Stompers Sign International Battery Out Of California Winter League

The Sonoma Stompers added a handful of new players to the 2015 roster, as they signed Japanese right-handed pitcher Ryuske Kikusawa, and Puerto Rican catcher, Billy Gonzalez. Stompers Vice President and General Manager, Theo Fightmaster, announced the acquisitions Thursday. Kikusawa, 23, earned a spring training invitation with the Tokyo Giants before his impressive performance in the California Winter League. The 6-foot righty features a good fastball, 86-88 MPH and a stellar split finger pitch. In the California Winter League, Kikusawa is 2-1 with a better than 7-1 strikeout to walk ratio, and an ERA of 1.87.

Gonzalez, 23, from Ponce Puerto Rico, caught for the Bridgeport Bluefish of the Atlantic League in 2014. The 5-foot, 11-inch right-handed hitting backstop appeared in 21 games and showed great promise defensively and with the bat.

‘These two young men are promising athletes, and fantastic kids,” Fightmaster said. “They will cherish the opportunity to play for Sonoma, and Sonoma will enjoy watching them.”

Gonzalez is expected to share catching duties with 2014 Pacific Association Gold Glove catcher, Andrew Parker. Parker is signed on to rejoin the Stompers this summer.

“This gives us, in my opinion, two of the best defensive catchers in the league,” Fightmaster said. “We can keep them both fresh, and that will keep our pitchers comfortable.”

The Stompers also signed third baseman, and utility infielder Danny Martinez on Wednesday. Martinez, 23, of St. Petersburg, Fla. Stands 6-foot, and bats and throws right-handed. His crisp defensive play, lightening-quick hands and strong arm impressed Stompers management during a tryout in Palm Springs.

Also on Wednesday, Yuki Yasuda, a 24-year old second baseman, also agreed to terms with the Stompers. Yasuda hit .321 in 2014 while playing for the Douglas Diablos of the Pecos League. The second baseman and utility infielder drove in 22 runs, stole eight bases, scored 14 runs and reached base at a .390 clip.  Yasuda hit .344 in limited action with the Houston Applos during the 2014 Pecos Spring League.

Diamond Notes: Stompers Sign Martinez And Yasuda

Theo Fightmaster, General Manager

Wednesday was the kind of day that makes my job so great. After spotting a handful of talented players on Tuesday, we were prepared to offer contracts to a couple of young ballplayers.

The first was a 23-year-old kid by the name of Daniel Martinez. Martinez is from St. Petersburg, Fla., and grew up a Yankees fan, rooting and idolizing Derek Jeter. His mother, Maria — another diehard Yankees fan — was with him, rooting on her son for the past week in Palm Springs.

We saw Daniel make some slick plays at third base yesterday. He’s got a strong and accurate arm, and incredible hands. Though he loves Jeter, his smoothness and swagger on the infield is more reminiscent of Robinson Cano.

It was such a thrill for me to offer Daniel his first professional contract. We discussed the team, the league, told him and his mother about Sonoma, and made a dream come true. To quote the great basketball Hall of Famer Bill Walton, “How cool is that?”

Daniel played in a wood-bat league last summer, where he hit .296, with three homers, five triples and 11 doubles. He also stole 23 bases. I’m confident he can lock down a starting job on our infield and be a part of the Stompers success until other teams realize what he can do at the next level.

Daniel came to us highly recommended by Tim Johnson — a former manager for the Toronto Blue Jays — currently Daniel’s infield instructor down here in the California Winter League.

It was with similar enthusiasm that we signed a young Japanese utility infielder by the name of Yuki Yasuda. With this signing, the Stompers lead the Pacific Association with the most players named Yuki in league history. Yuki is from Japan, and is very good friends with Yuki Sakama, our ace left-handed reliever in 2014. Sakama and Yasuda spoke over the phone Tuesday night, and Sakama was kind enough to give the Stompers the highest of recommendations.

Yasuda is 24, stands 5-foot, 10-inches tall, and play a mean second base. He can also spray the ball to all fields with that patented Japanese approach at the plate that puts an emphasis on solid contact, and hitting the ball where it’s pitched.

Yasuda has three years of pro experience under his belt, having played the last three seasons in the Pecos League. In 2014 he hit .321 with 22 RBIs, got on base at a .390 clip and stole eight bases. He committed only three errors all season.

Diamond Notes: California Winter League Day 1

Theo Fightmaster, General Manager

There’s a lot that goes into a nebulous job description such as General Manager. In the world of pro sports, it carries a fair amount of political capital and prestige. But, in reality, at the independent level the GM is as concerned with the condiment station at the concession stand as he is with the second baseman's OBP. But there are times like these, thankfully.

This week Ray Serrano (the Stompers 2014 manager), our CFO, Derek Rampone, and myself  (Theo Fightmaster, the Stompers GM) traveled to Palm Springs to scout players at the California Winter League. This week is all about the baseball, something I’m incredibly passionate about.

After Monday’s 8-hour drive from Sonoma County to Palm Springs — where Ray and I discussed 1990’s gangsta rap, our favorite performances from Sunday night’s Grammys, and how driving past Harris Ranch makes us consider alternative lifestyles, like vegetarianism — Tuesday was pure baseball.

We strolled into Palm Springs Stadium about 9:30 a.m., and it was already a balmy 81 degrees. The stadium is a quaint little ballpark, built in 1941 in the shadows of the Santa Rosa Mountains. The stadium was originally constructed to serve as an area polo grounds. In the late 1960’s former Los Angeles Angels owner Gene Autry was awarded expansion from Major League Baseball and made Palm Springs the team’s spring training home. Since then it’s been used for countless affiliated teams, independent teams, college and high school playoffs, and for the past six years, the California Winter League.

The league is made up of 10 teams, with about 18-20 players on each club. These young men play for a little more than a month down here, competing for league supremacy, their teammates and, of course, the hopes of a pro contract.

Ray, who is like the Puerto Rican Bob Hope, seems to have friends wherever he goes. He was taking photos with old teammates, catching up with old friends, coaches and opponents. Today, he also ran into an old manager, Tim Johnson — who also managed the Toronto Blue Jays in 1998, as well as countless other teams and holding other titles. Tim turned us onto a handful of infielders, introduced us to some other well-connected coaches, and pointed out a pitcher who was converting from the outfield — and happened to throw an easy 92 MPH. The old whicker-hat wearing scouts had the radar gun fixed on the 6-foot, 4-inch right hander.

The talent here covers a wide swath. There are some guys who definitely can play, like one catcher from Puerto Rico, who is coming off a championship in the Caribbean World Series. There are also a number of guys who probably struggled to get on the field for the high school teams. This is why a guy like Ray, and his connections to Tim Johnson, James Frisbee, and countless others is so valuable; they help us weed out the wheat from the chaff.

Well, that’s about all for now. It’s almost dinnertime, and Derek, Ray and I need to set up a game plan for tomorrow. There’s a lot of talent out there, and only 99 days until the Stompers report to Spring Training.