Ferguson Establishes His Work Ethic

Joe Buzas, the 78-year-old owner and general manager of the Minnesota Twins’ triple-A franchise in Salt Lake City, liked the way Jeff Ferguson played baseball right from the start.

“He’s my kind of player,” Buzas said. “He really hustles. He’s no California coaster.”

California coaster?

“Yeah, that was our name for the players from California in the old days,” Buzas said with a laugh. “It was more of a joking thing. But it was our way of saying that the California players had it a lot easier than us guys from back in the East because they had more time to practice with the good weather. A lot of them were more developed than we were.”

Ferguson, for certain, has never been known to coast. Or to take baseball success for granted, the way Buzas thought at least a few California players might have done when Buzas was playing in the Pacific Coast League for Seattle in the 1940s.

Far from it.

Ferguson built a reputation of being a hard-nosed, give-it-your-best-shot player when he helped lead Cal State Fullerton to the 1994 College World Series. Ferguson, a second baseman, earned All-American recognition and was Big West Conference co-player of the year.

As a junior that season, Ferguson hit .370 and led the Titans in home runs (12) and runs batted in (59), a performance that overshadowed his more heralded teammate, outfielder Dante Powell.

Powell was a first-round pick of the San Francisco Giants in the amateur draft in 1994, while Ferguson wasn’t taken until the ninth round by the Twins.

But Ferguson, who is 5 feet 10 and 180 pounds with only average speed, is still making the most of his ability.

It’s no surprise that Powell is playing triple-A ball with Phoenix in the Pacific Coast League this season, since he’s regarded as the Giants’ second-best prospect in the minors, and made a brief appearance in the majors early in the year. But Ferguson might be a little ahead of schedule.

“I suppose I am a little surprised to be in triple-A this quickly,” said Ferguson. “Especially when you consider the fact that I haven’t been able to play a full season yet because of injuries.”

After signing in 1994, Ferguson was sent to the Twins’ Class-A team in Fort Wayne (Ind.), but he played only 22 games there before a freak injury to his right wrist when he was batting put him on the sidelines the rest of the season.

“I must have hit the ball off the end of the bat, and I felt something pop in my wrist,” Ferguson said.

Then he missed the 1995 season because of a broken thumb in spring training.

Ferguson’s career resumed last season with double-A New Britain (Conn.) in the Eastern League. He batted a respectable .285, with five homers and a had 25-game hitting streak. But even then, he sat out nearly a month of the season with a strained groin muscle.

“Last year I think my body just broke down because I wasn’t ready physically for a 140-game season,” Ferguson said. “You play a lot of baseball in college, but it’s not the same as doing it every day in the pros. I worked hard in the off-season to try to build myself up for this season and I hope that helps.”

Ferguson picked up a fairly influential supporter along the way. Buzas, who also owns the New Britain franchise, was impressed with Ferguson when he saw him play there last season, and said he had no hesitation about whether Ferguson could compete this year on the triple-A level.

“He seems to have the kind of determination you need to be successful, and that’s one of the things I liked about him,” Buzas said. “He’s the kind of player who helps a team win baseball games. And I think he might have a chance to get to the big leagues in two or three years if he gets some breaks.”

Phil Roof, the Salt Lake City manager, agrees.

“He’s just been with us a short time, but he’s already shown that he’s a good situation hitter,” Roof said.

Roof plans to give Ferguson some experience at shortstop and third base in addition to his regular position at second.

“I see him as a possible utility player on the major league level, and so he’s going to need some experience on the other side of the infield,” Roof said. “But he’s solid defensively and executes everything pretty well.”

Ferguson says he left Fullerton well prepared because of the coaching he received from Augie Garrido and George Horton. “They taught me how important the mental aspects of the game are, and that’s helped me a lot,” Ferguson said.

Ferguson spent most of spring training with the triple-A club, but found himself back in New Britain when the regular season began.

It turned out to be old home week back in the Eastern League, with former Titans Mark Kotsay and Mike Parisi at Portland (Maine), Adam Millan with Reading (Pa.), Jim Betzsold with Akron (Ohio), and Tim Dixon with Harrisburg (Pa.). Another former Titan, Joe Fraser, was a teammate at New Britain.

Ferguson and Kotsay each had homers in one game between their teams early in the season, but Ferguson wasn’t hitting as well as he hoped he would when he was called up.

“I was only a little over .240, but Salt Lake had some injuries and that’s probably one of the reasons they brought me up this season,” Ferguson said. “When they called me, they said it could be for anywhere from one week to the rest of the season, so I guess it will depend on how I do.”

Roof says he expects Ferguson to be in triple-A for the rest of the year.

Ferguson got off to a good start with Salt Lake City, getting 11 hits, including two doubles, in his first 34 at-bats. He is now batting .268 after 23 games. “I’m just excited about being in triple-A,” Ferguson said. “It’s a good situation with crowds around 10,000 for most games at home. I feel I can play here, and I hope I can take advantage of the opportunity I’ve been given.”