Arizona Fall League, Major League Baseball's premier off-season development league, after the 2002 season. Despite not having a reputation as a big homerun hitter, Sledge impressed scouts and AFL fans alike with his surprising power, hitting several long blasts during the course of the season. "I'm not a big guy," said the 26-year-old Sledge, "but I have a little sock in me. I'm more of a doubles guy, but once in a while I have enough to drive it out of the ballpark." But he recognizes his limitations, and is aware of what is needed to give himself the edge over more physically talented players. Sledge is always looking for the edge that can help his game, stating that one of his areas for improvement is "... picking up little keys on my all around game ... if it's base running, just picking out pitchers' tendencies ... if it's sitting on the bench, just trying to understand the game more ... instead of being a player, think more from a manager's perspective." "At the plate, I'm trying to do all of the little things right, "Sledge continued. "If I'm batting second, I'm moving the runners over ... or bunting ... or playing solid defense." John proclaimed that one of Sledge's strengths is his work ethic. "He works hard," said John. "Believe me, he works very, very hard. Couple that with a little luck, and I think he's got a bright future in the game." Sledge earned his first invitation to Montreal's major league camp for spring training this season. He had a good role model to observe while with the Expos. "I love watching Vladimir (Guerrero)," Sledge remarked. "He's a humble guy and one of the greatest in the game today. He plays the game hard. He does everything hard."
It's his cerebral approach to the game and the hard work that has the Expos excited about Sledge's future. Now at the AAA level after four minor league seasons, Sledge is hitting a solid .286/.452/.500, with three homeruns and two stolen bases in 56 at bats. His eye ratio (percentage of walks to strikeouts), one of his perennial strong points, has been exceptionally good this year, as he has drawn 17 walks while fanning on 12 times. While Sledge spends most of his time in the outfield, he also has experience at first base. He spent most of the 2001 season in the infield due to a shoulder injury suffered late in the previous injury. He has yet to regain all of the arm strength he had before the injury, but has good range in the outfield. Sledge believes that his infield experience will help in his quest to make the big leagues. "I never before thought I'd be playing first base," Sledge remarked. "But now I have another position under my belt." One final question remained for Sledge --- the origin of his last name and whether he's related to the famous singing group Sisters Sledge, as has been reported throughout his career. "I don't know," he answered, "maybe we're related down the line. It's not close. I know there aren't a lot of Sledges, so maybe we are related." "Maybe I can meet them someday," remarked Sledge, about the famous Sisters Sledge. Or if he becomes an every day player in the major leagues, perhaps the Sisters will be asking to meet Terrmel Sledge. --- Bill Mitchell |
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