THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, August 20, 1995 TAG: 9508200204
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C8 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY TOM ROBINSON, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 72 lines
Jay Payton came to the Norfolk Tides with a .349 batting average in his minor league career, which was all of 151 games from rookie ball to Double-A. The Mets' third pick in the first round of the 1994 draft, Payton entered Saturday's game batting exactly 106 points below that standard, .243 in 140 at-bats.
Nobody's saying Payton, a 22-year-old outfielder, isn't still the pure hitter he was when he arrived with the Tides, and perhaps the Mets' best all-around offensive prospect. Even with the diluted state of pro baseball, however, Triple-A is nothing most people breeze through.
``Adjustments,'' Tides manager Toby Harrah said. ``He's seeing all new pitchers again, the defense is a little bit better here, and I think the pitching's a little better here. He needs to be a little bit better, and he will. He's going to be fine.''
Entering Saturday, Payton was in probably the worst slide of his career. Despite hitting the ball well Friday, but getting nothing out of it, Payton had one hit in his previous 19 at-bats.
However, after making that 1-for-21 Saturday, Payton singled twice and drilled a two-run double.
``I feel like I'm pressing,'' Payton, who has two home runs and 23 RBIs with eight stolen bases, said before the game. In Binghamton, he had 14 home runs, 54 RBIs and 16 steals. ``My average isn't what I like it to be. I'm driving in some runs, scoring some runs, stealing some bases, but my batting average went down, my power numbers are down a little bit from when I made the jump. But that's nothing I worry about too much. I know I'm going to get my hits eventually.''
Payton said he previously altered his stance to avoid getting jammed by pitches, but has begun to concentrate again on hitting straightaway rather than pulling the ball.
In Triple-A, ``if you show them a weakness they'll keep abusing it until you show you can handle it,'' Payton said.
You can't blame Payton for being tired, which he admits he is. But he denies fatigue is a reason for his struggles. He has played in every one of his teams' games, and nearly every inning, this season; 85 in Binghamton and 36 with the Tides. In all, Payton, who also plans to play winter ball, has missed just nine innings.
A resurgent performance in Norfolk could help Payton's chances to start next season in the big leagues, but Harrah said even if he returns to the Tides next April it shouldn't be for long.
``They've got a lot of young guys, there's going to be a lot of battling for jobs,'' Payton said. ``If somebody comes in and shows them they're ready to play, hopefully they'll get the chance to play.''
ORDONEZ ARRIVES: Shortstop Rey Ordonez, absent from the Tides since Aug. 8, turned up at Harbor Park after batting practice Saturday, with a shaved head no less. After going home for the birth of his child and getting his immigration papers in order, Ordonez probably won't be ready to return to the starting lineup at least until Monday, Harrah said.
THE WAY IT IS: When late-season promotions to the big leagues hurt a team as they have the Tides, it reminds fans that life in Triple-A isn't always fair. Tough luck, Harrah said.
``I don't think fans really understand all that,'' Harrah said. ``They just see the game, they boo if you play poorly and if you play well they give you a hand. They just want to see the best game of the year that day that they paid to come watch, regardless of who's out there.''
The drain on the Tides' pitching talent has been obvious, but Harrah said the Tides could be better defensively than they've been all season with their new cast.
``We're not the only ballclub in this situation,'' Harrah said. ``It kind of makes it interesting for the last two weeks of the season. It's something for me to learn from and make adjustments to. It makes it fun.'' by CNB