TUESDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2015 | WEST HAWAII TODAY
SPORTS
2B
Where does Hawaii
football go from here?
The simple answer is
home.
“Just go back to work,
try to get better,” coach
NormChow said Saturday
after a 55-0 loss at Boise
State.
The hard part for the
Rainbow Warriors (2-3,
1-0 Mountain West) will
be finding ways to muster
offense. Hawaii already
has been shutout three
times this season, some-
thing that hasn’t hap-
pened since 1966.
There was hope that
lopsided road losses at
Ohio State and Wisconsin
would at least better pre-
pare Hawaii for confer-
ence play, but Saturday’s
drubbing in which it
was outgained 554-170
and trailed 49-0 at half-
time was the fifth-worst
league setback in program
history.
“It’s just one loss, it’s
just one game,” Chow said.
“That’s what I told the
kids, it’s just one game.
You hope to come through
healthy, and we’ll have to
check that out.”
When asked if Boise
State was the best team
he’d faced this season,
Chow shrugged. “That’s a
good football team, and
we’ve played some other
pretty good teams this
year too.”
Chow added that he
didn’t think any team in
the Mountain West would
offer the challenge the
Broncos did.
Hawaii returns home
Saturday night to face
San Diego State at Aloha
Stadium, the Rainbow
Warriors only home con-
test in a five-week stretch.
The Aztecs are also 2-3
and coming off a 21-7 vic-
tory against Fresno State
in their home opener.
“Regroup, keep fight-
ing,” Chow said. “I thought
some guys stepped up,
played
pretty
good,
(defensive back) Dejaun
Butler in particular. We
knew this was going to
be tough, you guys knew
that, but it’s still tough.
We need to play better,
which we’ll do.”
Volleyball
As expected, the No.
10 Rainbow Wahine (14-1,
4-0) cruised past a pair
of teams it has never lost
against.
The downside was the
injury bug in Southern
California.
Sophomore
outside
hitter Kalei Greeley went
down in the Game 2 of
a 25-17, 25-15, 25-5 vic-
tory Saturday against
UC Riverside and did
not return. Setter Tayler
Higgins missed her first
start in 43 matches as she
sat out because of an inju-
ry suffered Friday at Cal
State Fullerton.
Junior opposite hit-
ter Nikki Taylor saw her
streak of finishing with
double-digit kills end at
Fullerton, but she post-
ed a match-high 14 kills
on .448 hitting against
Riverside. Hilo native Tai
Manu-Olevao finished with
nine kills and 11 digs for the
Wahine, who’s Game 3 rout
tied the program’s largest
victory in a set.
Olivia Magill, Manu-
Olevao and Greeley each
smacked eight kills in the
25-11, 25-16, 25-13 win
against Fullerton.
Soccer
Caitlyn Kreutz and Elise
Krieghoff each scored
twice Sunday night as Cal
Poly overpowered Hawaii
7-2 at Waipio Peninsula
Soccer Complex on Oahu.
Tiana Fujimoto and Keala
Parker-Lee netted goals for
the RainbowWahine (3-9-1,
0-2 Big West).
Cal Poly (5-3-5, 1-1) was
outshot 16-11 but put 10
shots on frame.
UHNOTEBOOK
Hawaii Football at
crossroads after
latest shutout
Masahiro Tanaka (12-7) said
Monday after a meeting that not
only focused on the Astros but
also how players could support
their friend and teammate.
To advance to the Division
Series and face the Royals in a
best-of-five matchup that begins
Thursday night in Kanas City,
the Yankees will have to figure
out how to beat the AL’s only
20-game winner in a winner-
take-all playoff Tuesday night
after going scoreless against him
in 16 innings this season.
Keuchel (20-8) might have
trouble walking the streets of
Manhattan these days with his
distinctive bushy beard giving
him away to fans, but he’s been
elusive on the mound in a season
that has made him a Cy Young
Award candidate.
And first-year manager A.J.
Hinch, who pressed all the right
buttons in guiding the surpris-
ing Astros to their first postsea-
son in 10 years, is confident his
27-year-old ace will handle the
short rest without a problem.
“I think his preparation is fine.
Physically he’s fine. It’s just a
little bit of a different routine,”
Hinch said. “It probably garners
more attention than it needs to.
But at the end of the day, I think
if he pitches well it will be a lot
of guts and he came through
on short rest. If he doesn’t pitch
well, then it’s a change in routine
and a lack of rest.”
Keuchel sees the questions
about his ability to start without
regular rest just one more reason
for Houston to defy expectations.
The young ballclub, with a rising
star in rookie shortstop Carlos
Correa, is two years removed
from a 111-loss season. But the
Astros surprised almost every-
one in baseball by racing out
to a big lead in the AL West
only to fade in September before
rallying and earning the second
wild card on the final day of the
schedule.
“We proved people wrong con-
tinuously throughout the season
and we’re going to try to contin-
ue to do that,” Keuchel said.
The storied Yankees were also
a bit of a surprise; not much
was expected from an aging ros-
ter with pitching questions the
year after Derek Jeter hung up
his spikes. But led by the resur-
gent Alex Rodriguez and Mark
Teixeira (who is injured), New
York sat atop the AL East late
into the summer before slump-
ing down the stretch.
