Outfield Isn’t as Healthy as It Could Be : Injuries Still Bothering McReynolds, Martinez

Not long ago, the Padre outfield seemed etched in stone.

There was little question Carmelo Martinez would be in left field, Kevin McReynolds in center and Tony Gwynn in right for years to come.

Although that probably won’t change in the long run, the immediate future poses some uncertainty for all three outfielders.

Martinez, 24, is bothered somewhat by a bruised bone in his left hand. McReynolds, 25, is recovering from a broken left wrist. And Gwynn, 24, the defending National League batting champion, is trying to convince himself that his position is a question mark.

“Even with the season I had last year, I feel like I have to play well to win a job,” Gwynn said. “If the job is handed to me, I might be lax when I shouldn’t be.”

Actually, Gwynn is well aware that right field is his domain. It’s just that he wants to avoid complacency.

In contrast, Martinez and McReynolds must avoid pushing themselves too hard. Either could aggravate his injury if not careful.

Martinez has good days and bad days. Sometimes he tells everybody that everything will be fine, other times he questions as much.

McReynolds has been talking positively of late.

However, McReynolds’ progress has come against pitching machines and coaches who pitch batting practice at Pony League speeds. It is not the same as facing Rick Sutcliffe or Dwight Gooden.

“I could probably play today if I had to,” McReynolds said. “One of the things I wish I could do is see two weeks down the road. There’s no pain now. Of course, I’ve only been hitting off machines and coaches. It’ll be interesting to see what happens when I face live pitching.”

Gwynn also is curious to see. He was sidelined six months in 1983 with the same injury McReynolds has.

McReynolds, who has had a smoother healing process than Gwynn did, suffered his injury five months ago.

At last Saturday’s team physicals, McReynolds said he was told X-rays showed the injury had healed. He was advised by doctors to do only as much as he could tolerate.

“With that injury, you can’t rush it,” Gwynn said. “It’s one thing for Kevin to hit off the machine. Once he gets a good hack in a game, I think he’ll realize it’s not that bad. Right now, he’s ahead of schedule.”

Martinez is another story. He quit batting practice early Sunday in pain, but said his hand has felt much better the past two days.

The biggest concern Martinez has is the long-range effect.

“That’s what I don’t want to think about,” he said. “If I put it in my mind, I’ll be mentally hurt the whole season. Maybe the answer is yes, I can play the whole season. Maybe the answer is no. We don’t know right now.”

McReynolds sounded more certain about his situation.

“I know there won’t be any problem with me,” he said. “Carmelo will have more questions than I will.”

Ultimately, the situation poses an interesting question for Manager Dick Williams.

If either Martinez or McReynolds cannot play on Opening Day--April 9 in San Francisco--who will the replacement(s) be?

The first two names Williams mentioned were Bobby Brown and Al Bumbry. Other possibilities the manager named were Ron Roenicke and rookie Jerry Davis.

However, Williams does not think he will have to find any Opening Day substitutes.

“Unless McReynolds or Martinez has a setback, we’re not concerned about it,” Williams said. “We think they’ll be there Opening Day. You may not see one or both of them for a while (in exhibition games). We’ll let them go at their own pace.”

A year ago, neither player would have had the luxury of pacing himself.

McReynolds was a one-month flop in 1983 in his attempt to make the transition to the majors. Martinez was a first baseman being converted to left field.

And even Gwynn had a legitimate concern in spring training 1984. He was making the move from left to right field, plus he never had experienced an injury-free season in the majors.

“Our outfield picture is a lot different than last year,” Gwynn said. “People didn’t know then if Kevin could hit major-league pitching, if Carmelo could play left field or if I could make it through a whole season. This year, those question marks aren’t there.”

McReynolds: “The biggest difference between last year and this year is that Carmelo’s crippled and I’m crippled.”

Of course, the Padres would like to avoid any crippling injuries during the regular season.

Much of their success in 1984 could be attributed to an injury-free regular season for their starters. The only disabled players were utilityman Luis Salazar (sidelined three weeks with a pulled rib cage muscle) and relief pitcher Luis DeLeon (twice sidelined with elbow tendinitis).

But the Padres were hurt in the outfield during the World Series without McReynolds. Martinez batted just .176, striking out nine times in 17 at-bats, and Brown batted .067.

How did the performance affect each man?

Martinez said he felt a lot of pressure and would like to make up for it in a future World Series. Brown took a different philosophy.

“We made $42,000 for that,” Brown said. “I’d rather be playing in the World Series in a slump than sitting at home watching somebody else play.”

If either Martinez or McReynolds cannot play Opening Day, they may be the ones watching Brown play.

Padre Notes

The Padres will play their first intrasquad games Saturday and Sunday in Yuma. They will work out Monday morning before heading to the Phoenix area for their first exhibition game Tuesday against the Chicago Cubs in Mesa.