June 18, 2007

Baseball players turning pro in the Northwest
Oregon State and local athletes can expect fans to know their names in the Northwest League

JEFF SMITH

In only 10 minutes of conversation, Greg Riddoch was able to gather enough information from Mitch Canham to project a bright future for the Oregon State catcher.

Riddoch, 61, is the new manager of the short-season Class A Eugene Emeralds and Canham will likely join the San Diego Padres minor league affiliate when the college season ends. The two chatted briefly in Corvallis recently while Canham took batting practice.

"He's got a really good chance to be a major league player," said Riddoch, in the 40th season of a professional baseball career that included being the San Diego manager from 1990-92. "Just in his personality and the way he carries himself you can tell he's a leader. He's gregarious, outgoing, an extrovert -- all the things you want to find in a catcher.

"He's got a beautiful swing and it's rare to find a left-handed hitting catcher. And there's not a drop of body fat on this guy. He's a rock."

Canham, a junior who was drafted in the first round of the major league draft by San Diego, is one of five Oregon State players who could be playing in the Northwest League this summer if they choose to sign a professional contract. The NWL season begins Tuesday without the drafted Beavers, who are in Omaha, Neb., trying to repeat as College World Series champions.

Junior pitchers Joe Paterson and Daniel Turpen, both McMinnville High School graduates, could be playing for Salem-Keizer after being drafted by San Francisco. Junior shortstop Darwin Barney might end up in Boise after being selected by the Chicago Cubs and senior pitcher Anton Maxwell could play for Spokane after being drafted by Texas.

"Now that the draft is over, none of us have anything to worry about," Canham said. "We all know where we're going after it's over, but right now the main focus we have is winning another national championship. Nothing else matters."

North Medford graduate Evan McArthur could also be playing for Salem-Keizer after being drafted by San Francisco. McArthur is a senior third baseman for Cal State-Fullerton and he batted against possible Volcanoes teammate Paterson with two outs in the ninth inning Saturday and reached on an error.

If Paterson and Turpen decide to turn pro and play for Salem-Keizer, it'd continue a remarkable journey for the close friends from McMinnville. After all, not many players can say they've been teammates in high school, college and in the professional ranks.

"I'm extremely proud of those two," said former McMinnville coach Mark Peterson, who began coaching the two when they were young. "It'd be cool someday if they could make it to the major leagues and pitch on the same day with the same team. That wouldn't surprise me because of how hard they work."

Peterson has seen a few games at Salem-Keizer over the years but knows he'll be making the 30-mile trip from McMinnville to Keizer a lot more if his former players become Volcanoes.

"I'd be there in a heartbeat," Peterson said. "It'd be awful special to see them throw that first pitch at the professional level. That would create some excitement."

Steve Decker, in his third season as Salem-Keizer's manager, experienced some of that enthusiasm last season when former Oregon State outfielder Tyler Graham was on a Volcanoes team that won the Northwest League title. Graham now plays for the long-season Class A Augusta (Ga.) GreenJackets.

"He was always bombarded by fans," said Decker, who has lived in Keizer for 10 years. "The fans appreciate the Oregon State guys and look forward to seeing them play."

Outfielder Dan Wentzell of George Fox University is another player who might be headed to the Northwest League after being selected by Oakland. The Tualatin High graduate signed a contract last week and could soon play for the Vancouver (B.C.) Canadians.

Former University of Portland pitcher Chris Siegfried and Bend High graduate Drew Rundle are on the Boise Hawks roster. Siegfried was drafted by the Chicago Cubs this month and Rundle was a 2006 draft pick who played for rookie-level Mesa (Ariz.) last season.

Outfielder Timothy Rodriguez, a 2005 Centennial High graduate from Gresham, is on the Spokane roster. Catcher Johnny Bowden, a 2003 Thurston High graduate from Springfield, will play for the Tri-City Dust Devils after being selected by Colorado this month.

Note:

Most of the rosters have not been finalized.