SD Prep Sports

SD Prep Sports: College/Professional

Where are they now?

Hometown heroes Mitre, Wells collide in rare MLB showdown

By Scott Hopkins
Special to SDPrepSportrs

Posted July 6, 2007

“Keep true to the dreams of thy youth.”

—Friedrich von Schiller (1759-1805)

While von Schiller never saw a baseball game, his words are as timely today as when he first uttered them two centuries ago.

Local baseball players, some as young as 5, are currently perfecting their skills under hot summer skies. While it may seem impossible, some of them could be playing before huge crowds in Major League Baseball stadiums someday if they are willing to make the needed sacrifices.

This is the story of several who have.

Take this Monday's Padres-Florida Marlins matchup at Petco Park (July 2). In a rare pairing, both starting pitchers were products of local high school programs. Each, however, took a different route to “The Show.” Additionally, several other players on the field have local ties.

Monty grad succeeds
On the mound for the visitors was Montgomery High School graduate Sergio Mitre (pronounced MEE-tray). The right-hander, wearing number 52, is in his fifth season in the majors.

Born Sergio Armando Mitre in Los Angeles on Feb. 16, 1981, Mitre's family eventually moved to the South Bay , where he starred on the mound for the Aztecs.

Not drafted out of high school, Mitre showed perseverance by continuing to develop while throwing for San Diego City College , and scouts finally took notice of the 6-4, 210-pound right-hander.

Drafted in the seventh round by the Chicago Cubs in 2001, Mitre spent little time in the minor leagues, making his major league debut on July 22, 2003.

After parts of three seasons with the stumbling Cubs, Mitre had a 4-10 record and was part of a trade made on Dec. 7, 2005. He was sent, with Ricky Nolasco and Renyel Pinto, to the Marlins for Juan Pierre.

The Marlins are not faring much better, as evidenced by Mitre's 3-8 record over the past two seasons.

To date, Mitre's major league totals include 237 innings pitched, a 7-18 record and a 4.97 earned run average, which he has lowered this year.

Currently 26 years old, his 2007 salary is $380,000.

Wells dominates preps
On the mound for the Padres, wearing number 33, was colorful personality David Lee Wells.

Born May 20, 1963, in Torrance , the left-hander spent much of his youth in Ocean Beach .

When his 1981 Point Loma baseball team finished as CIF runners-up, Wells and his teammates discussed winning the title the following season. They did, and members of that squad were recently honored by the Padres on the 25th anniversary of the title.

As a high school pitcher, Wells simply dominated opponents. At a recent banquet, a prep teammate told a story about Wells. During games, Wells told others on the bench, “I'm going to walk the bases loaded on purpose and then strike out three in a row.” He did, and often needed only nine pitches to strike out the three hitters.

Wells graduated from Point Loma in 1982 and was highly regarded, being drafted in the second round by the Toronto Blue Jays in the amateur draft.

Upon his major league debut on June 30, 1987, the 6-4, 250-pound Wells was given the nickname “Boomer,” which has described the outspoken 44-year-old over 21 major league seasons.

The well-traveled Wells has worn the uniforms of the Blue Jays, Detroit Tigers, Cincinnati Reds, Baltimore Orioles, New York Yankees, Chicago White Sox and Boston Red Sox besides the Padres.

Perhaps Wells' greatest game was on May 17, 1998. when, as a Yankee, he threw a perfect game against the Minnesota Twins, winning 4-0. He joined a short list of 17 players who have pitched perfect games in the 130-year history of Major League Baseball.

Ironically, another Point Loma High graduate, Don Larsen, threw the famous perfect game in the 1956 World Series.

A three-time All-Star, Wells owns two World Series championship rings (Toronto in 1992 and the Yankees in 1998 versus the Padres).

Wells is being paid $3 million this season that is increasing with incentive bonuses he has already reached.

Local ties
Several other members of the Padres have attended local high schools.

Most notable is Eastlake High's Adrian Gonzalez, who made area history as the first player taken nationally in the 2000 amateur draft. He had been San Diego Section Player of the Year after hitting .645 with 13 home runs that year as a senior.

Gonzalez's family moved back to Chula Vista from Tijuana when he was 13. The 6-4, 220- pound left-hander made his major league debut with the Texas Rangers on April 18, 2004.

Baseball has been a family affair with the Giles brothers, two highly determined siblings who made it to “The Show” via different routes after being selected in low rounds of the draft.

Older brother Brian was chosen in the 17th round by Cleveland after graduating from Granite Hills High in El Cajon in 1989. He worked his way up through the Indians organization and played in his first major league game on Sept. 16, 1995.

Brian has hit as many as 39 home runs in a season and was highly sought after by the Padres to replace retired home-grown star Tony Gwynn in right field. Gwynn will be inducted into baseball's Hall of Fame later this summer.

Younger brother Marcus Giles took a route similar to Mitre's. Graduating from Granite Hills in 1996, Marcus went on to play at Grossmont College . From there, he was chosen by Atlanta in the 53rd round, where odds of making it to “The Show” are very low.

Marcus proved the scouts wrong when he was named the Most Valuable Player in two different minor leagues on his way up. A model of determination, he stepped onto the field April 17, 2001, in his first major league game as an Atlanta Brave.

The right-hander was acquired by the Padres before the current season, placing the two practical- joking brothers on the same team for the first time in their lives.

New Padres third baseman Kevin Kouzmanoff, traded to the team by Cleveland , spent part of his youth in Bonita, where he attended Sunnyside Elementary School and played in the Sweetwater Valley Little League.

Kouzmanoff also went the “college route,” attending University of Arkansas-Little Rock before being selected by the Indians in the sixth round in 2003.

Padres prevail in showdown
In Monday's game, Wells and the Padres topped Mitre and his Marlins 3-1 on the strength of two Padres runs scored on fielder's choices.

In a strange game, neither team had a hit with runners in scoring position.

Wells gave up no runs in 6.2 innings, striking out six with a good curve ball to lower his ERA to 4.16. In a vintage Wells moment, the pitcher engaged in a shouting match with the home plate umpire over ball and strike calls.

Mitre was charged with three runs in six innings and struck out three. His season ERA now stands at 2.88, well below his career mark.

And so, to the thousands of aspiring area baseball players, from T-ball to semi-pros, consider this quote on “success” from another man who never witnessed the game.

Virgil, a Roman poet who lived from 70 to 19 B.C. said: “They can because they think they can.”

Clearly, each of these players thought they could, and were willing to put in the time, hard work and never-ending effort that led them to realize their dream of playing Major League Baseball.