Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Thurston, Chen, Hill draw top grades

The 21st year of Triple-A ball in Las Vegas featured a no-hitter at home, the threat of a single-season hitting record, a veteran using Cashman Field to springboard back to the majors and a few flops.

Bubba Crosby hit .361, but his trade to the Yankees quashed his bid to supplant Kevin McReynolds, who hit a Las Vegas franchise-best .377 in 1983, atop that chart.

Wilson Alvarez went 5-1 in six starts, with a 1.34 ERA, and the Dodgers discovered he's more than adequate in their rotation.

Finishing 16 games behind Sacramento, the 51s (76-66) failed to defend their Pacific Coast League Southern Division crown.

Through it all, Joe Thurston was the class act of the squad.

He might not have been the most valuable 51s player, whom we tab as outfielder Chin-Feng Chen. However, Thurston was a model player and teammate when others might have pouted and complained like a whiny sports writer.

Earmarked for the Dodgers at the start of spring training, Thurston was sent back to Las Vegas after failing to prove that he could lay down a timely bunt or hit with consistency.

Dodgers minor-league field coordinator Terry Collins said he could not remember anyone "in a long time" having to experience what Thurston did in being sent back to Triple-A.

"He is a class act," Collins said. "Obviously, everyone in LA knew it would be a tough year for him, with all the hoopla in spring training. They thought he'd be the starting second baseman, then it didn't happen.

"So how would he deal with it? I think that's one thing (Dodgers manager) Jim (Tracy) wanted to see, and I think Joe did a great job. I told him that the other day."

Collins told Thurston that the way he handled himself and went about his job was a credit to him.

"He's a fighter," Collins said. "Dealing with that adversity showed the kind of player he is."

Thurston, 23, told the Sun five months ago how happy he is just to be able to play the game.

A heart murmur caused him major concern when he attended Vallejo (Calif.) High, which might have forced him to hang up his cleats for good. Delicate surgery, though, permanently corrected the ailment.

He stayed here all season, receiving his only 2003 call-up to Los Angeles on Tuesday.

"It's awesome. That's about it," Thurston said. "Anytime you go up, whether it's for the day, the week or the season, it's a positive. It's nothing but positive. I'm looking forward to going up there with a great group of guys and having another great experience."

A year ago, Thurston was the organization's minor-league player of the year, after hitting .334 and scoring 106 runs. This season, he hit .290, with 77 runs. Most important were his positive attitude and work ethic.

"Do I think Joe got better? The answer is, yes," Collins said. "He had a tough spring, with all the pressure. And he handled it great. He got better as the season went on. One thing he had to do, for me, was to improve defensively, which I thought he did."

Collins visited Cashman over the weekend for the final series of the season and was excited to watch Thurston play an errorless game at shortstop Sunday against Sacramento.

"His feet got quicker," Collins said. "A lot of guys who went through what he went through in spring training come away disappointed, (and) they don't grind out a season like he did. I wanted to see how he handled things, mentally, and I think he did that well."

Collins passed along his grades, and notes, to Dodgers general manager Dan Evans -- which helped Thurston join the 40-man roster -- and the rest of the influential members of the front office.

From 1997 through '99, Collins managed the Angels and kept a keen eye on how player confronted the rigors, and mental challenges, of a slump.

"When they have a tough time, could they get through it?" Collins said. "Do they know how to get out of a slump? I tell you what, Joe Thurston showed this year that he could do that. This guy's grown, and he's a winner."

Thurston's grade -- A.

The rest of the grades of the 51s who logged significant playing time, not including those who were traded or released:

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