Mahopac's Riefenhauser off to strong pro start

BASEBALL — The Tampa Bay Rays, who have a lot less fiscal resources than their rivals for the American League East lead, are known for their success with young players. Handling them, developing them - and selecting the right ones.

C.J. Riefenhauser, the former all-star left-hander for Mahopac, is experiencing their methods first hand. Drafted from Chipola Junior College, Marianna, Fla., in early June, the 20-year-old southpaw signed a bonus contract with the Rays organization late in the month and was assigned to the Princeton (W.Va.) Rays of the Appalachian League, an advanced Class A rookie league.

For a while, he didn't throw a pitch in a game for Princeton.

"They put him on a throwing program," said Chuck Riefenhauser, the youngster's father.

"I hadn't pitched since May 8 for Chipola," said C.J., who joined his first pro team on June 28 and immediately found himself among 38 newcomers, 14 of them pitchers. "I had to go on a two-week program. They had to build me up."

To get all his young pitchers work, yet not overwork any of them, Manager Michael Johns divides his Princeton hurlers into three groups: starters, piggyback and bullpen. Starters go five or more innings if they can, piggybackers go two or three more and the bullpenners finish up.

"I've been a piggybacker and bullpenner so far," Riefenhauser said.

In his first outing July 15, the Mahopac resident pitched an inning in relief with two strikeouts, two walks and one run allowed. Five days later, in a piggyback assignment, he worked two scoreless innings. Three days later, he got his first professional save; coming on in the ninth with one out, men on first and third and Princeton leading 3-2. He got the two outs without a run scoring.

For his fifth outing July 30, Johns figured Riefenhauser was ready for a longer outing and scheduled him for at least three innings in a piggyback role. The lefty pitched three scoreless innings but went out for a fourth and was nicked for two runs while getting two outs.

"Yeah, I gave up two runs," Riefenhauser said by phone after the game, "but I was happy with how far I went."

The 6-foot, 180-pound rookie lefty has given up four runs in about one full game of work and has impressed Johns.

"We kind of broke him in easy," the manager said.

"Are we pleased with him? Absolutely. He battled," Johns said referring to the last outing. "He ran into trouble in his fourth inning, but overall he did a real nice job for us, keeping us in the game.

"He threw 56 pitches, he kept the ball low and he had the best velocity we've seen, hitting 92-93."

Riefenhauser is not one of those strong-armed youngsters who enter pro ball throwing 95 miles an hour or even more but do not understand pitching or where the ball is going. He has exceptional control for a rookie, throws a lot of different pitches and has a fastball in the 88-90 range, occasionally higher.

"C.J. can give us a different look," Johns said. "He's got a little funky delivery."

The lefty with the funky delivery is learning on the job, and the job starts daily at 1 p.m. for teaching and ends after a 7 p.m. game.

"Overall I have learned a lot, particularly in that last longer outing," Riefenhauser said. "I've got to use my changeup more, keep them off balance.

"But I was happy with how far I went."

Those bumpy bus rides in the low minors, so bemoaned by many, have not troubled this rookie.

"Travel isn't too bad," Riefenhauser said. "The farthest we go for a game is four hours away."

Still, it's a far cry from high-school roots, where most of Mahopac's games were a short ride away, and where he learned to pitch and became the League I-C Pitcher of the Year in his junior and senior campaigns.

"I taught him how to play ball," Chuck said, "but Mahopac taught him how to pitch."

"He was the heart and soul of our team," recalled Chris Miller, coach of Mahopac's current league baseball champs and an assistant coach when Riefenhauser was an Indian. "His junior and senior years, he lost two games total; every time he went out, we expected to win.

"In the playoffs, no one wanted to draw Mahopac in the first round because that meant going against C.J."

After Mahopac, the left-hander went to Iona for a semester, then transferred to Guilford Tech in North Carolina. When it became clear he had pro potential, he switched to the baseball hotbed of Chipola Junior College in Florida.

Five Chipola players were taken in the June draft. Riefenhauser was picked by the Rays in the 20th round. He signed June 25.

And, true to the Rays' interest in young players, Riefenhauser got more than just his modest bonus. The Rays also guaranteed him money to go back to college to finish his education some day, if he so wishes.