New shortstop no stranger to the travels of Triple-A

Nick Christensen

Friday, Aug. 6, 2004 | 9:45 a.m.

Saturday afternoon, Henri Stanley was walking off the field as word spread that Red Sox shortstop Nomar Garciaparra had been traded.

He had just finished fielding during batting practice at McCoy Stadium in Pawtucket, R.I., home of the Red Sox's Triple-A affiliate, and had just crossed the third base line when an infielder yelled a message at him.

"Congratulations," he said. "You've just been traded to the Dodgers."

Stanley brushed him off, thinking it was just a joke.

"I said, 'What are you talking about?' and he said he'd bet me a hundred dollars that I got traded," Stanley said. "That's when we went ahead and walked through the dugout door and through the clubhouse, and the manager was waiting for me."

Just like that, Stanley was off to Des Moines, Iowa, to join his third Triple-A team of 2004. Stanley was 3-for-6 with two runs and one RBI in his 51s debut Tuesday, then struck out pinch hitting in the 7th inning of Las Vegas' 7-5 loss Thursday to the Memphis Redbirds at Cashman Field.

Stanley was on the Portland Beavers' roster opening night in Las Vegas, before the San Diego Padres traded him to the Boston organization for cash.

The Dodgers sent outfielder and leadoff hitter Dave Roberts to Boston for Stanley. Despite being traded for a major-league player, Stanley said he still hasn't heard what his role will be with the Dodgers or the 51s.

"Coming in, you try to be all about business," he said. "I'll try to fit in where I can. I try to play the game I play, to be aggressive and try to take it to the opponent. You can never be in the wrong when you come out and play aggressively."

Brian Myrow, acquired from the Yankees for pitcher Tanyon Sturtze, leads the 51s in batting with a .319 average, followed by Jason Repko, a midseason callup from Jacksonville hitting .314.

To bolster the 51s bullpen, pitcher T.J. Mathews was acquired from Double-A Bridgeport. A former UNLV pitcher, Mathews allowed one hit and struck out one batter in one inning of relief Thursday.