Belfast’s Sazi Guthrie may not be considered a prospect who’s on the fast track and he may be two to four years older than most of his teammates, but he’s settling into the life of an affiliated baseball player.

Last year, Anasazia Guthrie was a pitcher for the independent Northern League’s Gary Southshore Railcats. He went 9-5 with a 4.00 earned run average in 16 starts and 20 total mound appearances before the San Diego Padres signed him to a free agent contract and invited him to their spring training camp in Peoria, Ariz.

He might have signed with a California team, but he only moved about 100 miles east and never left the state of Indiana. The Padres assigned him to the Single A affiliate in Fort Wayne, Ind.

Wednesday afternoon, Guthrie (0-1) made his first start in nine appearances this season for the 12-12 Wizards. He lasted five full innings and was tagged for seven hits, but struck out four while walking none for a no-decision.

“Right now, I’m throwing strikes, but guys aren’t getting themselves out,” Guthrie said Friday. “I’m still just a little frustrated. I only had one three-ball count, and I was ahead of the hitters most of the time, but I was letting them off the hook.”

The 24-year-old righthander lowered his ERA from 9.00 to 6.75, but his 29 hits allowed in 20 innings is cause for concern.

“I think it’s all about getting used to things and getting in a groove,” said Guthrie. “The coaches want me to keep the ball down more. I think it’s that, but I also think it feels like one of those times when guys are hitting good pitches and finding the holes.”

Guthrie, who had 11 strikeouts with eight walks through Friday, doesn’t notice too many contrasts between independent and Single A ball.

“It’s really hard to tell the difference,” he said. “It’s pretty much the same drill. Stay in hotels and eat when you can. Ballplayers are ballplayers no matter where you are.”

Still, there are some noticeable nuances.

“I think the hitters are more patient in independent ball because they’re a little older. Here, if it’s in the strike zone, most guys will hack at it,” Guthrie said.

That’s on the field. There are some other telltale signs to tell Guthrie he’s not in the Northern League anymore.

“Just about everybody is younger than me at this level,” he said. “I think the oldest guy other than me is 22. A lot of guys are 18 to 20.”

Another difference is expectations. Several of Guthrie’s teammates aren’t expected to stick around long and more than a handful have Major League expectations and the bonus money to prove it.

“It’s kind of interesting when you’re standing in the locker room and looking around and you know there will be a couple of guys who are going to be playing in the big leagues,” Guthrie said. “When you see a guy pull up in his Escalade, you know there are some pretty high draft picks here.”

Five players were drafted in the first five rounds the last two years. One – Fernando Valenzuela Jr. – is the son of a famous major league pitcher.

Guthrie, who is filling a role as the Wizards’ long reliever and spot starter, doesn’t worry about his teammates’ pedigrees or expectations. He’s just trying to get in a groove and move up the organizational ladder.

“I try not to get caught up too much about moving up and being in a certain level by a certain time,” he said. “I just want to keep getting better.”

Aces make eight

The Allentown Ambassadors have suspended operations after seven seasons, dealing the Northeast League a tough blow three weeks before the independent league’s season is scheduled to start.

Ambassadors owner Peter Karoly folded the club due to financial losses accumulated by the Ambassadors in recent years, declining attendance, and the inability to get their own ballpark built. The Ambassadors lost an estimated $3.5 million.

“The announcement came as a shock to everyone,” said Bangor Lumberjacks general manager Curt Jacey.

Allentown’s demise left the NEL in a tough spot with only seven teams and an eight-team schedule already in place, and league officials scrambled to come up with a solution.

Say hello to the Aces, the league’s traveling team which will fill in for Allentown in all of the Ambassadors’ 92 scheduled games. Instead of 46 home games and 46 on the road, the Aces will play all their games as a road team.

This will net the Bangor Lumberjacks and the other six NEL teams an extra six to eight games. Bangor will get six extra home games.

“It hurts the league as a whole, but it kind of helps us because we get more home games,” Jacey said. “There aren’t too many negatives from our standpoint, to be honest.”

Andrew Neff can be reached at 990-8205, 1-800-310-8600, or aneff@bangordailynews.net.