Wayne to make MLB debut
By Juan C. Rodriguez
Staff Writer
Posted September 3 2002
NEW YORK ? Starter Justin Wayne went into the manager's office after Friday's rainout at Triple-A Calgary to find out if the rotation had changed. As it turned out, he would no longer be pitching Monday's season finale as scheduled.
That was fine with Wayne once he learned why.
Two years after the Expos selected him fifth overall in the amateur player draft, Wayne will make his big-league debut tonight for the Marlins at Shea Stadium in the second half of a doubleheader. Monday's game was postponed due to rain about 90 minutes after the scheduled 1:10 p.m. start time.
Though Wayne is arriving from the Triple-A International League, he's essentially straight out of Double-A. He started the year with Montreal's Eastern League affiliate at Harrisburg, Pa., before moving to Portland, Maine, when the Marlins acquired him in the Cliff Floyd deal. Promoted to the Cannons last month, Wayne made two outings before receiving word of today's start.
"I probably was not expecting it, but I love the fact that it's going to happen," said Wayne, who was due to arrive in New York Monday night with a handful of other September call-ups. "It's tough. My cell phone doesn't have Canadian minutes. I came up here and had a hard time contacting everybody I know."
A native of Hawaii and product of Stanford, Wayne will be pitching in front of plenty of folks he knows. Parents Jeff and Hope were born here, his father in Brooklyn and mother nine blocks from Yankee Stadium.
Much of Wayne's extended family is in Long Island, so he couldn't think of a more appropriate venue than Shea to make his major league debut.
"I probably wouldn't want it any other way," he said. "I think I'll have a hefty pass list. Hopefully [my parents] can fly in from Hawaii."
Manager Jeff Torborg and pitching coach Brad Arnsberg discussed having Wayne start the front end of the doubleheader to keep his nerves from building up for three hours. Instead, they'll keep the rotation the same with Carl Pavano pitching Game 1 and give Wayne the option of arriving to the ballpark later in the afternoon.
The Marlins will take whatever Wayne can provide at this point. The thought behind his promotion was to orient to the big-league staff and vice versa, get his debut jitters out of the way, and prepare him for a run at the rotation next spring.
"We just want him to come up here, give us four or five innings, and keep us in the game," said Arnsberg, who saw Wayne pitch a couple of times during Expos spring training in 2001. "He's probably thrown in front of decent crowds because of his collegiate career. I remember my first big league start in Yankee Stadium and my mother flew out there and I was so nervous. ... With his experience and everything, I don't think it will be a big deal."
The trade to the Marlins was a big deal for Wayne, who always envisioned himself cracking the big leagues in an Expos uniform. Wayne was the signature prospect acquisition in the Floyd trade. He doesn't have overpowering stuff, but can throw as many as four pitches for strikes and potentially could eat a ton of innings in a No. 3 starter's spot.
His cumulative Double-A numbers in 2002: 11-8 with a 3.52 ERA and 107 strikeouts in 184 innings. In two Triple-A starts, Wayne was 0-1 with a 6.35 ERA. Among Wayne's upsides are he doesn't walk a lot of hitters or give up many homers. Eastern League opponents averaged a homer every 10.8 innings off him and drew an average of 1.9 walks per Wayne's 31 starts.
"There's always going to be room for improvement," Wayne said. "I have a pretty good idea of what I can do on the mound an now it's a point of how to go after hitters and teams, plus getting to know the team behind me. The season's had a lot of different directions."
Primarily up.
LIMITED ENGAGEMENT
Don't look for the Marlins' call-ups to get a ton of work this month. The Marlins enter this 11-game road a game under .500, and Torborg would like nothing more than to finish the season on the other side of it. The 1997 World Series team was the only group that has done it during the franchise's first nine years.
"Modest goals, but we're trying to get there," Torborg said. "It'll probably be more pinch-hitting and pinch-running [with the call-ups]. We're trying to get something done here. We're trying to recover from the second half and finish as strong as we can. There's a pride factor here right now."
Utility player Pablo Ozuna was the lone Calgary player to arrive before Monday's scheduled game. Torborg wanted him here early so the team wouldn't be short-handed. The Marlins released Homer Bush after Sunday's game.
Outfielder Abraham Nunez, utility player Brian Banks, and pitcher Gary Knotts should be in uniform for today's games.
SIT AND RUN
Second baseman Luis Castillo was not in Monday's lineup against the Mets. Torborg was going to give him a day off due to a sore hip flexor.
