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Sazi Guthrie wasn’t even sure he wanted to continue playing baseball last month.
The former three-sport Belfast High School star was a bit disillusioned with baseball after being released by the San Diego Padres a week before the National League West team broke spring training camp in Peoria, Ariz.
“I was kind of surprised because no one really talked to me during camp and I finished up last year pretty strong,” Guthrie said. “It’s just the way it is. You get pinched. The biggest thing for me was not even knowing if I wanted to play.”
Guthrie’s release forced him to take stock of his two-year professional baseball career for the first time.
“I mean, I’ve just started to think about that. I always said as soon as I started going in the other direction, I have to start considering it,” said Guthrie, who pitched on the same staff with former University of Maine hurler Rusty Tucker at Lake Elsinore last year. “I’m pretty realistic about it and I don’t want to hold onto it if I’m not really going in a certain direction. I’ll give it this season and see if I pitch well.”
Guthrie had a few choices in terms of baseball jobs this summer with offers from the independent Northern League’s Fargo-Moorhead Redhawks and St. Paul Saints before opting to sign a contract with a the Long Beach Armada, a member of the new, independent Golden League based in Southern California and Arizona.
“I live in Newport now and the team is 20 minutes away,” Guthrie said. “I could have gone to the Northern League, but this is closer and my buddy’s on the team already. It’s more a question of comfort and where I’d have more fun.”
The 25-year-old Guthrie will see an increase in his monthly salary this summer. He earned about $850 per month with Lake Elsinore and will get $1,000 monthly from Long Beach. Had he stayed in Double A another season, Guthrie would have earned $1,450.
Former big league infielder Darrell Evans is Long Beach’s manager. Evans – who hit 414 homers in a 21-year career spent with Atlanta, San Francisco and Detroit – is one of several former “name” big league players who have joined the league as coaches.
“Darrell told me he’d give me a chance to start,” said the 6-foot-4 Guthrie. “Otherwise, I really have no idea what to expect. It’s similar to most independent leagues.”
Guthrie, who has grown fond of Southern California life, will start preseason workouts May 9. Opening day for the 90-game season is May 26.
“I’ve gotten used to living out here and I really like the area,” said Guthrie, who works as a valet in the offseason and spent four days home in Belfast last Christmas. “I’ve always liked living near the ocean. I like surfing and I just feel like I need to have fun.”
Rank professionals
There are currently four players with Maine connections toiling in the affiliated minor leagues: former Camden-Rockport High School and University of Maine pitcher Mike MacDonald, former Mount Ararat High School two-sport star Mark Rogers, former UMaine player and Portland native Simon Williams, and former UMaine pitcher Rusty Tucker.
Rogers, who was drafted fifth overall by the Milwaukee Brewers last June, is the only one among them ranked in Baseball America’s annual top 100 minor leaguers list. The 6-foot-2, 205-pound righthanded pitcher is ranked 55th overall and fifth among the Brewers’ top prospects.
The first Maine high schooler ever to get drafted in the first round signed a $2.2 million contract and had a solid first season for the Brewers’ Gulf Coast League rookie team last summer, going 0-3 with a 4.73 ERA. He had 35 strikeouts, 30 hits and 14 walks in 27 innings pitched.
Rogers, who scored higher than any other prospect on his pre-draft psychological tests, is off to an 0-1 start with Milwaukee’s Low Single A West Virginia Power team. He has a 6.52 ERA and has struck out 11 batters while allowing eight hits and seven walks in 9 2/3 innings of work.
Tucker isn’t included in the top 100 list, but is ranked 20th among San Diego Padres’ prospects. The college starting pitcher is now a closer for the Double A Mobile (Ala.) team and has an 0-1 record with a 4.50 ERA for the Bay Bears. The 6-1 lefthander, who had Tommy John elbow reconstructive surgery in August of 2003, has 11 strikeouts, seven walks and eight hits in eight innings.
Andrew Neff can be reached at 990-8205, 1-800-310-8600 or at aneff@bangordailynews.net
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