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Shorey dips from AA to A ball
Published: August 24, 2007
Minor leaguer Mark Shorey was 0 for 5 that night when he was called into the manager's office at Quad Cities. The 22-year-old St. Louis Cardinals farmhand from Peabody didn't know what to expect.
"You never think it's good to get called in," Shorey said.
The meeting, however, thrilled Shorey. He was told he was going up, leaving the Class A Midwest League for the Double A Springfield (Mo.) Cardinals of the Texas League.
That jump will look nice on his resume. He had been the home run king of the all-rookie Appalachian League a year ago with 13 homers, along with 47 RBIs and a .265 average in 58 games. This season at Quad Cities, he was sporting a respectable .293 mark with 11 homers and 30 RBIs in 50 games.
Quad Cities told Shorey that Springfield had some openings as a result of injuries, so he got bumped up to Double A ball.
But a couple of weeks ago, the Cards' organization shipped Shorey back to Single A, sending him to the Palm Beach Cardinals of the Florida State League. It's high or advanced Class A with some good pitching, but it's still a peg down from the Texas League.
"Originally when I was going to Springfield, it was supposed to be temporary," Shorey said. "But it's part of the game; it can happen wherever you go.
"Hopefully, I got my foot in the door. I think I proved I can hit up there. Maybe it'll be worth something for next year."
The former High Point (N.C.) University All-American outfielder picked up exactly where he left off in Springfield. He smacked two homers (one a grand slam) in a 9-2 victory and had seven RBIs in his first four games at Palm Beach.
It wasn't a demotion; that's what he was told by Pop Warner, the manager in Springfield.
Shorey, a former 31st round draft pick, didn't buy it at first. The local paper, The Springfield News-Leader, said he was visibly upset. He left the manager's office, went outside and didn't speak a word to anyone when he returned to the clubhouse.
He was hitting .269 with 11 homers, 11 doubles and 33 RBIs in 60 games in the Texas League when he got the word on Palm Beach.
As the headline in the News-Leader said, "Shorey a victim of numbers game."
A couple of the injured outfielders he was filling in for at Springfield had healed and were ready to return. One was on the Cards' 40-man roster; the other was a veteran from the Mexican League. They are known as "priority guys."
"You never think it's good to get called in," Shorey said.
The meeting, however, thrilled Shorey. He was told he was going up, leaving the Class A Midwest League for the Double A Springfield (Mo.) Cardinals of the Texas League.
That jump will look nice on his resume. He had been the home run king of the all-rookie Appalachian League a year ago with 13 homers, along with 47 RBIs and a .265 average in 58 games. This season at Quad Cities, he was sporting a respectable .293 mark with 11 homers and 30 RBIs in 50 games.
Quad Cities told Shorey that Springfield had some openings as a result of injuries, so he got bumped up to Double A ball.
But a couple of weeks ago, the Cards' organization shipped Shorey back to Single A, sending him to the Palm Beach Cardinals of the Florida State League. It's high or advanced Class A with some good pitching, but it's still a peg down from the Texas League.
"Originally when I was going to Springfield, it was supposed to be temporary," Shorey said. "But it's part of the game; it can happen wherever you go.
"Hopefully, I got my foot in the door. I think I proved I can hit up there. Maybe it'll be worth something for next year."
The former High Point (N.C.) University All-American outfielder picked up exactly where he left off in Springfield. He smacked two homers (one a grand slam) in a 9-2 victory and had seven RBIs in his first four games at Palm Beach.
It wasn't a demotion; that's what he was told by Pop Warner, the manager in Springfield.
Shorey, a former 31st round draft pick, didn't buy it at first. The local paper, The Springfield News-Leader, said he was visibly upset. He left the manager's office, went outside and didn't speak a word to anyone when he returned to the clubhouse.
He was hitting .269 with 11 homers, 11 doubles and 33 RBIs in 60 games in the Texas League when he got the word on Palm Beach.
As the headline in the News-Leader said, "Shorey a victim of numbers game."
A couple of the injured outfielders he was filling in for at Springfield had healed and were ready to return. One was on the Cards' 40-man roster; the other was a veteran from the Mexican League. They are known as "priority guys."
The Springfield paper said at least Shorey "made the most of his audition" in the Texas League, and that he likely will be one of Springfield's corner outfielders for the 2008 season. The story on Shorey also credited him for progressing so quickly after 14 months from the day he was a draft selection. It included a praiseworthy footnote that indicated Shorey was now probably on the organization's radar screen.
"I hate to see Shorey leave, but it is what it is," Warner was quoted as saying. "He's going to have a legitimate chance to be an everyday guy here next year."
Shorey must have had an idea the move was being contemplated. He had been to bat 14 times in 12 games before leaving Springfield.
He still didn't sound to happy about it when reached in Palm Beach the other night.
"The biggest goal playing baseball is to move up, and you want to move up as quickly as possible. I got a break initually when those guys got injured," he said.
"They gave me a chance to see what I can do (at Double A) and I think if I hadn't been hitting good I would have been sent down way before this."
After a pause, Shorey said, "I think I'm doing all right. I've done OK because I've been able to make the adjustments (at the plate)."
He may play in the Mexican League in the offseason, but it's not a lock.
"One night in Springfield they asked if anyone was interested in the Mexican League to sign up and I did," Shorey acknowledged. "Whether or not I'm chosen, I don't know. If a team wants you, they'll contact you."
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Salem State's men's soccer prospects have taken a jolt with the loss of incoming freshman Ali Kaba. The former Beverly High powerhouse suffered a torn ACL playing with the Mass. Aztecs over the summer and is slated for surgery shortly. "It's a terrible setback," Vikings' coach Turi Lonero said.
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Among the individual award winners at Hockey Night in Boston Summer Showcase were Peabody's Steve DiCarlo of St. John's Prep (8 goals, 11 assists, 19 points) for the Hustle Award; Lynn's Jackie Bartlett of Buckingham, Browne & Nichols (9-11-20), also for a Hustle Award; Pingree's Ben McLaughlin (9-14-23) with the Biggest Surprise Award; and Providence College-bound Chad Johnson of Lynn (5-16-21) as the Best Pro Prospect.
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Wheelock College has named former Salem State men's assistant John Preziosa as its head basketball coach. He spent two seasons on Sean Doherty's Vikings staff as the Associate Head Coach and had huge success at Bunker Hill Community College, which was No.8 in the country in 2005. He was 51-28 at Bunker Hill in three seasons and was NJCAA District 8 Coach of the Year in '05.
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Holly Brennan Sheehan, a former Salem State field hockey coach, has been appointed the field hockey coach in Swampscott.
Bill Kipouras is a staff writer at The Salem News. He can be reached at 978-338-2615 or by e-mail: bkipouras@ecnnews.com.
