Gonzalez aiming to avoid subtraction via numbers game

By: GREG BALL - Staff Writer | Sunday, March 26, 2006 8:18 PM PST ∞

PEORIA, Ariz. ---- Adrian Gonzalez's bat is ready for the big leagues, his glove is as good as any first baseman's in the Padres' system and those high up in the organization gush over his intangibles. Even with all those factors working for him, the unfortunate reality for Gonzalez is that he probably will start the season in Triple-A, the victim of a numbers game.

"I talked to Bochy," Gonzalez said of manager Bruce Bochy, "and he told me it doesn't matter what I do. He knows what kind of player I am. I can go 0-for-100 or go 100-for-100. It's just a matter of seeing what the team needs."

Gonzalez emphasized that he hasn't been told he whether he will make the Opening Day roster, but it appears unlikely the Padres will have a need for a left-handed-hitting backup first baseman. With a week to go before the team opens the season against the San Francisco Giants at Petco Park, the roster is still fluid with respect to the pitching staff, but the position players are mostly set.

The Padres' five bench players likely will be catcher Doug Mirabelli, infielder/outfielder Eric Young, infielders Mark Bellhorn and Geoff Blum and outfielder Terrmel Sledge. With Sledge, Bellhorn and Blum all able to hit from the left side and Bellhorn ticketed as Ryan Klesko's backup at first base, that leaves little room for Gonzalez.

Gonzalez could earn a roster spot if the Padres go with 11 pitchers instead of 12 for the first two weeks of the season, but it would almost surely be a limited-time engagement.

"He's certainly a guy in the mix if we go with 11 pitchers," Padres general manager Kevin Towers said. "We've talked about him, especially with Ryno's health.

"That's always going to be a concern, and his shoulder is bothering him again. I wouldn't be surprised if we saw (Gonzalez) get quite a bit of time up here at some point this year."

Still, not getting the chance to win a job has frustrated Gonzalez, who is batting .308 in six Cactus League games. He didn't play his first exhibition game until after he and Team Mexico were eliminated from the World Baseball Classic on March 16.

Now 23, the graduate of Eastlake High in Chula Vista was the first overall selection in the 2000 draft and has experienced a steady rise toward the major leagues. He was traded by the Florida Marlins to the Texas Rangers in 2003, the season he first reached the Triple-A level. A year later he played 16 games in the big leagues, and last season he had 150 at-bats with the Rangers.

He was traded to the Padres in the January deal that sent pitchers Adam Eaton and Akinori Otsuka to Texas. Getting the opportunity to play for the team he supported growing up has been exciting, he said, though he hopes he won't have to wait for that chance by playing for Triple-A Portland this spring.

"I'm anxious to get big-league at-bats, even if it's sporadic," Gonzalez said Sunday before going 0-for-2 with a walk in the Padres' 6-5 exhibition win over the San Francisco Giants. "That way I can get an idea of what pitchers are trying to do to me."

Whether it comes sooner or later, Gonzalez almost surely will get a chance to prove himself with the Padres. Klesko is 34 and in the final year of a hefty contract, and his numbers have dipped considerably since he hit 30 home runs and drove in 113 runs in 2001. Gonzalez's stock, on the other hand, is on the rise.

It didn't go unnoticed how well he handled the bat earlier this week against Chicago White Sox lefty Jon Garland, an 18-game winner last year. And Towers raved about a catch Gonzalez made Saturday going into the stands, comparing Gonzalez's glovework to that of J.T. Snow in his prime.

"I think if you put him out there, he'd hit .260 or .270 with 10 home runs and play solid defense," Towers said. "By the end of the year, he'd be ready."

Contact staff writer Greg Ball at (951) 676-4315, ext. 2629 or gball@nctimes.com. To comment, go to nctimes.com.