"With a day's rest, he feels great normally," said Torborg, adding that Castillo should play in at least one of today's games.
Entering the week, Castillo's major league leading stolen base total (41) remained two better than Colorado's Juan Pierre and Los Angeles' Dave Roberts, and four ahead of American League leader Alfonso Soriano of the Yankees.
Juan C. Rodriguez can be reached at jcrodriguez@sun-sentinel.com.
Security guards stand on the field after the New York Mets announced that their game against the Florida Marlins had been postponed because of rain, Monday, Sept. 2, 2002 at Shea Stadium in New York. The game will be made up as part of a doubleheader on Tuesday night, Sept. 3.(AP Photo/Ed Betz)
Sep 2, 12:17 PT
09/01/2002 2:09 pm ET
MLBeat: Wayne on fast track
By Joe Frisaro / MLB.com
MIAMI -- The Marlins have Justin Wayne on the fast track.
After just two starts at Triple-A Calgary, Wayne is moving up the ranks to the Major League club. The 23-year-old right-hander is slated to make his big league debut Tuesday at Shea Stadium.
Wayne is one of five minor league prospects being called up for the final month. The others are infielder Pablo Ozuna, catcher Brian Banks, pitcher Gary Knotts and outfielder Abraham Nunez.
All are expected to be in uniform Tuesday at Shea Stadium.
Wayne gets a chance to make an immediate impact. The right-hander was obtained from Montreal July 11 in the Cliff Floyd deal.
Marlins general manager Larry Beinfest was in the Expos front office when Montreal drafted Wayne fifth overall. The former Stanford University resides in Honolulu.
In two starts at Calgary, Wayne was 0-1 with a no-decision and 6.35 ERA. He started the season at Double-A Harrisburg, an Expos' affiliate. There, he was 5-2 (2.37) in 17 games. After the trade, he went 3-3 (4.85) in seven games with the Marlins Double-A Portland squad.
Marlins manager Jeff Torborg, who became the Expos' manager in mid-season last year, has seen Wayne pitch once. In Spring Training, he tossed one inning against Florida.
"He's got a good breaking ball and he knows how to pitch," Torborg said. "He keeps the ball down in the zone."
Wayne could be in position to make several starts because A.J. Burnett (elbow) and Josh Beckett (blister) are on the disabled list.
Beinfest said Wayne factors into the mix of potential starters for next year
By Juan C. Rodriguez
Staff Writer
Posted September 3 2002
NEW YORK ? Starter Justin Wayne went into the manager's office after Friday's rainout at Triple-A Calgary to find out if the rotation had changed. As it turned out, he would no longer be pitching Monday's season finale as scheduled.
That was fine with Wayne once he learned why.
Two years after the Expos selected him fifth overall in the amateur player draft, Wayne will make his big-league debut tonight for the Marlins at Shea Stadium in the second half of a doubleheader. Monday's game was postponed due to rain about 90 minutes after the scheduled 1:10 p.m. start time.
Though Wayne is arriving from the Triple-A International League, he's essentially straight out of Double-A. He started the year with Montreal's Eastern League affiliate at Harrisburg, Pa., before moving to Portland, Maine, when the Marlins acquired him in the Cliff Floyd deal. Promoted to the Cannons last month, Wayne made two outings before receiving word of today's start.
"I probably was not expecting it, but I love the fact that it's going to happen," said Wayne, who was due to arrive in New York Monday night with a handful of other September call-ups. "It's tough. My cell phone doesn't have Canadian minutes. I came up here and had a hard time contacting everybody I know."
A native of Hawaii and product of Stanford, Wayne will be pitching in front of plenty of folks he knows. Parents Jeff and Hope were born here, his father in Brooklyn and mother nine blocks from Yankee Stadium.
Much of Wayne's extended family is in Long Island, so he couldn't think of a more appropriate venue than Shea to make his major league debut.
"I probably wouldn't want it any other way," he said. "I think I'll have a hefty pass list. Hopefully [my parents] can fly in from Hawaii."
Manager Jeff Torborg and pitching coach Brad Arnsberg discussed having Wayne start the front end of the doubleheader to keep his nerves from building up for three hours. Instead, they'll keep the rotation the same with Carl Pavano pitching Game 1 and give Wayne the option of arriving to the ballpark later in the afternoon.
The Marlins will take whatever Wayne can provide at this point. The thought behind his promotion was to orient to the big-league staff and vice versa, get his debut jitters out of the way, and prepare him for a run at the rotation next spring.
