June 20, 2006

Contributed by Howie Stalwick
Special to the Statesman Journal

SPOKANE, Wash. -- The 30 teams in major league baseball drafted 1,502 players earlier this month, but Adam Witter feared he wouldn't be one of them, so he signed with San Francisco before the draft.

Monday night, San Francisco's small investment produced Giant dividends.

Witter, a fifth-year senior who signed as a free agent out of East Carolina, blasted a pair of two-run homers in his pro debut to lead Salem-Keizer to a 10-3 romp against defending champion Spokane in the Northwest League opener for both clubs.

A sellout crowd of 7,413 at breezy, sun-kissed Avista Stadium watched the Volcanoes hammer 13 hits off five Spokane pitchers.

"I knew coming in this was a good team," Witter said. "I saw these guys play for two weeks in Arizona (after signing). We've got a lot of good hitters."

None of them were more impressive Monday than the 23-year-old Witter, who is being groomed as a catcher after admittedly showing limited defensive skills as a first baseman and backup catcher in college. Witter served as the designated hitter Monday and wound up 3 for 4 with the two homers, a double and four RBIs.

"It's a dream come true," Witter said. "A lot of people dream of succeeding at this level. I kind of proved a point that I belong here."

Reigning Northwest League batting champion Will Thompson, still recovering from leg, ankle and knee operations, hit RBI singles immediately prior to both Witter homers. Witter belted a wind-aided, off-field shot to left-center in the fourth inning, then yanked a sixth-inning blast that wrapped around the right-field foul pole and landed in the parking lot perhaps 400 feet from home plate.

"That's what happens when you're strong," Salem-Keizer manager Steve Decker said. "That's why I had him batting fourth."

In addition to their impressive hitting -- even No. 9 hitter Brian Bockock went 3 for 3 -- the Volcanoes played errorless ball and turned two double plays. The quality glove work helped starting pitcher Craig Whitaker combine with relievers Kelvin Pichardo (the winning pitcher) and Steven Calicutt on a five-hitter.

Whitaker, a first-round draft pick in 2003, was Salem-Keizer's ace in 2004. He opened this season with San Francisco's top Class A farm club in San Jose, but had been limited to extended spring training work in Arizona since straining an oblique muscle in his season debut in April.

"It was fun to get back out there," Whitaker said.

Whitaker displayed some rust -- he walked three, hit a batter and uncorked a wild pitch in four innings of work -- but he gave up just two hits and two runs (one unearned) while showing a live fastball.

Whitaker fanned three, and Pichardo struck out five in three innings of one-hit, shutout relief.

Thompson hit .384 last year and seemed on his way up the Giants' farm chain before severely injuring his left leg in Vancouver last August.

He's still not 100 percent, and he tweaked his right ankle when he fell rounding first base in the fourth inning.

"It was just a little nerve-racking after what I went through last year," Thompson said.

Once his teammates knew Thompson was all right, they razzed him unmercifully for his pratfall.

"Absolutely," Whitaker said with a huge grin. "We were all over it."