Speed Demons

The Wild Things hope they found a starting outfielder Tuesday at the Frontier League's tryout and draft. Chris Demons, a veteran of the Toronto Blue Jays organization, was chosen by Washington with the second overall pick.

Demons (5-10, 176) was the only player at the tryout with experience at the Class AAA level, abeit for only eight games last year with the Syracuse Chiefs. Demons had been playing for the Auburn Doubledays in the short-season New York-Penn League when Syracuse needed another outfielder for the final 10 days of the season.

Before being signed by the Blue Jays, Demons spent the 2007 season in the now-defunct independent South Coast League. He played for former New York Mets second baseman Wally Backman with the South Georgia Peanuts. That was the year a documentary called "Playing for Peanuts" was shot about the South Georgia team. I believe it aired on PBS.

Demons is speedster. He clocked a 6.50 in the 60-yard dash at the tryout and was disappointed in his time.

"I felt bad about it. I didn't even want to know my time," Demons said. "I felt like it was below par for me."

Demons has been clocked in as fast as 6.37 in the 60.
A breakout senior season at Augusta State, an NCAA Division II school in Georgia, turned Demons into a prospect. As a pro, he's never hit for a high average (.245 career average) but he's drawn 55 walks and stolen 49 bases in 113 games.

Demons says the brief stint in Class AAA has made him a better player and given him a better understanding of how to prepare for a game.

"For any player who has been to Triple-A, the experience has to change them," Demons said. "I was a kid playing a kids game against kids. When I went to Triple-A, it was grown men playing. They take the game much more seriously, especially from a preparation standpoint."

Demons said he didn't know what to expect at the FL tryout, but he did some homework on the league's teams before driving to Washington.

"I was checking rosters and transactions and seeing who might need an outfielder," Demons said. "When I got here, I looked around the ballpark. I thought that if I was fortunate enough to be drafted, Washington wouldn't be a bad place to play."

Notes from the first day of spring training:
- Catcher Kris Rochelle, who had reconstructive elbow surgery last August, received medical clearance Monday to participate in all workouts. Rochelle is far ahead of schedule in his rehabilitation. The Richmond, Va., native is optimistic that he will be ready for opening day.

- With rain in the forecast, manager Mark Mason changed his practice schedule. The team opened camp with an intrasquad scrimmage in the morning and took batting practice in the afternoon. I didn't see the intrasquad game but was told the pitchers dominated. That was to be expected on the first day of camp. The standout seemed to be new closer Jonathan Lewis.

- Newly signed first baseman Ernie Banks (no, not that Ernie Banks) has plenty of power. He sent a half dozen balls over the outfield wall – all to the opposite field.

- The batting swing of Alex Pakula doesn't look like it belongs on an outfielder who hit only .235 for Point Park University last year.

- The only players who failed to report to camp were catcher Steve Pickerell (death in family) and pitcher Jace Smith (attending college). Both are expected to arrive by May 15. There are 37 players in camp.

- Washington signed catcher Alex Collura, a Colorado Springs resident who was last with the Kansas City T-Bones of the independent Northern League. At the age of 16, Collura was the bullpen catcher for the Colorado Springs Sky Sox, the Colorado Rockies' Class AAA affiliate.