Wolfe Goes to School in Minors

Brian Wolfe says he’s comfortable with the choice he made.

Instead of pitching in college before starting his professional career, Wolfe signed with the Minnesota Twins last year after his senior year at Servite High.

Wolfe had signed with Cal State Fullerton, but after being selected in the sixth round of the amateur draft, he accepted the Twins’ $125,000 bonus offer and another $40,000 for a college fund, then went to Florida to play in the Gulf Coast Rookie League.

“This way, I think I’ll have a chance to get to the major leagues at a younger age, and that’s where the real money is,� Wolfe said.

But there is the other side of the coin.

Adam Johnson turned down an offer from the Twins after being drafted in the 25th round out of Torrey Pines High, pitched successfully for the Titans for three years, then signed with Minnesota for $2.5 million after last season. He was the No. 2 overall selection.

Wolfe, 19, is pitching this season for the Quad City River Bandits of Davenport, Iowa, the Twins’ Class-A team in the Midwest League. Johnson began his career in the higher Class A Florida State League with Fort Myers, Fla.

But Wolfe is confident he will move up when the time is right.

“That’s one thing I like about being in the minor leagues instead of pitching in college,� Wolfe said. “In the minor leagues, you have the chance to keep moving up whenever you’re ready for it, and every level is that much better.�

Wolfe said he found the Midwest League challenging after posting a 4-0 record and a 2.84 earned-run average last season.

“The players in the league last year were mostly my age, guys who had signed right after high school,� Wolfe said. “This year, the competition got a lot tougher. I’m probably one of the youngest guys in the league this year. I know I’m the second youngest player on my team and they say we’re the youngest team in the league.�

Wolfe has a 5-9 record and a 4.54 earned-run average on a team with a 3.63 staff ERA. He has started 18 games and pitched in five others, striking out 68 and walking 30 in 105 innings.

“I got off to a slow start this season,� Wolfe said. “We lost some tough games early, and weren’t scoring many runs. Then they tried to make some changes in my mechanics, but it didn’t feel right.

“For a while, my arm may have been a little tired, too, and I went to the bullpen for about four games. But I think I’m pitching well again now. The last three or four games coming out of the bullpen have helped my confidence.�

Still, Wolfe said he has some doubt that he will be able to move up to Fort Myers for the start of next season.

“I won’t be surprised if I come back [to Quad City] again,� he said. “I know I have the pitches, but I need to be able to hit my locations more consistently.�

Wolfe’s fastball is in the 90-mph range, and he also throws a changeup, curve and slider.

“The organization is high on him,� Quad City pitching coach Greg Lucas said. “But I think he’s learned that professional baseball is a marathon run. And he’s learned about the need for a good work ethic. He’s paying more attention to that.

“It’s been an adjustment for him because he was able to dominate hitters in the past. There have been times this season when he wasn’t as aggressive when hitters turned around some of his good pitches. He got by on his slider last summer, but now he’s developing a good changeup that will help him.�

Wolfe said he plans to attend college at some point. “I didn’t enroll last fall because I was invited to go to an instructional league, but I’m going to do it as soon as I can,� he said.

SHOWING POWER

Eric Valent, a former All-American outfielder at UCLA, is showing his power again this season with the double-A Reading, Pa., Phillies.

Valent, who played at Canyon High, ranks among the home run leaders in the Eastern League with 18 in 94 games. He is batting .268 with 68 runs batted in through Saturday.

Valent hit 20 homers in 134 games last season with Class-A Clearwater, Fla. He had 13 in 1998 when he split time with Piedmont (N.C.) and Clearwater.

The Phillies made Valent the 42nd overall selection in the 1988 draft.

TOUCHING BASES

Jeff Gates, a catcher for Cal State Fullerton this past season, has been assigned to the New York Yankees’ Staten Island, N.Y., team in the New York-Penn Rookie League. Gates has been sharing time at catcher with first-round draft choice David Parrish, who played at Esperanza High and Michigan. Gates is batting .283 with no homers and two RBIs in 53 at-bats through Saturday. Parrish, who also has been the designated hitter at times, is batting .250 with four homers and 14 RBIs in 120 at-bats.

Greg Jacobs, a left-handed pitcher for the Angels’ Class-A team at Lake Elsinore, has been put on the disabled list because of a strained left elbow. Jacobs was 2-1 with a 6.80 ERA and 43 walks in 41 innings through Saturday. Jacobs played at Canyon High, Cypress College and Cal State Fullerton.