DATE: Monday, May 12, 1997                  TAG: 9705120144
SECTION: SPORTS                  PAGE: C6   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY RICH RADFORD, STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: NORFOLK                           LENGTH:   53 lines

METS TO TEST YOUNG GUNS AGAINST TIDES TONIGHT IN NORFOLK PROMISING HURLERS TO THROW FOR NEW YORK IN ANNUAL EXHIBITION.

When the New York Mets stroll into Harbor Park for their exhibition game tonight with the Norfolk Tides, don't expect to see Bobby Jones on the mound with John Franco closing.

No need wasting the big-league pitchers' arms on a seven-inning exhibition game.

Instead, the Mets are expected to use three young pitchers with promising futures: Jesus Sanchez, Brandon Villafuerte and Phil Olson.

The Mets, as do almost all major league teams these days, treat pitching in exhibition games as a reward for the young, blazing arms in the organization.

The Tides will throw their own pitchers, beginning with Rudy Seanez, but the Mets will use three pitchers whose average age is 22.

A little about each:

Sanchez, a lefthander who is scheduled to start tonight, has been tearing up the Eastern League for the Double-A Binghamton Mets, posting a 4-1 record with a 1.76 earned run average. He has 43 strikeouts in 41 innings.

The 22-year-old Sanchez, from the Dominican Republic, was signed by the Mets as a non-drafted free agent when he was 17 and has since progressed through the minor league system. He had elbow surgery at the end of the 1995 season, but bounced back to go 9-3 with a 1.96 earned run average for Class A St. Lucie last season.

Villafuerte, 21, is the closer for the Class A Capital City (Columbia, S.C.) Bombers. Used mostly in relief, he's a combined 13-4 in three seasons in the Mets' organization.

This season, Villafuerte has no decisions, but has three saves, a 2.16 earned run average and 21 strikeouts in 16 2/3 innings.

As a collegian, he struck out 187 batters in 169 innings for West Valley (Calif.) Community College. The Mets selected Villafuerte in the 66th round of the 1994 draft, but weren't able to come to terms with the pitcher until the following spring. It appears to be a good thing they did, rather than allow him to re-enter that year's draft.

Olson, 23, has starred for Class A St. Lucie. The former Florida State pitcher is 2-0 with a 1.77 earned run average and one save.

One thing not to expect tonight is a highly competitive game. Last season, Tim Bogar played all nine positions for the Mets and the game, won 3-0 by the Tides, took 1 hour and 44 minutes to complete.

What could be competitive, and fun, is the pre-game home run contest. New York's Todd Hundley, Bernard Gilkey and Butch Huskey and the Tides' Roberto Petagine, Scott McClain, Todd Pratt and Wes Chamberlain are expected to compete.

And what is always competitive will be the fans, both young and old, positioning themselves for the opportunity to gather some autographs. Besides, rubbing elbows and seeing these major leaguers in person is what tonight's about.

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