Mesa Legend - ARCHIVES - Vol. 38, Issue 14


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Volume 38, Issue 14.
May 8, 2001

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Former T-Bird shines bright with the Red Sox

BY CHRIS BOWMAN
MESA LEGEND
Submitted May 8, 2001

Photo courtesy of David M. Schofield

Former MCC standout, Shea Hillenbrand, prepares to swing in a minor league game last season at (AA) Trenton, N.J.

As month two of the Major League Baseball season embarks, two rookies from Arizona Community Colleges are getting a chance to play in the show, while putting up numbers that might keep them around for the long haul.

MCC’s own, Shea Hillenbrand, made the Boston Red Sox out of spring training after hitting .423 during the Florida Grapefruit League.

Peoria native and Phoenix College alum, Bret Prinz , made a nice impression on the Diamondbacks and first year coach Bob Brenly during the Cactus League, but started at Tucson (AAA) for additional seasoning. Once the Diamondbacks closer Matt Mantei was shelved with arm problems, Prinz was called up to take over for Mantei as the D-Backs stopper.

Hillenbrand opened the season as a replacement for John Valentin, who’s recovering from left knee surgery last June 1. He started the season off with a nine-game hitting streak, just one game off a rookie-record, and is currently seventh in the American League with .330 batting average, while starting every game at third base for Boston.

Prinz has been dominate out of the bullpen for Arizona as he has showcased a 97 MPH fast ball. He is 1-0, saved two games, and has not allowed a run to score.

Hillenbrand contributes a lot of his success to his teammates.

"The guys have been real receptive to me," said Hillenbrand, who graduated from Mountain View in 1993. "It’s a veteran team with superstar caliber players that have welcomed me with open arms.

MCC was an option for Hillenbrand because he wasn’t recruited out of high school.

"I was terrible when I first got there," said Hillenbrand, who eventually was drafted by the Red Sox in the 10th round in 1996. "The only reason I made the team there is because of my work ethic."

Hillenbrand’s work ethic at MCC made him the ACCAC Player of the Year in 1996, which started him on the path that has led him through the minor leagues with great production. His last season a Trenton, he hit .323, and was named the organization’s player of the year.

Hillenbrand contest that the major leagues are a fare cry from the minors.

"It’s a huge difference from the minors, Hillenbrand said. "You just can’t come to swing the bat. The pitchers work you better. You have to be more patient and be prepared every at-bat."

Prinz has had to adjust to life as a Major League ball player, playing in the town he has lived in for the last six years.

"People have been coming out of the woodwork asking for tickets," said Prinz, who was drafted in 1998 from PC by the Diamondbacks in the 18th round. "It is nice living at my parents house though."

Prinz shot through the D-Backs farm system once he started throwing in a side arm style.

"I actually gained about four miles an hour on my fast ball when I dropped down," Prinz said. "It really helped me with my command and confidence."

As long as these two promising Arizona products keep producing like they have in the first part of the season, expect both players to make a push at the Rookie of the Year.