Chigges' stay is short-lived

The homecoming of former College of Charleston pitcher Nick Chigges didn't last long, but it did mark progress for the two-time Southern Conference pitcher of the year.

Chigges spent two weeks on the Charleston RiverDogs roster, but he was transferred back to the Staten Island Yankees of the short-season New York-Penn League on Friday. Charleston needed the roster spot to make room for starting pitcher Dellin Betances, who had been on the disabled list since May 27.

Chigges, who was drafted by the New York Yankees last year, made four appearances out of the bullpen for the RiverDogs and had a 3.18 earned run average in 5 2/3 innings of work. Before he was reassigned, he mentioned how nice it was to be able to return to the city where he enjoyed so much success in college.

"For me, it's definitely exciting," he said. "I'm very comfortable with the area. It's very much like my second home."

Chigges performed well in short-season ball last year for Staten Island, but he wasn't able to break onto a full-season roster out of spring training which meant another two months of work in Tampa.

"It's not degrading, but it's definitely easy to get down on yourself," he said. "I stuck with it in extended spring training. You have to show coaches that you're still improving, and relief pitchers don't get to throw that much."

He said he suspects his body hadn't adjusted to the rigors of pitching a season of short-season ball after his college season ended.

"The college season has a different timing than pro ball. I think my body was in a little shock over all the throwing I was doing. I felt fine, and I thought my mechanics were fine, but I guess I wasn't," he said.

In recent years, the Yankees have shown a taste for acquiring C of C talent. New York drafted outfielder Brett Gardner in 2005 and he made his debut in pinstripes on Monday. This year, New York drafted its third Cougar when it picked up pitcher Clay Caulfield. Chigges said Gardner was helpful to him in making his transition as a pro.

"I played with Brett for two years. Last year, when I got drafted, I gave him a call and got the fill-in on how things work," Chigges said. "He's a good guy. I'm so happy for him that he's worked so hard and he's gotten where he is."

In addition to Caulfield, eight other Cougars were drafted this year, and it pleased Chigges to see so many of his college teammates selected.

"The coaches really worked hard to make C of C a respectable school. The program has really jumped in the last four years," he said.

Futures Game

Among the activities of Major League Baseball's All-Star Game festivities is next Sunday's Futures Game, which features many of the brightest stars in the minor leagues.

Charleston RiverDogs catcher Jesus Montero will play for the World team against the U.S. Summer Olympic Trials team.

Organizers of the event have done a good job of identifying rising talent since it was started in 1999. There are 172 current major leaguers who have played in one of the previous nine games, and last year 22 participants in the All-Star game had also played in the Futures Game.

Montero marks the fourth RiverDog to be selected to the team during the season they played in Charleston. Others included Jose Tabata (2006), Delmon Young (2004) and Josh Hamilton (2000). Several other former RiverDogs were selected to play in the game while they were playing for other minor league teams, including current big leaguers Carl Crawford, Toby Hall and Phil Hughes.

Major debuts

A trio of former RiverDogs have earned promotions to major league teams over the past two weeks.

Justin Christian, who played second base in Charleston for the first half of the 2005 season, spent a week as an outfielder with the Yankees and was 2-for-4 while driving in two runs during his debut against the Pittsburgh Pirates. He was 1-for-4 with two runs the next day, but his hitting dried up. He was 3-for-15 in five games before getting sent back to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in favor of Brett Gardner.

The Yankees also brought up reliever David Robertson, who has been on a fast track through the organization since beginning the 2007 season as a RiverDogs starting pitcher. He made his debut on June 29 against the New York Mets. In two appearances, he has given up four hits, two walks and an earned run in four innings while striking out four.

In Oakland, former RiverDogs first baseman Wes Bankston was called up on Wednesday and was 0-for-4 in his debut. He got his first hit on Thursday and doubled twice and drove in a run in Friday's game.

Bankston played in the Tampa Bay Devil Rays organization and was in Charleston for the 2003-04 seasons when he hit 35 home runs, tied for the RiverDogs' career lead. He was traded last year to the Kansas City Royals, who put him on waivers before the Athletics picked him up.

Reach Bill Henley at 937-5595 or bhenley@postandcourier.com.