THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, July 10, 1996 TAG: 9607100506
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY RICH RADFORD, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: 88 lines
Roberto Petagine hopes one day to leave an indelible mark on Major League Baseball.
The game has already done likewise to him: Adorning his upper right arm is Major League Baseball's insignia that resides on all authentic big league equipment.
Petagine, who will suit up for the National League in tonight's Triple-A All-Star Classic in Salt Lake City, picked up the tattoo in 1993 after earning most valuable player honors in the Double-A Texas League while with the Jackson Generals.
He is one of three Norfolk Tides who will play in tonight's game. Starting pitcher Mike Fyhrie and relief pitcher Derek Wallace are the others.
As he did in Jackson, Petagine is putting up MVP-type numbers for the Tides. Entering the All-Star break, he is third in the International League in hitting at .340 and first in on-base percentage at .447.
He'd cherish the chance to do the same at the big-league level, but warns that he needs to be in a lineup every day to prove his long-term value, something that hasn't happened during his eight games with the Houston Astros in 1994, 89 games with the San Diego Padres last year and 10 games with the New York Mets earlier this season.
``You have to let a guy play every day to see what he can do,'' said the 25-year-old Venezuelan who the Mets acquired from San Diego in a trade with Luis Arroyo for Scott Adair and Pete Walker in March. ``It's tough to play one or two days a week and be sharp. And even tougher if you're pinch-hitting.
``At some point in time I've got to be given the opportunity to play every day. You find out what a guy has in 162 games, not two.''
While Petagine has some power - he leads the Tides with 11 home runs and has driven in 53 runs - he is not a Mark McGwire or Cecil Fielder.
``I can hit the ball out, but I'm never going to hit 50 home runs,'' said the 6-foot-1, 210-pound Petagine, who lifts weights after every home game at Harbor Park. ``A good season for me is 20 to 25 home runs. But hitting home runs is not the only part of the game.
``I've talked to a lot of hitting instructors and they all say the same thing: It's not in the muscle mass, it's in the quickness of the bat. I just lift weights so I don't lose weight. It's a long season and weight can fall off you quickly if you're not careful.''
``He's more of a Mark Grace-type of first baseman,'' Mets general manager Joe McIlvaine said. ``He has to hit .300 and be a flawless type of fielder. He obviously put a little too much pressure on himself (while with New York last month).
``He's a good hitter. We know he's a good hitter. We'd tried to trade for him before we got him this time. But he was swinging from his heels (while with the Mets). Roberto has to use all of the field to be successful. He wasn't doing that in New York.''
Tides manager Bobby Valentine said the momentary swing flaw wasn't all that conspired against Petagine, who hit .148 during his brief stay with the Mets. Scheduling didn't help, either.
``He faced the Dodgers and the Braves staffs back-to-back,'' Valentine said. ``He hit as well as anybody on that team did for that week.''
When Petagine returned to the Tides, his sweet swing quickly returned as well. In a recent eight-game stretch against the Ottawa Lynx and the Richmond Braves, Petagine exhibited the kind of spray hitting that makes it tough to shade him to any field. In collecting eight hits, he doubled twice down the leftfield line, singled to left, tripled to the gap in left, singled up the middle, homered to the gap in right and singled twice to right.
Valentine figured the swing would return once Petagine was again a fixture on a lineup card.
``Being sent back down isn't like a major demotion for him,'' Valentine said. ``He wants to play every day and this is where he'll get that chance this season. If he's going to be here, he wants to make it a special season. It's a little selfish of me, but I hope he's here the rest of the season.
``Plus, you win a couple league MVPs in the minors and people take notice. This is a stock year for Roberto.''
The major leagues expand in 1998 with the additions of the Arizona Diamondbacks and Tampa Bay Ray Devils. And the Triple-A All-Star Classic is guaranteed to be swarming with scouts as major league baseball's trading deadline approaches at the end of July. It never hurts to make a good impression.
Valentine just hopes Petagine's production stays as high after his return from Salt Lake City.
``Roberto's had that good first half (of the season),'' Valentine said. ``Couple it with a good second half and you have yourself a season. But not many people remember that first half if it isn't compounded.'' ILLUSTRATION: Color photos by HUY NGUYEN, The Virginian-Pilot
Roberto Petagine, who will represent the Tides in tonight's Triple-A
All-Star Classic, ranks third in the International League in hitting
at .340 and first in on-base percentage at .447. by CNB