BASEBALL 1992 PREVIEW : Farm System Is Flourishing : McDavid Is Pick of Bumper Crop of Minor League Prospects

He even draws glances from the major leaguers. He has fewer than 500 professional at-bats, all at the Class-A level or lower, but Baseball America rates him the 60th best prospect in the minors. His physical attributes draw comparisons--premature or otherwise--with the likes of Frank Thomas.

Pencil in Ray McDavid as the Padres’ center fielder sometime in the mid-’90s.

Though only one other Padre farmhand--pitcher Joey Hamilton, the team’s 1991 first-round draft choice--made Baseball America’s list of top 100 prospects, the Padres say they’ve made strides in the last two years in building what had been a moribund feeder system.

Several Padre prospects are in constant demand in trade talks, and two--outfielder Matt Mieske and shortstop Jose Valentin--were sent to Milwaukee recently for Gary Sheffield.

Several others are considered nearly ready for the big show, and Padre farm teams at the lower levels are winning league titles and being promoted en masse. And the players are noticing.

“It’s always good incentive for the younger guys in the system to see guys getting a shot,” said Tony Gwynn, one of the few stars produced by the Padre system in the 1980s. “It’s been amazing how the minor league side has changed the last couple years. We had kind of a drought. . . . Now they just sort of came out of nowhere.

“It makes it easier when you don’t always have to jump into the free agent market or if someone gets hurt you don’t have to go out and make a trade. It’s the kind of luxury good teams like to have. If you’re gonna build a winning organization, that’s the way you’re gonna do it.”

If the building blocks are being gathered, the unpolished gem is McDavid, a 6-foot-3, 190-pound multisport star out of Clairemont High.

Last year at Class-A Charleston, in his first full pro season, he hit .247 with 10 homers, 60 stolen bases, 106 walks and 119 strikeouts. He’ll probably play at High Desert in the Class-A California League this year.

“He’s big, strong, fast, has a lot of raw talent,” said Padres minor league director Ed Lynch. “All he needs is (experience). He’s the kind of guy you project to just get better the more he plays.”

Scouting director Reggie Waller, a Houston Astro scout when McDavid was starring in baseball, basketball and football in high school, said, “He’s just a pure athlete. I used to take him to ballgames at Jack Murphy Stadium just to get him to choose baseball (as a career). He has all the raw ability. You look for power and speed and he’s got ‘em both. He can run the ball down in the outfield. He’s got things you can’t teach, but we can refine.”

In Yuma, McDavid started several major league “B” games for Manager Greg Riddoch, who told the 20-year-old, “Keep working hard. You’re knocking on the door.”

Even Gwynn is impressed: “He’s got tools, he’s big, he can run--I take that back, he can flat out fly. It’s been a while since we had young guys with that kind of talent.”

Here are the Padres’ top prospects going into the 1992 season:

On the Way

* Luis Lopez: A 21-year-old infielder, the switch-hitter was bumped a notch when Padres signed Kurt Stillwell and picked up Jeff Gardner in a trade. But Lopez will be switched from second base back to his natural position--shortstop--thanks to the Valentin trade. Lopez missed most of the 1990 season after knee surgery but played well last year at Class-AA Wichita (.268).

* Frank Seminara: The Padres plucked the right-hander from the Yankees organization after he was selected Class-A Carolina League pitcher of year in 1990. Seminara, 24, led the Texas League in wins (15), complete games (6) and innings pitched (176) last year at Wichita. “He could help the major league club sometime soon. He’s a winner,” Lynch said.

* Dave Staton: At 23 and possessing what Lynch calls “big-time power,” Staton, 6 feet 5 and 220 pounds, is making the move from first base to left field. The former Cal State Fullerton standout ranked among Pacific Coast League home run leaders last year at Las Vegas with 22. Said Lynch: “His bat will get him to the major leagues.”

* Guillermo Velasquez: The reason Staton is moving to outfield is Velasquez, 23, a 6-3, 220-pound first baseman who hit .295 with 21 homers and 100 RBIs at Wichita, setting a Texas League record with RBIs in 15 consecutive games. The left-handed hitter was slowed this spring by a toe injury that required surgery. Said Lynch: “We think he’s gonna make an impact at the major league level--soon.”

On the Horizon

* Tim Worrell: The younger brother of Cardinals reliever Todd Worrell is a starter, Tim, 24, was combined 13-8 with two Class-A teams in 1991, striking out 153 in 150 innings. He has an above-average major league fastball and curve; he is working on changeup.

* Paul Gonzalez: He is a left-handed hitting third baseman with power--31 doubles, 14 homers at High Desert in 1991--but the 22-year-old is strikeout-prone.

* Ray Holbert: The 21-year-old infielder struggled with the bat until last year, when he hit .264 with 14 doubles, 51 RBIs at High Desert. He’s bound for Wichita this year, and in line behind Tony Fernandez and Lopez.

* Doug Brocail: A first-round draft choice in January, 1986, he has struggled throughout minor league career until 1991, when he was 10-7 with six saves at Wichita. Padres were impressed enough to put the 24-year-old right-hander on the 40-man roster. At 6-5, 220, he can start or relieve.

On the Farm

McDavid leads a group of players who may help form the nucleus of the Padres in the mid-1990s, particularly the pitching staff.

While Mieske was the darling of the system, first baseman Jay Gainer, 25, played on the same teams and often outperformed Mieske offensively. He was Northwest League batting champion in 1990 (.356) and the home run leader in the Padre system last year at High Desert, leading the California League with 32 homers and 120 RBIs.

Right-handers Mark Ettles, 25, and Scott Fredrickson, 24, will form the Wichita bullpen after combining for 21 saves last year in Class A. Starting right-hander Scott Sanders, 23, the Padres’ 6-4, 210-pound first-round pick in the 1990 draft, was 12-6 last year with two Class-A teams and the Padres like his confidence. Lynch said, “He’s got great makeup, he’s a real competitor. If he gets hit hard he can’t believe it. He never thinks he’s going to lose.”

Left-hander Joey Hamilton, 21, right-hander Greg Anthony, 20, and right-hander Jonathon Barnes, 18, all starting pitchers, were the Padres’ top three draft selections last June. The 6-4, 215-pound Hamilton, who signed in September and hasn’t thrown an inning professionally, is rated the minors’ 36th best prospect by Baseball America, but the Padres will bring him along slowly, starting him at Charleston, their lowest Class-A team.

“We want to make sure his arm is not stressed too much and he’ll have success early,” Lynch said. “If he overmatches the league, we’ll move him.”

At 6-3, 215, Anthony showed a live arm in rookie ball last year, striking out 22 and allowing only 17 hits in 27 innings. Said Lynch: “We think he has a chance to be a major league pitcher.” Barnes, who turns 19 on April 11, struggled in rookie ball (2-5, 5.19), but Lynch said, “He’s shown progress and great poise. We project him down the road as having a chance.”

Gwynn said, “We got a lot of arms. In years past (if a pitcher was injured) we didn’t have anybody we could call up. We’ve got guys who can step in there now. It’s the kind of luxury good clubs like to have. Our front office deserves some credit.”

You might want to hold your applause until, like Gwynn, they make their mark in the majors.