Lobo quartet: Each one notch from their dream
“At this point, I’m a phone call away,” Garver said this week. “If anything happens and the Twins need someone, I could be the next guy there.” Peterson feels the same way.
“I’m right there,” he said, “knocking at the door.” On the other hand, relief pitchers House and Wolff are putting together impressive seasons for organizations chronically in need of quality arms — the Colorado Rockies and Texas Rangers, respectively. Neither is on a 40-man roster, but pitching staffs tend to fluctuate far more than do other roster positions.
“Sam has a major league bullpen arm,” Garver said, “and Austin’s sinker-slider combo is perfect for Colorado. I wouldn’t be surprised to see either of them go up. We’re all definitely rooting for each other.”
2012 vintage
Having four members of a single team this close to the major leagues is new territory for veteran UNM coach Ray Birmingham, who has sent a long list of players to professional baseball over the years. He’s not surprised the 2012 Lobos were first squad to do it.
“That was a different team,” Birmingham said. “We had really competitive people but they were class guys, too. They pushed each other but they still got along and had fun together. That doesn’t always happen.”
UNM finished 37-24 in 2012 and shared the regularseason Mountain West title with TCU. The Lobos, however, dominated the MWC tournament, defeating TCU 5-2 in the winners’ bracket final and routing San Diego State 22-3 in the championship game.
Birmingham’s team then defeated San Diego in the NCAA Regionals before falling to host UCLA and Creighton.
Postseason honors rolled in. Garver and Peterson were named Mountain West Co-Players of the Year and All-Americans. Outfielder Ryan Padilla earned Freshman All-American honors, and House went to the Oakland Athletics in round 14 of the Major League draft. Pitcher Gera Sanchez later signed with the Houston Astros as a free agent.
“It was just a good all-around squad,” House recalled. “We had the first all-New Mexico weekend pitching staff with myself, (Las Cruces’) Gera and (Rio Rancho’s) Josh Walker, and our offense was pretty stacked. We had great leadership on that team, too, so coach Birmingham kind of let the upperclassmen run the show. That was a fun year.”
Wolff agreed.
“The camaraderie we had was unique,” he said. “D.J., Austin and Mitch all had the drive to push themselves individually and for the team. We developed together and we still stay in touch and work out together in the offseason. It’s pretty cool.”
Five-year plans
The climb to Triple-A has had its share of twists and turns for all four ex-Lobos. House is in his fifth season of minor league ball, while Peterson, Garver and Wolff finished their UNM careers in 2013 before joining the pro ranks.
Chasing the major league dream has required adjustments.
House is enjoying his best minor league season with a 4-1 record and a 2.38 ERA in 33 games with the Isotopes. Manager Glenallen Hill said House’s mentality on the mound has changed for the better.
“He’s pitching with an edge and attacking hitters,” Hill said.
The right-hander has endured a few rough outings in recent weeks but feels good about his body of work.
“Every season has ups and downs,” House said, “but I’ve had a lot more ups this year. My arm feels good and I go out there confident. Hopefully, I can put another good run together and see where it takes me.”
Peterson’s trip up the Mariners’ ladder has taken longer than 2013’s No. 12 overall draft pick might have liked. He’s shown power at every stop but is working to find more consistency at the plate.
“Just trying to make more contact,” he said, “cut down on the strikeouts. That’s really the final piece for me.”
Peterson has trimmed his strikeout totals and has been hitting well of late. His batting average was .213 when he visited Albuquerque with the Rainiers in April. It was up to .271 on Friday with 10 homers and 49 RBIs in 83 games.
Garver’s biggest adjustments have come on the receiving end. The La Cueva High graduate has hit well at every minor league stop but needed to clean up his defense to make a serious run at the majors.
“My defense has come a long way,” Garver said. “I’ve learned to block pitches so much better this year, and I’m getting rid of the ball quicker on steal attempts.”
Garver has found his first season of Triple-A to be educational and hasn’t missed the chance to pick the brains of veteran teammates.
“The pitchers are more advanced here,” he said. “A lot of guys have been to the big leagues and know what they’re doing, so I try to absorb as much as I can. I think I’ve adapted well.”
Garver has swung a torrid bat of late, collecting hits in 19 of his last 21 games through Friday. He was hitting .284 for the season with nine homers, 18 doubles and 31 RBIs in 57 games.
Wolff may have discovered a silver lining in an injury-plagued start to his career. The right-hander missed all of the 2015 season with ruptured left Achilles and much of 2016 with an injured pitching elbow.
It prompted the Rangers organization to rethink his role.
“I’d always been a starter,” Wolff said, “but I talked with the staff and trainers during the offseason and we decided to try a relief role. It’s been great for me.”
Wolff got off to a strong start for Double-A Frisco this season and was promoted to Round Rock on May 31. In 11 games since, he’s allowed just two earned runs on nine hits with 17 strikeouts through Friday.
“I can just go out there, face hitters one time and empty the tank,” he said. “It’s been awesome.”
Final hurdles
If Wolff can sustain his hot pitching, he could end up getting the first big-league shot among the former 2012 Lobos. Bullpen issues have haunted the Rangers all season.
But Wolff, like most minor leaguers, prefers not to focus on big league roster moves. “Those are things I can’t control,” he said.
On the other hand, none of the former teammates minds speculating about reuniting in the major leagues someday — perhaps even later this season. Birmingham is keeping his travel options open. “They’re one step from baseball heaven,” he said. “I just hope they don’t get called up at the same time. I want to be there when they take that last step.”