The Pacific Coast League has long been known for its offense. Football-type scores with both teams finishing with scores in the teens are commonplace, as most of the ballparks - not to mention the rarified mountain air - favor the hitters over the pitchers.
But Salt Lake pitching coach Gorman Heimueller feels the Buzz has the pitching staff to keep the opponents to a reasonable number of runs."Pitching should be the strength of the team," Heimuller said. "We have some good young pitchers, but we also have experience. It should be a nice mix."
Of the 23 players on the active roster, 12 are pitchers. When catcher Tim McIntosh comes off the disabled list next week, the Buzz are expected to cut the pitching staff down to 11. Of the 12 pitchers on the Buzz staff, no fewer than seven spent at least part of the '93 season in the majors. There will likely be a lot of movement between the parent Twins and their AAA affiliate again this season, as Minnesota has several pitching question marks.
Here's a closer look at the 12-man pitching staff as of opening day:
Starters
Eddie Guardado, a 23-year-old lefty from Stockton, Calif., was 4-0 with a 1.24 ERA in 10 starts at AA Nashville when he was called up to the majors last year. Heimuller feels the Twins probably rushed him a bit. Guardado went 3-8 with a 6.18 ERA in 19 appearances, 16 as a starter. He has the potential to be the ace of the Buzz staff - if the Twins don't come calling in the near future.
Oscar Munoz, a 6-3, 24-year-old righty from Florida, was a first-team All-American his junior year at the University of Miami, where he went 15-1. Last year he was the ace of the AA Nashville staff, producing an 11-4 record before being brought up to AAA Portland. He has good control of his pitches. At Nashville he struck out 139, and walked just 51.
Shawn Bryant joins Guardado as the only lefties on the staff. The Buzz presently have no left-handed relievers. The 24-year-old Bryant pitched at the AA level in the Cleveland system last season for the Canton/Akron Indians where he went 10-5 with a 3.72 ERA in 27 games. Bryant had 111 strikeouts in 172 innings.
Bill Wissler, a 6-3, 23-year-old from Harrisburg, Penn. was the Twins' 11th round pick in 1991 out of the University of Pennsylvania. He pitched for Nashville a year ago where he compiled a 10-10 mark with a 3.95 ERA.
Andy Cook was a starter for the Yankees' AAA club, Columbus, last season before being called up to play for New York. He was signed by the Twins as a free agent in the off season. The 6-5 Cook is slated to start the home opener Monday, as Heimuller wanted a player with Triple-A experience to have the ball when Franklin Quest Field is christened.
Greg Brummett has been bothered with a sore pitching arm through the spring and will take it slow the first couple weeks of the season. When he's healthy Brummett is expected to be a valuable starter for the Buzz. He started last season with Phoenix in the PCL before he was called up to the San Francisco Giants. He came to the Twins to complete a trade last September. Brummett has an outstanding breaking ball that was rated the best in the PCL last year by Baseball America.
Relievers
Brett Merriman returns to the Twins' AAA team as a closer. Merriman, 27, had a team-high 15 saves for Portland last season before being called up to the majors. He has a nasty sinker that forces hitters into ground balls. In fact, Merriman has allowed only 12 home runs in 462.1 innings as a pro (1 homer for every 38.5 innings pitched).
Dave Stevens had been a starter his entire pro career until the Cubs' AAA farm team in Iowa made him a reliever in the middle of last season. He was a success out of the bullpen, as Triple-A batters only hit .202 against him. Stevens, who came over in a trade with the Cubs last November, is expected to share time with Merriman as a closer.
Matt Stevens, no relation to Dave, had an outstanding year in middle relief for Portland a year ago. The 27-year old finished with an ERA under 2.0 (1.98) while posting a 5-3 record.
Jeff Innis has the most major-league experience of any member of the Buzz. Innis, who has a unique side-arm delivery, spent parts of the last seven years with the New York Mets. He is developing a knuckleball in hopes it will take him back to the majors, this time with the Twins.
Kevin Campbell is another veteran. He's spent time in the PCL, with Tacoma, and the big leagues, with Oakland, the past three years. Last season he had 12 saves and a 2.75 ERA at Tacoma.
Mo Sanford is a big man who throws hard. Sanford, a 6-6, 27-year-old, was a starter for Colorado Springs in the PCL last year. He recorded 104 strikeouts in 105 innings pitched for the Sky Sox, while compiling a 3-6 mark. He also pitched in 11 games for the parent Colorado Rockies. Originally a third-round draft choice by the Yankees out of high school, he instead went to college at Alabama. After four years of college ball he was drafted again, this time by the Reds. Sanford pitched in five games for Cincinnati in 1991.