"We just want him to come up here, give us four or five innings, and keep us in the game," said Arnsberg, who saw Wayne pitch a couple of times during Expos spring training in 2001. "He's probably thrown in front of decent crowds because of his collegiate career. I remember my first big league start in Yankee Stadium and my mother flew out there and I was so nervous. ... With his experience and everything, I don't think it will be a big deal."
The trade to the Marlins was a big deal for Wayne, who always envisioned himself cracking the big leagues in an Expos uniform. Wayne was the signature prospect acquisition in the Floyd trade. He doesn't have overpowering stuff, but can throw as many as four pitches for strikes and potentially could eat a ton of innings in a No. 3 starter's spot.
His cumulative Double-A numbers in 2002: 11-8 with a 3.52 ERA and 107 strikeouts in 184 innings. In two Triple-A starts, Wayne was 0-1 with a 6.35 ERA. Among Wayne's upsides are he doesn't walk a lot of hitters or give up many homers. Eastern League opponents averaged a homer every 10.8 innings off him and drew an average of 1.9 walks per Wayne's 31 starts.
"There's always going to be room for improvement," Wayne said. "I have a pretty good idea of what I can do on the mound an now it's a point of how to go after hitters and teams, plus getting to know the team behind me. The season's had a lot of different directions."
Primarily up.
LIMITED ENGAGEMENT
Don't look for the Marlins' call-ups to get a ton of work this month. The Marlins enter this 11-game road a game under .500, and Torborg would like nothing more than to finish the season on the other side of it. The 1997 World Series team was the only group that has done it during the franchise's first nine years.
"Modest goals, but we're trying to get there," Torborg said. "It'll probably be more pinch-hitting and pinch-running [with the call-ups]. We're trying to get something done here. We're trying to recover from the second half and finish as strong as we can. There's a pride factor here right now."
Utility player Pablo Ozuna was the lone Calgary player to arrive before Monday's scheduled game. Torborg wanted him here early so the team wouldn't be short-handed. The Marlins released Homer Bush after Sunday's game.
Outfielder Abraham Nunez, utility player Brian Banks, and pitcher Gary Knotts should be in uniform for today's games.
SIT AND RUN
Second baseman Luis Castillo was not in Monday's lineup against the Mets. Torborg was going to give him a day off due to a sore hip flexor.
"With a day's rest, he feels great normally," said Torborg, adding that Castillo should play in at least one of today's games.
Entering the week, Castillo's major league leading stolen base total (41) remained two better than Colorado's Juan Pierre and Los Angeles' Dave Roberts, and four ahead of American League leader Alfonso Soriano of the Yankees.
Juan C. Rodriguez can be reached at jcrodriguez@sun-sentinel.com.
Sep 2, 12:17 PT
09/01/2002 2:09 pm ET
MLBeat: Wayne on fast track
By Joe Frisaro / MLB.com
MIAMI -- The Marlins have Justin Wayne on the fast track.
After just two starts at Triple-A Calgary, Wayne is moving up the ranks to the Major League club. The 23-year-old right-hander is slated to make his big league debut Tuesday at Shea Stadium.
Wayne is one of five minor league prospects being called up for the final month. The others are infielder Pablo Ozuna, catcher Brian Banks, pitcher Gary Knotts and outfielder Abraham Nunez.
All are expected to be in uniform Tuesday at Shea Stadium.
Wayne gets a chance to make an immediate impact. The right-hander was obtained from Montreal July 11 in the Cliff Floyd deal.
Marlins general manager Larry Beinfest was in the Expos front office when Montreal drafted Wayne fifth overall. The former Stanford University resides in Honolulu.
In two starts at Calgary, Wayne was 0-1 with a no-decision and 6.35 ERA. He started the season at Double-A Harrisburg, an Expos' affiliate. There, he was 5-2 (2.37) in 17 games. After the trade, he went 3-3 (4.85) in seven games with the Marlins Double-A Portland squad.
Marlins manager Jeff Torborg, who became the Expos' manager in mid-season last year, has seen Wayne pitch once. In Spring Training, he tossed one inning against Florida.
"He's got a good breaking ball and he knows how to pitch," Torborg said. "He keeps the ball down in the zone."
Wayne could be in position to make several starts because A.J. Burnett (elbow) and Josh Beckett (blister) are on the disabled list.
Beinfest said Wayne factors into the mix of potential starters for next year
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