Hiram Burgos has a full blown case of spring fever even though winter is still blowing its icy breath over most of the country.
Burgos, a 2009 All-MEAC Second-Team pitcher for Bethune-Cookman, was named Rookie of the Year in the prestigious Puerto Rico Winter League and is itching for spring to roll around so he can go to camp with the Milwaukee Brewers.
The 22-year-old a right-hander was 3-2 with a 2.27 ERA in nine starts for Indios de Mayaguez. Burgos' most impressive outing came on Dec. 7 when he pitched 5 1/3 hitless innings against Leones de Ponce.
"I have confidence going into spring training,'' says Burgos, who has been working out in Daytona Beach, Fla., with his former Bethune-Cookman teammates.
Mayaguez is in the Puerto Rican League playoffs, but the Brewers shut down Burgos so his arm will be rested for the start of spring training Match 9.
"I just had confidence in myself to make good pitches,'' Burgos says of his performance in the Puerto Rican League. "I was just competing. That's baseball. It doesn't matter if you are a rookie; you have to compete. I have confidence that I can pitch no matter what level.''
Bethune-Cookman coach Mervyl Melendez says that Burgos' performance in Puerto Rico was unexpected, but it didn't shock him.
"Being Rookie of the Year in a league like that, with the history that league has, it was above expectation,'' Melendez says. "It's something I knew he was capable of of. But you never know. It's good to see him have success at that level.''
The Brewers picked Burgos on the sixth round of the 2009 Major Baseball Draft. He pitched for Helena (Mont.), the Brewers' rookie league affiliate in the Pioneer League. Burgos was 3-2 while pitching in 14 games, seven as a starter, after getting off to a slow start.
"It wasn't a different game,'' he says. "It was still baseball. It's the same sport wherever you go. I put pressure on myself, and I wasn't pitching like I knew I could. In the second half of the season got comfortable and pitched better than in the first half.''
Burgos expects to pitch for one of the Brewers' Class A teams this summer. His goal is to be in the Majors in the next two years.
Burgos was one of four MEAC athletes chosen in the 2009 Major League Baseball draft.
The Seattle Mariners chose Bethune-Cookman right-hander Eric Thomas on the 19th round; Delaware State right-hander Dan Perkins, the 2009 MEAC Pitcher of the Year, went to Colorado Rockies on the 27th round, and the St. Louis Cardinals grabbed North Carolina A&T center fielder Christian Beatty on the 26th round.
Thomas was 0-1 with a 3.00 ERA for Pulaski (Va.) in the Appalachian League. His season was cut short after he broke a finger on his pitching hand.
Perkins was 3-2 for Tri City, Colorado's rookie team that plays in the Northwest League and is based in Pasco, Wash. Perkins made 15 starts and had a 2.80 ERA.
Beatty, a three-time All-MEAC pick who was twice named the conference's Male Athlete of the Year, played in 19 games and batted .175 with three stolen bases for Johnson City (Tenn.) in the Appalachian League.
Despite losing Burgos and Thomas in the Major League Draft, Bethune-Cookman has been picked unanimously by the conference's Head Baseball Coaches and Sports Information Directors to win its fifth consecutive MEAC Championship and 10th in Melendez's 11 seasons as coach.
The Wildcats have an imposing array of hitters. Catcher C.J. Lauriello, their leading hitter last season with a .403 average and Co-Preseason Player of the Year, returns along with Emmanuel Castro, who was their second-leading hitter at .345. Alejandro Jimenez (.330) and Freshman All-American catcher Peter O'Brien (.314), are also dangerous at the plate. Ryan Durrence, who hit 11 home runs, is the Wildcats long ball threat.
They will be joined transfers B.J. Leonard, Matt Wright and Juan Perez, highly regarded hitters in the junior college ranks.
"Balance offensively is what has improved mostly,'' Melendez says. "We have guys who can do several things offensively.''
The Bullpen is another area Melendez targeted for improvement.
"Traditionally, the bullpen has been okay,'' he says. "It's better but not as good as it needs to be to be a national contender.''