Carpenter is the latest Hawaii import welcome in Winnipeg

Having a job that takes me away from home for a few months each year, it is always great to have reminders of Hawaii.

Whether it’s watching episodes of the new "Hawaii 5-0" online, or flipping through the channels in my hotel room and seeing an episode of "Dog the Bounty Hunter" or some Travel Channel special on Hawaii, a glimpse of home is always welcome.

This week has been a good one for me in that respect. With an eight-day homestand, my wife flew in for a few days with her sister and mother to visit me here in Winnipeg. We’ve been apart since late April, so seeing my wife and her family has been great. I’ve also been happy to have a little bit of Hawaii with me on the field. When we discovered we needed an outfielder in late June, I had in mind Ridge Carpenter, who played for Shannon Hirai at Kalani High School.

I remember Ridge as someone who quietly went about his business. He played with a lot of energy and earned all-state honors as the Falcons’ center fielder. He was selected in the late rounds by the Boston Red Sox in the 2007 MLB draft. After graduation he went on to the junior college ranks and then matriculated to Cal State Northridge, where he starred in the outfield. He was undrafted after his senior season, despite hitting .304.

So when our manager asked me if I knew of any quality rookie outfielders looking for a job, I recommended Ridge. Only problem was, I didn’t have a contact number for him. But with the help of a friend and fellow scout, I got in touch with Ridge to see if he was looking to play professionally.

Once he arrived in Winnipeg, I’m sure it was all a little overwhelming for Ridge. Had he been drafted, he would have been placed in rookie ball against players with similar experience levels. Instead of playing against players his own age, Ridge jumped feet first onto our team. He quickly realized he was now playing on the same team as two former major leaguers and a dozen other teammates who have played in MLB farm systems and have reached the Double-A or Triple-A levels. Add in that Ridge’s college season had ended a month prior, and we expected he needed a few days to adjust.

For the first few days, our manager used Ridge mainly as a late-inning defensive replacement to utilize his running speed and range in center field.

During our most recent road trip, Ridge finally earned his place on our club. With eight games in seven days on the road against our two biggest rivals — the Fargo Redhawks and the St. Paul Saints — we expected a tough stretch.

Ridge made his first appearance of the trip on day three of our series in Fargo, N.D., and went 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored. Two days later, he came off the bench and singled to left field to start a ninth-inning rally. Ridge stole second and scored the winning run on a double. The next night Ridge pinch-hit for a double in the ninth and scored an important insurance run for us in a 6-1 win.

I started calling him the Microwave, in reference to former NBA star Vinnie Johnson, whose hot shooting provided instant offense off the bench for the Detroit Pistons in title runs in 1989 and 1990. Thanks partly to Ridge’s hot hitting in late innings, we went 7-1 on our trip and vaulted into first place in the American Association’s North Division.

For the last three nights, Ridge has started in center. He went 2-for-4 with a double and four RBIs on Friday as we routed the Sioux Falls Fighting Pheasants, 18-1. After that performance Ridge is now batting .333 through 24 at-bats with us, and has provided stellar play in center. Ridge has found his niche on our team and I couldn’t be happier for him.

Brendan Sagara, a former Leilehua and Hawaii-Hilo pitcher, is a veteran minor league pitching coach in his first year with the Winnipeg Goldeyes.