Keuchel will be facing a New
York lineup that has limped
into the postseason, losing six of
seven games.
In better times for the Yankees,
Keuchel shut them out with a
six-hitter in Houston on June 25.
He repeated that impressive per-
formance in the Bronx, pitching
three-hit ball for seven innings
on Aug. 25.
“He’s a guy who keeps the ball
down in the zone,” Yankees man-
ager Joe Girardi said. “You can’t
chase on him.”
Jason Castro, who has
caught Keuchel throughout his
development into this year’s AL
All-Star Game starter, credits a
slider the left-hander can spot
well repeatedly as one of the keys
to his success.
“He’s come a long way. He’s
made some great improvements
over the last few years,” Castro
said. “His slider has developed
into a plus pitch.”
If the Yankees are going to
finally get to Keuchel in their
first postseason game since 2012,
they might need Brett Gardner,
Jacoby Ellsbury and Rodriguez
to emerge from their second-half
swoon.
But A-Rod, who has struggled
mightily in many Octobers past,
sees things differently.
Just as this season was for
him after sitting out last year
because of a drug suspension,
the postseason is a clean slate for
everyone.
“It all goes back to reset,” he
said.
that does not sound like a ter-
rible proposition. But the Cubs
are looking for more than just a
one-game cameo in the playoffs.
“Joe said at the beginning of
spring training that the hardest
thing to do is crack the postsea-
son the first time,” Rizzo said.
“Then you learn how to win. I
think this organization has really
grown, especially since I’ve been
here.”
The Cubs went from winning
73 games to finishing with the
third-best record in baseball at
97-65.
They are in the postseason for
the first time since the 2007 and
2008 teams won the NL Central.
And if they beat Pittsburgh, the
Cubs will do something they
have not done since Game 4
of the 2003 NL championship
series — win a playoff game. No
need to recount what happened
in that series against the Florida
Marlins. Or that the Cubs last
won the World Series in 1908.
Chicago comes in as arguably
the hottest team in the majors
with eight straight wins and a
46-19 record since July 27. No
team had as good a road record
(48-33) and no pitcher won as
many games as Arrieta (22).
Yet, the playoffs also are new
territory for him. Same goes
for rookies Kris Bryant, Kyle
Schwarber and Addison Russell,
as well as some of the veterans in
the lineup.
“Obviously the adrenaline is
going to be running a little more,
but I think we are ready for it,”
Rizzo said.
The Cubs have been build-
ing to this moment ever since
they hired president of baseball
operations Theo Epstein, who
knows a thing or two about end-
ing curses, and general manager
Jed Hoyer in the fall of 2011.
They began restocking the
farm system, loading up on pros-
pects, and this is the payoff. Not
that it was an easy process.
The overhaul tested fans’
patience, and it showed at the
box office. Attendance dipped
every year from 3,300,200 in
2008 to 2,642,682 in 2013.
There was a slight increase in
2014 (2,652,113) followed by a
big jump this year (2,959,812).
Outside Wrigley Field on
Monday afternoon, the famed
marquee had the usual ads. A
few fans stopped to take pic-
tures, as usual.
But make no mistake there is
a noticeable buzz around the old
ballpark. It has been building
since last season when the team
started to call up some of its
touted prospects.
It got kicked up another notch
in the offseason when the Cubs
brought in Maddon and Jon
Lester, signaling they felt they
were ready to contend. And it
reached another level this season.
There is a belief that the Cubs
are built to last, that this is not
just a short window of conten-
tion. Whether this ultimately
leads to that elusive champion-
ship at some point is obviously to
be determined.
This much is certain. A big
moment arrives Wednesday.
“Everyone feels really good
going into there and hopefully
get past that one and get to a
full series,” pitcher Dan Haren
said. “The team’s been amazing
with 97 wins. I think we like our
chances.”
NL:
Cubs go from 73 win season to third best record in Major League Baseball
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1B
AL:
20-game winner Keuchel has held Yankees scoreless this season over 16 innings
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1B
As a first-round draft pick,
Milwaukee Brewers farmhand
Kodi Medeiros is a prized pros-
pect, and so is Tampa Bay Rays
minor leaguer Kean Wong, who’s
being fast-tracked.
But for other players with
Hawaii ties, they face long odds
in reaching the big leagues, and
luckily some who wash out end
up on TV, such as KHON2’s Sam
Spangler, a former University of
Hawaii pitcher.
Baseball America once did
a study and found that one in
six picks, or 17 percent, from
the Major League Baseball June
draft will reach the big leagues.
No surprise, the success rate
is higher for first-round picks,
around 73 percent, and falls off
a cliff from there, down to 7 per-
cent after the 20th round.
From 1999 to 2014, there
were 73 players with Hawaii ties
(college or high school) drafted
and signed by MLB organiza-
tions. Of the group, 10 players,
or 14 percent, have made it to
the major leagues, including only
five (Jerome Williams, Shane
Victorino, Brandon League, Kurt
Suzuki and Kolten Wong) with
more time than a small cup of
coffee.
