Bill Mitchell's Minor League Ramblings

Minor League Ramblings

For the week of :
September 1, 2003

Arizona League championship
Interview with Wes Littleton and Kyle Boyer
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Minor League Ramblings is produced by Bill Mitchell for Minor League Watch.

Cal State Fullerton teammates Littleton, Boyer
now opponents in Northwest League
September 6, 2003

Wes Littleton and Kyle Boyer were college teammates for three years at Cal State Fullerton. Their final season was a memorable one, as the Titans advanced to the College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska, winning its first two games before being eliminated with a pair of losses to Stanford.

Wes Littleton

Both players were key contributors in Fullerton's advance to the NCAA's big baseball tournament. Littleton finished a somewhat frustrating season, which saw the sidearming right-hander suspended for one month for a violation of team rules, with one of the two Titan victories. His final record for the season was 7-4, finishing third in wins on the highly regarded Fullerton pitching staff.

Playing regularly in center field for Cal State Fullerton, Boyer batted .327 with six homeruns and 26 stolen bases.

Both players had already been chosen as junior eligible selections in the 2003 free agent draft, with the Texas Rangers grabbing Littleton in the fourth round while the Chicago Cubs nabbed Boyer in round seven.

Boyer believes that getting the opportunity to play in the College World Series was a big boost to his career.

"It's an unbelievable experience," said the 21-year-old right-handed hitter from Temecula, California. "It's really hard to explain the experience. You just have to be there ... the environment, the fans, and just the quality of baseball ... it's just unbelievable. It's really what you work your butt off your whole college career to get to that point, and we did it."

Littleton agreed with Boyer, stating, "It gives you the best of the best out there. It was a big deal to make it there, but we had hoped to win it."

Kyle Boyer

When asked whether the experience of playing in the College World Series helped prepare him for a professional career, Littleton agreed, stating, "It gives you a little jump start."

Their professional debuts were delayed due to Fullerton's advancement to Omaha, but both individuals signed quickly with their respective teams after the conclusion of the College World Series. Coincidentally, Littleton and Boyer both began their professional careers on opposing teams in the short season Northwest League, the former with Spokane and the latter with Boise.

Boyer adjusted quickly to the rigors of the pro game.

"It's definitely a different game," said Boyer. "Obviously one of the biggest differences is the aluminum to the wood (bats)." Helping him in his conversion was the fact that he had played in summer wood bat leagues dating back to his high school days in California.

As a pitcher, Littleton believes that the change in bats eased his entry to minor league ball. "It's just a little bit easier than I expected," he remarked, "especially with guys having wooden bats instead of metal. It gives you a better chance of getting people out."

Littleton, a Southern California native like Boyer, did have to make some adjustments to his pitching style, stating, "I've slowed down my mechanics."

The rigors of the minor league game, playing every day and traveling by bus throughout the Northwest, were an even bigger change for Boyer.

"All of them have that tough time when they first put their foot into pro ball," commented Tom Beyer, Boyer's hitting coach at Boise. "(They must) get used to the every day grind, and Kyle is no exception. To handle the road trips and, all of a sudden, this being your every day job ... the mental as well as the physical grind has been tough on Kyle and everyone else on this team."

Boyer quickly found a way to overcome these challenges. "I play the game hard," he stated. "I try to take every little opportunity I can get. I hustle and play hard."

Kyle Boyer

The long bus trips and daily games didn't faze the always confident Littleton due to the summer he spent last year with the USA National team. "We drove all over the East Coast," he stated, "so it wasn't that hard."

Littleton's performance for Spokane spoke volumes about his preparation for the pro game. In 12 games for the Northwest League club (eight has a starter) he compiled a 6-0 record with a 1.56 ERA and 47-8 K-BB ratio. His fastball was generally clocked in the 88 to 91 MPH range, with the changeup being his most effective pitch.

Boyer also put up solid numbers in his minor league debut. In 170 at bats, he hit .271, with a .344 on-base average and a solid .524 slugging percentage. The 6-1, 190 pound outfielder added nine homeruns and drove in 27 runs.

Beyer liked what he saw in Boyer. "He's come into pro ball and handled this level pretty well," Beyer said. "He's got some power in that swing and does a good job of using the field. Defensively, he's pretty solid. He gets good routes to the ball and he's got a good accurate arm."

Boyer believes that he needs to become a more consistent hitter and start spraying the ball all over the field to continue his improvement as a batter. Beyer added that he would like to see his young outfielder make more consistent contact.

When asked what he needs to improve, the 21-year-old Littleton responded, "Getting all of my pitches over consistently for strikes and controlling my slider and change."

It's very likely that Boyer and Littleton will be facing each other again next season. The next logical jump for both players would be to move to low Class A. Both the Rangers and Cubs have their affiliates at that level in the Midwest League, the Cubs in Lansing, Michigan and the Rangers in Clinton, Iowa.

--- Bill Mitchell