For Manager, Midseason Roster Turnover Is Business as Usual

By Steve Argeris
Special to The Washington Post
Thursday, July 3, 2003; Page PG19

The incredible roster turnover by midseason is a fact of life in the minor leagues, but that does not make each summer any easier to take for Bowie Baysox Manager Dave Trembley.

In his 17th season as a minor league manager, Trembley has seen about four dozen players come through his clubhouse at some point this season. As of the weekend, just three position players and one-fifth of the original starting rotation remained.

"How I try to deal with it is to explain to everyone who comes through the door what the program is," Trembley said. "I try to treat everyone with respect and fairness and put an emphasis on fundamentals and preparation."

On the active roster, only Mike Fontenot, Keith Reed and Josh Hoffpauir have played in at least 50 games with the Baysox.

Two of the promotions that most pleased Trembley were center fielder Tim Raines Jr. and starter Matt Riley.

Both players' professionalism had been called into question previously. Those concerns were put to rest quickly this season as they became leaders in the clubhouse and played well throughout the spring.

Raines had been the Baysox's catalyst out of the leadoff spot, stealing 28 bases, hitting .308 with 4 home runs and 26 RBI. Riley anchored the Bowie rotation, going 5-2 with a 3.11 ERA in 14 starts. He struck out 73 and walked just 23.

"I felt very, very proud of the success of Riley and Raines," Trembley said. "At times, watching both of them, there were occasions when I felt like they could be playing in the big leagues on a particular night."

In five games with Ottawa, Raines has hit .348, and Riley (1-0) has made two starts, giving up two runs in 12 innings.

Rijo Tosses Shutout

Fernando Rijo (3-6) gave Bowie its first nine-inning shutout when he blanked the Harrisburg Senators, 7-0, on the road Saturday. Rijo struck out seven and gave up one hit and one walk. He has had great success against Harrisburg, pitching seven scoreless innings in a 5-0 shutout of the Senators on June 16. . . .

Bowie was 38-39 as of Sunday. The Baysox are 12 games behind first-place Akron in the Eastern League's Southern Division, but it is their best record at this point in four years. The main reason is mostly stellar pitching, with a staff third among the Eastern League's 12 teams with a 3.75 ERA.