Relieved Ginter Terrorizing Pitchers

Some things have changed for Keith Ginter.

Not so much on the baseball field, where he is still punishing mistakes made by pitchers. He is tied for the minor league lead with nine home runs and leads the Texas League with a .463 batting average while playing second base for Round Rock, the Houston Astros’ double-A affiliate.

His life, though, has forever been altered.

Ginter, who played at Fullerton High, was one of five Astro minor leaguers, along with a female friend of one of the players, held at gunpoint in their hotel room in Kissimmee, Fla., during spring training. Nobody in the group was injured, but nobody will forget what happened.

“I realize, and everyone involved realizes, that we got a second life,” Ginter said. “There is a very good chance we could be dead right now. That didn’t happen, but when I take the field every day, I thank God I’m playing with my teammates and friends.”

Ginter is not allowed to talk in detail about the case because it is under investigation.

Two gunmen burst into their hotel room on March 12, tied them up and robbed them.

None of the victims was hurt, but police wounded one of the gunmen minutes later as he struggled with another player.

“The whole thing is pretty hard for anyone to imagine,” Ginter said. “I have a whole new appreciation on life.”

That includes baseball.

Ginter, who also played at Cypress College and was a two-time All-American at Texas Tech, was a 10th-round draft pick by the Astros in 1998. He has progressed through their system quickly.

He was named the team’s MVP at Class-A Kissimmee last season, when he was among the Florida State League leaders in batting (.315), doubles (22), on-base percentage (.461) and slugging percentage (.515). He had 13 home runs and drove in 46 runs before a late-season promotion to double-A Jackson.

“The Astros haven’t talked to me about my hitting,” Ginter said. “They want me to work on my defense, my range and my speed. All those things go together. If I increase my speed, it will increase my range, which will help my defense.”

What he doesn’t need to increase is his power.

Ginter recently had a 16-game hitting streak that included home runs in four consecutive games. The hitting streak ended Saturday.

He has driven in 30 runs, second in the league, in the first 20 games. He leads the league in nearly every offensive category.

NO PITCH MAN

Ginter was also Cypress’ top relief pitcher in 1996. But he doesn’t miss mound duty.

“Nowadays, the hitters are too good,” he said. “I’ve seen how they hit. I see what pitchers throw. I’ll just stick to swinging the bat, thank you.”

MONEY HITTER

Michael Hessman, who played at Mater Dei, is off to a slow-but-powerful start with Greenville, Atlanta’s double-A affiliate. He is hitting .156 with 12 hits in 77 at-bats. But five of his hits have cleared the fence, as he is second in the Southern League with five home runs.

His strength should come as no surprise. Hessman, a 15th-round selection in 1996, was leading the Carolina League in home runs last August before suffering a broken bone in his left hand.

He finished third with 23 homers at Class-A Myrtle Beach. He hit 20 the previous season to finish tied for third in the Carolina League.

Hessman, a first baseman, has 64 home runs the past three seasons.

DUCK AND COVER

Edmonton’s Mike Fyhrie, sent to the bullpen because of the plethora of starting pitchers the Angels have shipped to the Trappers, is finding it a painful experience at times.

Fyhrie, who played at Ocean View High, replaced Tim Belcher in the sixth inning against Calgary last Tuesday. The third batter he faced lined a pitch, according to one Calgary official, “off Fyhrie’s spleen.”

Not that it fazed Fyhrie, who remained in the game. It was the only hit he gave up in two shutout innings.

A year ago, Fyhrie was in the Trappers’ starting rotation and pitched well enough to be called up by the Angels. He was 9-5 in 18 starts for Edmonton. He made seven starts with the Angels and had an 0-4 record.

Fyhrie is 1-1 with a 2.53 ERA in six relief appearances for Edmonton this season.