Perhaps one Mohr player is in his way
At least 10 of Rochester native Michael Restovich's Class AAA Rochester (N.Y.) teammates have spent time on the Minnesota Twins' major league roster this season.
The Twins' recent trade of Bobby Kielty to Toronto for Shannon Stewart only solidifies Restovich's chances of making the major league club next spring. The Twins won't re-sign Stewart, a free agent, meaning the right field job will be open next spring to Dustan Mohr and Restovich.
Mohr is considered by most in the Twins organization as a versatile, fourth outfielder. Restovich, who is hitting .266 with 14 home runs and 63 RBIs in the International League, still offers power-hitting potential the Twins lack.
Michael Cuddyer, who has been injured most of the season, already was afforded an opportunity in the Twins' outfield -- last season and this spring. But he was often considered a liability in the field. If he has a future with the Twins, it's likely at second base.
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A source close to the Twins told the Post-Bulletin last March, by the way, that Kielty would be the outfielder the Twins would trade this season. That, of course, came to fruition. The source then said that Restovich would be afforded his best opportunity to make the major league club in spring, 2004.
• Motocross; superstar Ricky Carmichael saw his AMA-record 18-race winning streak ended last weekend in New Berlin, N.Y. Carmichael and the entire AMA fraternity of motorcycle racing stars will make their annual U.S. Motocross Championships stop at Spring Creek Motocross Park near Millville on Aug. 16-17. Almost 19,000 fans attended last year's Sunday event.
• Kenyon; native Guye Senjem is hitting .253 for the Class AA Chattanooga Lookouts (Cincinnati) in the Southern League. Senjem has hit seven home runs -- third best on the team -- with 38 RBIs.
• After; undergoing hernia surgery last summer, Mantorville native Scott Threinen is hitting .206 with two RBIs in just 34 at-bats for the Class A Mahoning Valley Scrappers (Cleveland).
Lake City native Brian Sprout is hitting .301 with 31 RBIs in a team-high 229 at-bats for Fargo-Moorhead in the independent Northern League.…; Jeff Bittiger, who as a pitcher was 1-0 for the Minnesota Twins during the 1987 World Series season, is Fargo's pitching coach.
• Former; Rochester Royals pitcher Mark Skrukrud, an Eyota native, is 2-1 with a 2.03 ERA in 262⁄3; innings for the Chillicothe (Ohio) Paints in the independent Frontier League.
• Byron; native Owen Hoegh is 3-2 for the Rochester Honkers in the Northwoods League. Hoegh has walked 22 and struck out 68 in 602⁄3; innings pitched.
• Former; Royals pitcher Justin Sokol, who was drafted by the San Diego Padres last month, pitched a complete game, two-hit shutout for Thunder Bay against Mankato in Northwoods League baseball Thursday. Sokol improved to 5-1 with a 3.06 ERA. He has walked 16 and struck out 36 in 612⁄3; innings pitched.
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• Sokol's; teammate, Lewiston-Altura grad Andy Kreidermacher, is 4-5 with a 5.89 ERA. Kreidermacher has walked 18 and struck out 31 in 471⁄3; innings pitched.
• Rochester; native Ryan Fulton is hitting .190 for the Duluth Huskies in the Northwoods League.
Soon-to-be Kasson-Mantorville senior Nick Albrecht is one of two 18-and-under Minnesota baseball players to be selected to play in the Dodgertown World Series Aug. 13-17 in Florida.
• Brendan; Adams recently resigned as Rochester John Marshall wrestling coach. He will still be an assistant coach at JM for football and softball. Rochester supervisor of athletics Gary Addington said JM's wrestling head coaching vacancy has been posted, and should be filled this fall.
• Addington; hopes to fill the JM gymnastics head coaching vacancy soon.
After trading for Latrell Sprewell, former Boston Celtics star and current Timberwolves vice president of basketball operations Kevin McHale said that, "Chemistry is something I didn't take a lot of in school." Addington taught social studies, not chemistry at Hibbing High, where McHale attended school.
Troy Young's local sports notebook runs every Thursday and Saturday. He can be reached at tyoung@postbulletin.com
