APPALACHIAN LEAGUE: Three players, one goal

BRISTOL, Va. – The three players come from different backgrounds.

They took different routes in getting a chance to play professional baseball.

They each have their own personality.

But this summer they all find themselves sharing the clubhouse as members of the Appalachian League’s Bristol White Sox.

It’s the lowest rung of the minor leagues and the odds are against it, but the aspiring major leaguers are attempting to get noticed and advance through the system.

The ultimate destination: Playing at U.S. Cellular Field as members of the Chicago White Sox.

Ryan Buch came to Bristol to make the transition from a relief pitcher to starting pitcher, building up arm strength and learning the idiosyncrasies of a starter. He did such a good
job that he was promoted to Kannapolis (N.C.) of the Low-Class A South Atlantic League last week.

Relief pitcher Jamaal Hollis was drafted by his favorite team and is trying to make a mark in his first season as a professional.

Infielder Rangel Ravelo is the youngest player on the BriSox roster and has dealt with his share of ups and downs over the first month of his career.
But the goal is the same for all of them.

“These guys are hopefully here for one reason,” said Bristol manager Ryan Newman. “That’s to play in the big leagues.”

Buch’s best
Buch admitted he felt the butterflies on the evening of June 22.

Appointed as Bristol’s opening night starter, he experienced something he’d never felt before. Not in high school. Not during a standout career at Monmouth College in New Jersey.

“I was never an opening night starter in college and that was my first one ever,” Buch said. “The nerves were with me. I was a little nervous. But it felt good. I got in cruise control and
enjoyed it a lot. The fans were great and the atmosphere was great.”

Buch went five adequate innings and was tagged with a loss against Elizabethton.

He had pitched solely in relief – first with the rookie-level Great Falls (Mont.) Voyagers last summer and then with Kannapolis to start the season.

Yet, the organization wanted to try him out as a starter and sent him to Bristol to refine his skills.

“I was kind of disappointed, maybe, to come back,” Buch said. “But I knew and they explained to me it wasn’t really a demotion. It was more that you have to take a step back to
take a step forward.”

The 22-year-old Buch was one of the most seasoned veterans in the Bristol locker room. It didn’t take long for him to hear from some inquisitive teammates and he was happy to
oblige, dishing out advice to the neophytes near his locker stall.

“You need to get your feet wet, get an inning here or inning there and start out slow,” Buch said. “If you go too fast, it’s too long of a season to be doing that. … That’s what I’ve been
trying to tell these guys.”

Buch went 2-1 with a 2.45 ERA in four starts for Bristol. He won his first start for Kannapolis on July 14, crafting a five-inning masterpiece.

Before he left town he was confident.

“I’m listening to them,” Buch said of the organization. “I’m sure as long as I do what they tell me and try 100 percent everything should work out. That’s what I’m here for – to try to
get to the big leagues.”

Hometown hero
At 6-foot-2 and 195-pounds Hollis doesn’t physically stand out from the rest of the players on the BriSox roster. But as a youngster growing up in Chicago, he stood much bigger than his peers. So much so, his parents and friends labeled him “The Big Hurt” the same nickname of famed White Sox slugger Frank Thomas.

That was quite a popular nickname in the Windy City during Hollis’ formative years.

His house sat 10 minutes from U.S. Cellular Field and he recalled hearing the fireworks that would be set off when the White Sox hit a home run or closed out another victory.

Thomas and Ozzie Guillen were two of his favorite players that wore the white and black during his youth.

He even got to play in the Sox’s stadium as part of a prep all-star game one summer.

So when Chicago drafted him in the 33rd round of last month’s MLB Amateur Draft, it was pure euphoria for the right-hander, who pitched for Miami (Ohio) University.

“It was definitely a dream come true,” Hollis said. “There was a lot of excitement in the household when we finally got word and saw the news on the internet. … I was real happy.”

Hollis has made an impression in a crowded Bristol bullpen. He’s 1-0 with a 4.63 ERA and five of his eight appearances have been scoreless outings.

“When he came here, we didn’t know a whole lot about what we were getting,” Newman said. “We saw his bullpen [sessions] and first few outings and got excited. He’s got a real
good arm. He’s made the minor adjustments that [pitching coach] Curt Hasler made with him and taken it onto the field.”

Hollis smiled as he stood in the clubhouse a few weeks ago. He was proud to be wearing the uniform of his favorite team’s affiliate. He’s also gotten into the routines of minor league
life.

“It was bit nerve-wracking [starting out],” Hollis said. “I was definitely a little nervous and scared, because I didn’t know anybody at all. It was just like my freshman year in college.
… But you get adjusted and realize everybody is in the same boat.”

The kid
Flashing his youthful grin, the 18-year-old Ravelo seemed excited as he answered questions through translator Ibrahim Rivera – Bristol’s conditioning coach – about his first few weeks as a pro.

“It feels great,” Ravelo said. “I’m glad to be playing here and just want to give 100 percent.”

He also smiles when asked about being Bristol’s youngest player and praises his older teammates for their help.

A sixth-round pick that received a $125,000 signing bonus, the Cuban immigrant has had the biggest learning curve among the BriSox.

He’s hitting just .206 through 19 games.

At times he’s shown flashes of brilliance: a two-hit performance against Kingsport on July 8. His first career homer on July 15 against the Princeton Rays.

But sometimes he struggles. On Sunday, he struck out twice and committed three errors.

Welcome to the world of pro baseball.

But Newman is far from down on his rookie third baseman.

“He fits in great,” the manager said. “If you see him out there on the field, you don’t notice a big difference. He looks like he belongs and he’s doing a good job.”

The future
It’s not known where Buch, Hollis and Ravelo’s career paths will lead.

But at the present, they all are playing for pay and chasing a big league dream.

“We’re all so very fortunate,” Newman said. “We get to go and work on a baseball field every day. Very few people get this opportunity and these kids need to take advantage of that.”

thayes@bristolnews.com | Twitter: @Hayes_BHCSports | (276) 645-2570