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April 10, 2009

Major League Baseball: Giants' prospect Felmy moves East

By William Bowman

Bobby Felmy knows he's getting closer. One day in a seemingly insignificant spring training game pretty much verified that.

Felmy, a Shikellamy High grad and product of the University of Georgia, stepped into the batter's box against a lanky left-hander on a rehab assignment a couple of weeks ago. Felmy went 2-for-4 off some guy named Randy Johnson.

Yes, that Randy Johnson.

Not only that, the 25-year-old nearly went yard, banking a triple off the top of the fence.

Felmy began his fourth season of professional baseball Thursday and his rise to the big leagues continues. After spending all of 2008 in Class A, Felmy will now play with San Francisco's AA affiliate, the Connecticut Thunder, in Norwich, Conn.

"People say if you can make it (to) AA, you are almost there," Felmy said Wednesday. "AA is a big step, you've got your foot in the door and if one guy goes down, you might be the guy."

And while the move to AA is certainly a big step closer to the big leagues -- many consider AA the most talented of all minor league levels -- the move also gives Felmy a chance to play closer to home.

After spending a year in San Francisco's system on the West Coast, Felmy will now play in the Eastern League, meaning regular dates in Binghamton, Trenton, Altoona, Erie, Reading and Harrisburg. The Defenders are in Altoona in June, in Reading over the Fourth of July before visiting Harrisburg the last week in August.

That will be a big change, Felmy said.

"It will give my family a chance to get to see me, which they haven't done since college," said Felmy. "My wife (Felmy got married in December of 2007) and dog will be with me for the first time, so it's going to be a lot of fun."

But about that date with Randy Johnson: It was something Felmy said he will remember for a long time.

"When you are growing up watching baseball, there are those guys you wonder what it would be like to face but you don't ever want to," he said of the future Hall of Famer who could reach 300 wins this season and is a menacing 6-foot-10 on the bump. "When he let the ball go, it was like he was right on top of me and the ball was six inches from my head."

In his first at-bat, Felmy waved at a slider to strike out. The second time he grounded out and he followed that up with a single.

The last at-bat? "I hit a fly ball and I knew it was gone. I watched it and the outfielders turned and watched it. Then it hit the fence."

Felmy busted around the bases for a triple. "It was awesome," Felmy said of the experience. "It's crazy the people you face in this game and it was a real honor to step in and face him."

Last season, Felmy hit .283 with 136 hits in 126 games in Class A. He drove in 58 runs and also stole 18 bases. In addition to the offensive numbers, Felmy was stellar in the outfield and was recently named the top defensive outfielder in the Giants' minor league system for 2008, recording 17 assists from left field.

"You can never be a good enough hitter, but I really pride myself on my defense," said Felmy. "That's a way I can separate myself."

Despite moving across the country to play, Felmy will certainly have some familiarity when he walks into the clubhouse every day. More than a dozen players who saw action in San Jose last year are on Connecticut's opening day lineup.

In addition to familiar players with him, Steve Decker is also the team's manager, moving up from San Jose along with the players.

"I am comfortable with a lot of these guys," said Felmy. "We've been together for a couple of years now and this is just the next step."

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