THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, August 7, 1995 TAG: 9508070132
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY HARRY MINIUM, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Long : 116 lines
Alex Ochoa already is a hot topic among ardent New York baseball fans, even though he has yet to step onto the turf at Shea Stadium.
The son of Cuban immigrants who reluctantly took up baseball only after being prodded by his first grade teacher, Ochoa is supposed to be the New York Mets next rising star. And considering the price the Mets paid for him, he'd better be.
When New York traded highly-regarded outfielder Bobby Bonilla a week ago to the Baltimore Orioles, the Mets received Ochoa and Damon Buford in return.
Clearly, Ochoa was the big prize for the Mets. They wanted him so much that general manager Joe McIlvaine held up the long-expected trade for more than a week. The Orioles offered other players, one by one. Though under the gun to unload Bonilla's expensive contract, McIlvaine politely said no.
No Ochoa, no deal, he said.
``About a week before the trade, my manager in Rochester (Marv Foley) pulled me aside and told me not to worry, that he was pretty sure the Orioles wouldn't give me up,'' Ochoa said.
But as the trade deadline approached, the Orioles caved in. Ochoa was in Rochester 10 days ago, playing for the Red Wings, when Foley approached him between innings with the news.
He showered, packed his bags and departed while the game was still in progress. The next day, he started in rightfield at Harbor Park. He didn't even get a chance to clear out his apartment.
``My stuff's still in Rochester,'' he said with a smile. ``I'm told I'll get the chance to go Rochester on a road trip. That's life in baseball. One day you're in Rochester, the next day in Norfolk.''
So far he's playing well in Norfolk, hitting .318 with six runs scored and two RBIs before Sunday night's doubleheader against Columbus. And New York officials advise you to catch his act at Harbor Park quickly if you want to see it at all.
``We sent him to Triple-A for just a little more seasoning,'' McIlvaine said. ``He'll be up there by the end of the year. I'm sure of it.''
The New York media is so sure that the New York Post and New York Daily News sent reporters to Norfolk last week to write about the 23-year-old Miami Lakes, Fla. native.
``Ochoa Can't Wait to Shea Hello,'' declared a headline in the Post.
Is Ochoa that good? It would seem so. Last season, his first in Double-A, he was the third-best hitter in the Eastern League. Baseball America ranked him the No. 8 prospect in the league, the fourth time in four years of pro ball that he's been ranked among a league's top 10.
Baseball America rated him the No. 2 prospect in the Orioles organization going into this season, though with average power and a career batting average of .292 in the minors, Ochoa's bat won't be his primary ticket to the majors.
Ochoa's greatest talents are in the field, where his swiftness and cannon-like arm make him a manager's dream - he not only hits line drives, he throws them.
In every season he's played, Baseball America has rated his arm the best in his respective league.
Word about Ochoa's arm spread quickly last season in the Arizona Fall League. When Michael Jordan saw Ochoa nail a runner at third from the outfield fence, His Airness showed he can recognize baseball talent, even if he doesn't possess it.
``That guy has a major league arm,'' Jordan said.
And one he loves to show off. Even on a routine chance, he'll fire the ball back to the infield, just to make a point to baserunners.
``It's nice to throw someone out,'' Ochoa said. ``But to stop a runner from even running, to watch him hold up and not even try because he knows you'll throw him out, that feels great.''
Tides manager Toby Harrah says Ochoa's arm will carry him far.
``He has a very high ceiling for how far he can go,'' Harrah said. ``He can do everything well. He's going to play big league baseball, and he could do it for a long time.''
Ochoa acknowledges he'd hoped to make his major league debut at Camden Yards, not Shea Stadium. ``I was very comfortable in the Orioles organization,'' he said.
Not that he's uncomfortable in Norfolk.
``At first I thought it would be odd coming in here,'' he said. ``But the guys gave me a warm welcome. It seems like I've been here all year. This is a great bunch of guys. I think that's one reason they're winning. It's a very close bunch of guys.''
Some of whom will be playing in Shea next season. The Philadelphia Daily News reported Friday that McIlvaine expects Ochoa and fellow Tide Jay Payton will start for the Mets in the outfield, with Norfolk's Butch Huskey and former Tide Carl Everett competing for the third outfield spot.
Ochoa, who has family in New York, knows he'll be playing for cynical fans and a more cynical media when he gets to the Big Apple.
``It comes with the territory when you play in New York,'' he said. ``The fans get on everyone there at some point. You can't let it bother you. I can handle it.''
If Ochoa is tough enough to survive the Big Apple, perhaps it's because he has tough parents. Carlos Ochoa, his father, was a physician in Cuba who emigrated to Miami in 1971 with his pregnant wife in tow.
Alex was born five months later, while his father, who did not speak a word of English, struggled to gain a license to practice medicine.
``I know it was tough for them, but they don't talk about it,'' Ochoa said of his parents. ``We're fine now.''
Ochoa has struck up a close relationship with Tides shortstop Rey Ordonez, a Cuban immigrant.
``We talk about Cuba a lot,'' said Ochoa, who's fluent in Spanish and English. ``I often wonder where I'd be if my parents had stayed there. I'd probably be playing for the Cuban Olympic team.
``It's funny, I wasn't big on baseball at first, even though my father was a baseball player in Cuba. . . . My first grade teacher convinced me to play baseball. She told me I needed to open up, to get involved in a team sport.
``So I started playing, and ever since, it's been my dream to go to the major leagues.
``Now I'm almost there.'' ILLUSTRATION: [Color Photo]
Don Sparks
by CNB