Suzuki, the Minnesota Twins
catcher, and Kolten Wong spent
little time in theminors, andwere
fast-tracked. Each advanced a
level after every season.
If there’s one trend, it’s that
college-drafted players have lit-
tle margin for slumps because
there’s roster spot competition
with the annual MLB draft.
A good example is former UH
first baseman Marc Flores, the
Chicago White Sox’ 30th round
pick in 2014. In the Arizona
Rookie League, he batted .222
with a .660 OPS in 117 at-bats.
He was released and played
independent ball this year.
Wong, the St. Louis second
baseman, kept earning promo-
tions because he hit everywhere
he went. After only two pro sea-
sons, he was sent to the Arizona
Fall League, the tough offsea-
son competition for the best
prospects.
It’s a small sample size, but
Wong batted .324 with a .342
on-base average and .734 OPS
(on-base plus slugging) in 74
at-bats in the AFL, nearly on
par with his Double-A numbers,
.287, .348 on-base and .754 OPS
in 523 at-bats.
Spangler was drafted by the
Pittsburgh Pirates in the 20th
round in 2009. He lasted two
seasons in the low minors, and
finished with a 1-3 record and a
4.95 ERA in 72 2/3 innings.
The Rainbow Warriors have
been pretty steady in developing
draft talent. They’ve had at least
one player drafted in 14 of the
last 15 years; 2013 was the lone
shutout. (In 2015, UH pitchers
Tyler Brashears, LJ Brewster
and Quintin Torres-Costa were
drafted.)
In that 14-year span, 34 UH
players have been drafted with
a six-player class in 2011, high-
lighted by Wong, a first-round
pick and the 22nd overall
selection.
Wong and Blake Amaral are
2008
Kamehameha-Hawaii
graduates. Amaral was drafted
by the Los Angeles Angels as a
Hawaii Pacific senior in the 40th
round in 2012.
Like Flores, Amaral played one
season in the Arizona League
and was released. He batted .176
in 68 at-bats.
LONGER LEASH
In that 16-season span (1999
to 2014), 19 prep players from
Hawaii were drafted and signed,
and only one was released after
a single season. Aiea pitcher
Randy Castillo, a 31st round pick
by the Seattle Mariners in 2008,
was that unfortunate anomaly.
He went 1-1 with a 4.81 ERA in
the Arizona League.
The patience with youth
should provide outfielder Jodd
Carter, a 2014 Hilo graduate
and the Cleveland Indians’ 24th
round pick, a bit of breathing
room.
He’s spending his offseason
working out at Kaha Wong’s bat-
ting cage on Railroad Avenue.
Carter couldn’t be reached for
comment.
Carter, 19, started the year in
extended spring training. When
camp broke and players were
assigned to their affiliate teams
(Low, Advanced A, Double-A,
etc.) or released, Carter was
held back at the Goodyear, Ariz.,
facility to work with instruc-
tors. There were no games to be
played, only daily practices.
After the June draft, that’s
when the rookie leagues and
short-season leagues start. Not
all teams have a short-season
club; the Indians have one, the
Mahoning Valley Scrappers.
Carter was sent to the AZL
for the second straight time
and performed well; he hit .273
with a stellar .828 OPS in 55
at-bats, and earned a promotion
to Mahoning Valley.
In the New York-Pennsylvania
League, Carter batted .233 with
a .607 OPS in 159 at-bats in his
first taste in slightly higher cali-
ber competition.
He played with Saint Louis
graduate Ka’ai Tom, a fifth-
round pick out of Kansas. Tom
batted .283 with a .777 OPS in
258 at-bats. Nathan Lukes, a sev-
enth-round pick out of Cal State
Sacramento, also added to the
outfield depth.
Tom and Lukes, the 2015 draft
picks, and Carter will all be fight-
ing for spots on the Single-A
full-season affiliate, Lake County
Captains, who carried only four
outfielders.
If Carter doesn’t become a
Captain, he’ll likely have the
safety net of another round of
extended spring training, and an
opportunity at Mahoning Valley,
again, playing with another draft
class.
NEVER TOO SMALL
Bryce Uegawachi, a Kaiser
graduate, is a good example that
MLB doesn’t necessarily draft
giants.
The slick-fielding shortstop
stood 5 feet 6 and weighed 150
pound when the Indians drafted
him in the 26th round out of
HPU in 2001.
He played two seasons at
Mahoning Valley, and finished
with a .224 batting average in
250 at-bats, and held a .950
fielding percentage.
The biggest Hawaii hit in a
small package is Kolten Wong,
who’s listed at 5 feet 9.
The Cardinals claimed the NL
Central with 100 victories and
Wong, 24, is going to the post-
season for the third consecutive
season.
No minor mistakes allowed for college grads
BASEBALL
BY KEVIN JAKAHI
HAWAII TRIBUNE-HERALD
St. Louis Cardinals' Kolten Wong follows through on a two-
run single in a game on Sept. 26 against the Brewers
.
JEFF
ROBERSON/
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
