Ayala career rising after arm surgery

By ED HARBOUR
Valley Press Staff Writer

Today, it's one of the more common surgeries performed on baseball players, after the pioneering work done by the Kerlan-Jobe clinic on pitcher Tommy John.

Seattle farmhand Julio Ayala talks about his own Tommy John surgery with a sense of renewed energy.

"Out of college, I pitched well in the lower levels," Ayala said of his time in the Midwest and California Leagues. "But sitting out last year really made me focus on what I wanted out of baseball."

After a big season in Class-A Wisconsin in 1997 (11-3, 3.67 ERA) and a solid 1998 in Lancaster (10-7, 4.45 ERA), Ayala had the surgery performed on his left elbow and missed all of 1999 while rehabilitating his pitching arm.

Ayala began the 2000 campaign back in Lancaster, but became the first JetHawk this season to be promoted to the Class-AA New Haven Ravens of the Eastern League.

"I know early on, I wasn't as solid as I needed to be," Ayala said recently at the Ravens home of Yale Field. "But (Lancaster pitching coach) Scott Budner really helped me with my game.

"Before Scott, I'd never really had a coach understand my game the way he does. Without him, I know I wouldn't have been promoted or doing so well here."

In seven starts for New Haven, Ayala is 5-0 with an earned-run average of 3.79, finding success in what is widely considered the most difficult minor league jump from Class-A to Class-AA.

"He pitched a lot like I did," said Budner a fellow left-hander. "He comes right in with the fastball to right-handers just like I did and I picked that up right away.

"He has a nice changeup and an over-the-top breaking ball, the three pitches that I threw. We talked the same language. I'm glad he's doing what he's doing."

One of the biggest points Ayala and Budner worked on was his move to first. With a much-improved move, Ayala was able to pitch more aggressively with men on base.

"He was too slow to the plate so we quickened him up a bit," Budner said. "As a left-hander, we wanted to add a little deception to his move."

Lancaster manager Mark Parent happily used Ayala, a Puerto Rico native, in another role in the clubhouse as a leader for the other Latin Americans on the club.

"He really took to being a bigbrother-type figure for some of the Hispanic guys," Parent said at the time of his promotion. "We're going to miss that in the dugout, but it was time for him to move on. He really did do a great job with some of those younger guys."

Even after his promotion, Ayala talked nearly daily with 18-yearold shortstop Antonio Perez, who at the time was rehabilitating a broken hand.

"I talk to Tony all the time," Ayala said. "Just about helping him keep his focus and not getting down on the field. I think he's ready to turn it around."

Since returning form the disabled list, Perez has raised his batting average from .234 to .286.

For the 25-year-old Ayala, the move to a more experienced team has been an enjoyable one as he now is with players in more similar circumstances as he is.

"It's not that I don't like the younger guys in Lancaster," Ayala said, "it's just that the guys here know where I'm coming from."

Uploaded July 13, 2000