Manning Welcomes This Break

Pat Manning never thought an All-Star break would look so good. But the former Mater Dei star never imagined that he’d be in a slump for 2 1/2 months.

Manning, the Times’ Orange County player of the year in 1999, is simply not accustomed to failure. In his senior season, he hit .494 with 12 home runs and 37 runs batted in. Drafted as a shortstop in the third round by the Atlanta Braves, Manning hit .416 with four home runs and 19 RBIs in the Gulf Coast rookie league. Manning slowed down a little when he reached Macon, Ga. But he still hit .259 with four home runs and 19 RBIs in 43 games; not bad for a kid two months out of high school playing in the highest level of Class A.

Maybe he had it too good. Maybe he needed to test his character.

Through his first 66 games this year, Manning hit just .229.

“This game can be so frustrating,” Manning said.

And the grind of minor league baseball is wearing on Manning’s mind. The 14-hour bus trips, the fast food, the cut-throat business of professional sports, they’re all catching up to Manning, tabbed by Baseball America as the Brave organization’s ninth-best prospect.

“I just cannot get comfortable this year,” he said.

Manning said his problems started when he began trying to pull everything.

“I was pulling my shoulder off the ball,” he said. “Before you know, you’re zero for 20, then one for 25, then one for 31.”

Manning said the Macon coaching staff, led by Manager Jeff Treadway and hitting coach Tommy Gregg, has been patient with him and they have not panicked. But Manning admits he hasn’t been able to stay quite so positive.

“I’m thinking, ‘Why is this happening to me? It’s not like I’m not good enough,’ ” he said. “I know there’s still plenty of time to turn it around, but it’s just real hard for me to understand. Mentally, I was just a mess. And this is one business where you can’t be a mess mentally. “

Phone calls home to mom and dad have been comforting, but Manning said he hasn’t leaned on anyone within in the organization.

“Nobody cares that you’re struggling, other than the organization guys who drafted you,” he said. “Nobody feels sorry for you and I don’t want anybody to feel sorry for me. I’m sure there are other guys around here who are happy the top prospect is struggling. It helps their cause.”

Manning thought he had done everything he could to help his own cause during the winter. He lifted weights four or five times a week and he trained harder than ever. By spring, Manning had bulked up to 191 pounds.

It was during spring training that Manning suggested to Dick Balderson, the Braves’ director of player development, that he take some ground balls at second base. Manning said he expects rookie Rafael Furcal to be entrenched as the Braves’ shortstop for the next 10 to 15 years.

“It came naturally to me,” he said. “I told Dick I feel really good [at second base].”

So that’s where Manning has stayed. Although his hitting stroke is a mess, he hasn’t carried those problems over to the field. He has only eight errors, fewer than any other South Atlantic League second baseman.

Now he simply needs his bat to catch up to his glove.

“This break was good for me,” he said. “I needed to get a couple days away from it. I just have to know that everybody is going to struggle. Reggie Sanders is struggling and he hit over .300 last year.”

WILSON HITS THE SPOT

Nashville catcher Craig Wilson, a 23-year-old first baseman from Huntington Beach High, is doing all he can to get called up by the Pirates, but he’s also keeping the local fans happy. Wilson, who is hitting .305, had a three-homer game two weeks ago against Tucson. One of Wilson’s homers landed in a large inflatable glove in the right field stands--making a lucky fan $10,000 richer.

“It’s nice to be able to do that,” Wilson said. “The guy was nice. He wrote me a check for $300.”

QUICK HIT

Former Cypress College pitcher Steve Smyth, a left-handed starter in the Cubs’ organization, picked up the save in the East’s 3-1 victory over the West in the Florida State League All-Star game. Smyth, who pitches for Daytona, struck out two in one inning.