Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, May 3, 1990 TAG: 9005030098
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOHN SMALLWOOD
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
It was June 15, 1989, and he had just completed his career at NCAA Division III power Wisconsin-Oshkosh with a .375 batting average. But even though a record 1,490 players were drafted by major-league teams last year, Schreiber wasn't one of them.
So two weeks after the college season ended, Schreiber was putting his skills on display before a dozen or so scouts hoping to show them he was one of the ones who was overlooked.
The effort was well worth it.
Bill Bryk, an area supervisor for the Pittsburgh Pirates, liked what he saw and offered Schreiber a minor-league contract.
"He came up to me and told me they were looking for a middle infielder," Schreiber said. "The following day, which was a Thursday, he called me and told me he wanted to sign me."
That was all the motivation Schreiber needed. No signing bonus was offered and none was requested.
"I didn't sign for anything, just a chance to play, that's it," Schreiber said. "I just wanted an opportunity to play pro ball. As a matter of fact, I had to drive back to Milwaukee on Friday to sign. [Bryk] didn't even come up to my house."
Schreiber quit his job as a machine operator at a hometown mill, where he had just started working. And the day after signing a Class A contract, he was on a plane bound for Princeton, W.Va., to play for Pittsburgh's affiliate in the rookie Appalachian League.
"It was bang, bang, bang, and I was gone," Schreiber said.
He's still moving forward.
Schreiber hit .348 in 224 at-bats at Princeton. He had 71 hits, drove in 38 runs and scored 31 runs in 64 games.
Those statistics, combined with an outstanding spring training, convinced the Pirates that Schreiber, who will turn 23 on Friday, was ready to play in Salem. He bypassed Welland, Ontario, of the short-season Class A New York-Penn League and Augusta, Ga., of South Atlantic League, which is full-season Class A but usually features less-experienced players.
The rapid advancement hasn't bothered Schreiber thus far. He leads the Bucs with a batting average of .333. Batting second in the order, he has a team-high 27 hits and an on-base percentage of .393.
If the major-league scouting system is so extensive, why wasn't Schreiber selected in a draft in which teams can pick as many prospects as they want?
Schreiber was a victim of the wooden bat/aluminum bat controversy that exists between professional baseball and amateur baseball.
Amateurs use aluminum bats and, because a ball carries better off aluminum than wood, it makes it harder for scouts to project how effective a hitter will be as a professional.
Schreiber had never used a wooden bat until he reported to Princeton.
"One of the reasons they told me I wasn't drafted was because they didn't think I could swing a wooden bat," Schreiber said. "That was their argument, I guess."
For the third time in as many weeks, Howe Sportsdata International has named a Salem Buccaneer as its Carolina League batter of the week. This time it's outfielder Chris Estep, who hit .400 in 20 at-bats. Included in Estep's eight hits were four home runs. He drove in 10 runs, scored five and had a slugging percentage of 1.000 and an on-base percentage of .500. Estep leads the league with six home runs.
Center fielder Greg Sims won the award the first week of the season and outfielder Domingo Merejo got it the second week. An early Bucs favorite for the next award is shortstop Mike Huyler, who has seven hits in 13 at-bats this week.
The Carolina League pitcher of the week has had a little more variety. Anthony Telford, 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA, is the second Frederick Key to win the award. In 17 innings last week, Telford gave up two runs, neither earned, on 11 hits. He struck out 14 and walked one. Teammate Arthur Rhodes was the league's top pitcher the first week of the season and Prince William's Frank Seminara, who has yet to yield an earned run in 22 innings, won it the second week.
The Peninsula Pilots may have a major-league affiliation with the Seattle Mariners this season after going the independent route in recent years, but that hasn't been enough to convince fans in the Hampton Roads area to come to the ballpark. Peninsula is the only Carolina League team whose average attendence is less than 1,000. In 10 home games, the Pilots have drawn 7,548 fans to aged War Memorial Stadium. That's an average of 755 in the 4,330-seat stadium. Still their pace is considerably better than last season, when the Pilots' total attendence was 20,059.
\ FAMILIAR FACES IN OTHER PLACES: Most of the 1989 Buccaneers are now with the Harrisburg Senators of the Class AA Eastern League. Through April 30, outfielder Moises Alou was leading the team with 18 hits, 10 RBI and five stolen bases. He also had a team-high slugging percentage of .417. Pitcher Randy Tomlin, the Bucs' top starter a year ago, is 1-1 with a 2.20 ERA. Reliever Joe Ausanio has pitched just one inning. . . . Through April 25, former Virginia Tech standout George Canale is one of the top hitters in the the Class AAA American Association. Canale is batting .342 in 23 games with the Denver Zephyrs, a farm club of the Milwaukee Brewers. He has 27 hits in 79 at-bats, with 15 walks. . . . Last year with the Frederick Keys, Jack Voight hit 10 home runs with 77 RBI in 406 at-bats. In 70 at-bats with the Hagerstown Suns of the Eastern League, Voight has six homers and 20 RBI, both of which lead the league. His slugging percentage is .729 and his .343 batting average is fourth in the league.
by CNB