Garland Grows by Light Years in Birmingham

Jon Garland is coming of age in Birmingham, Ala.

At 19, the former Kennedy High pitcher is the youngest player in the double-A Southern League.

But his youth and the fact he’s within sight of the major leagues hardly has the former first-round pick intimidated.

“It’s the same game wherever you go,” said Garland, who last week was called up to the Birmingham Barons by the Chicago White Sox. “If you make good pitches, they’re good pitches anywhere.”

Garland has made a lot of good pitches since his promotion from the Class-A Winston-Salem Warthogs, going 2-0 with a 0.75 earned-run average in two starts for Birmingham.

On Thursday, he allowed no earned runs in a 5-2 victory over Jacksonville and earned praise from Manager Chris Cron of the Barons after working his way out of a sixth-inning jam caused by two errors.

“That shows a lot right there,” Cron told reporters. “Being only 19, being able to settle down after something happens, that’s big time.”

Garland didn’t expect to be in Birmingham, at least not this soon. But surprises are becoming routine for the right-hander.

The 10th overall pick by the Chicago Cubs in 1997, Garland signed for a $1.325 million bonus, but was dealt last season to the White Sox for relief pitcher Matt Karchner.

“I never saw it coming,” said Garland, who was 1-4 with a 5.40 ERA at Class-A Hickory last season after the trade.

Combined with his 5-7 record this season at Winston-Salem, it had Garland thinking a double-A assignment might still be a season away.

“I was surprised to make the jump, to be honest,” he said. “I thought I’d be in [Winston-Salem] all year.

“Those aren’t my decisions. The only part that is up to me is the pitching.”

Spoken like a man well beyond his years.

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Ryan Stromsborg, from Notre Dame High, has put together an impressive lineup.

Stromsborg, an outfielder for the double-A Knoxville Smokies in the Toronto Blue Jays organization, will marry his high school sweetheart, Samantha Weiss, on Nov. 27.

The wedding party reads like a Who’s Who of local sports.

Stromsborg’s groomsmen will include Gabe Alvarez of the Detroit Tigers; Aaron Boone of the Cincinnati Reds; Geoff Jenkins of the Milwaukee Brewers; wide receiver Danny Farmer of UCLA and his brother, Tim, former captain of Loyola Marymount’s men’s volleyball team; former Notre Dame teammates Chris Garza, a double-A pitcher for the Minnesota Twins, Glen Carson, who played at USC and Nevada, and Lou Tapia, who played at UC Santa Barbara; and Alfonzo Montoya, former USC stolen base leader.

Stromsborg’s best man will be his brother, Kevin, a UCLA linebacker.

Stephen Stromsborg, another brother who attends Notre Dame, also will be a groomsman.

Among the invited guests include Jeff Suppan of the Kansas City Royals from Crespi; infielder Brad Fullmer of the Montreal Expos from Montclair Prep; catcher Bobby Hughes of the Brewers from Notre Dame, and infielder Rich Aude of the Chicago White Sox organization from Chatsworth.

“We could have a pretty good intramural team in just about any sport,” Stromsborg said of the group.

Stromsborg, who had three hits on Friday in a Southern League doubleheader against the Carolina Mudcats, is batting .244 with nine home runs and 37 RBIs.

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Trivia Time: Ken Griffey Jr. hit his 385th career home run last week, tying a former Valley-area player for 35th place on the all-time list. Who did he tie?

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Team names and coaching staffs for the new California League Fall League were announced last week.

The league, which operated last year out of Maryland, will have teams based in Lancaster, Rancho Cucamonga, San Bernardino and Lake Elsinore.

The Lancaster entry, named the Stealth, will be managed by hitting coach Lloyd McLendon of the Pittsburgh Pirates and feature prospects from the Seattle Mariners, Pirates, Arizona Diamondbacks, Detroit Tigers, Colorado Rockies, Minnesota Twins and St. Louis Cardinals.

The Rancho Cucamonga Surfers, managed by Bill Russell, will be stocked by the San Diego Padres, Tampa Bay Devil Rays, Toronto Blue Jays, Cleveland Indians, Houston Astros and New York Yankees.

The San Bernardino Sand Dragons, managed by Billy Gardner, will feature players from the Dodgers, Boston Red Sox, Atlanta Braves, Texas Rangers, Florida Marlins, Chicago Cubs and Cincinnati Reds.

The Lake Elsinore Land Sharks, managed by Garry Templeton, will receive players from the Angels, Baltimore Orioles, Milwaukee Brewers, San Francisco Giants, New York Mets and Montreal Expos.

The 42-game schedule begins Sept. 23. Rosters will be determined at a later date.

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Barry Zito, the ninth pick overall by the Oakland Athletics in June, has completely dominated Class-A California League hitters, striking out 52 and allowing only 18 hits in 33 1/3 innings.

On Friday night, he fanned seven and didn’t allow an earned run in 5 2/3 innings of a 4-3 victory over San Bernardino.

Zito, who pitched for Pierce College and USC, didn’t get the decision and is 2-0 with a 2.16 earned-run average.

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Jorge Piedra, from Notre Dame High, left the Vero Beach Dodgers last week to have his ailing back checked in Los Angeles by team doctor Frank Jobe.

Piedra, who hasn’t played since July 15, was batting .288 for Vero Beach, the Dodgers’ Florida State League affiliate.

A Vero Beach spokesman said if Piedra is cleared, he likely would begin a rehabilitation assignment at San Bernardino, the organization’s other Class-A club.

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Left-hander Andrew Lorraine, from Hart High, was recalled by the Chicago Cubs on Friday and pitched a three-hit shutout against the Houston Astros, who had the best record in the National League.

Lorraine, who threw only 108 pitches in the 6-0 victory, was appearing for his fifth major league team. He previously pitched for the Angels, White Sox, Athletics and Mariners, but has never thrown more than 30 innings in any season.

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Trivia answer: Dwight Evans, former Chatsworth High outfielder, also hit 385 career home runs.

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Short hops: Right-hander Wayne Nix of Oakland affiliate Modesto, from Monroe High, is eighth in the Class-A California League with a 3.52 ERA. . . . Pitcher Angel Aragon of San Diego Padre affiliate Rancho Cucamonga, from Channel Islands High, is fifth in saves with 13. . . . Jacob Cruz of the Cleveland Indians, formerly of Channel Islands, was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a torn ligament in his right thumb.