Phelps’ Mission Is Not an Easy One to Accept : Seattle Reserve Gets Bad Break and Is Fighting a Losing Battle

On April 6, 1984, Ken Phelps got a bad break. It came on the little finger of his right hand, which got in the way of a pitch thrown by Milwaukee’s Jerry Augustine.

Phelps couldn’t have known it at the time, but that broken bone may have made him the answer to a Trivial Pursuit question. Phelps was placed on the Seattle Mariners’ 15-day disabled list. His spot on the roster was filled by a rookie named Alvin Davis, who had begun the season at the Mariners’ Triple-A affiliate in Salt Lake.

In his first major league game, Davis hit a game-winning home run to beat Boston. In his second, he homered against Minnesota. He got a hit in each of his first nine games with Seattle, collecting 4 home runs and 12 RBIs in the process.

What followed was one of the great success stories for a franchise that has been around all of eight seasons. Davis went on to hit .284 with 27 home runs and 116 RBIs and win the American League Rookie of the Year award.

Phelps? He returned from a rehabilitation assignment in Salt Lake to find the first base position he had won in spring training was occupied. He’s been fighting a losing battle for more playing time ever since.

On Saturday at Anaheim Stadium, Phelps hit a two-out, two-run homer in the third inning that was the difference in the Mariners’ 3-2 win over the Angels. It was Phelps’ first hit of 1985, and he got the opportunity for it largely because Gorman Thomas got the afternoon off. Thomas, who underwent surgery to repair a torn rotator cuff last June, has hit 4 home runs in 10 games thus far.

“I think they just wanted to give Gorman a breather,” Phelps said.

Thomas has been the Mariners’ regular designated hitter. Davis has been the regular first baseman, though he’s missed two games with a strained muscle in his leg. Phelps has had to settle for filling in whenever there’s room.

That is Mr. Phelps’ mission. The trouble is, he doesn’t choose to accept it.

“It’s unfortunate, because I’m stuck in the middle,” he said. “I don’t really have a set role. I need to get out there and play, whether it be here or someplace else.”

Phelps stopped short of saying “Play me or trade me,” but the implication was clear. This part-time job just isn’t cutting it.

Phelps got his first start of the season Wednesday in Oakland. He played first base while Davis rested his leg. Saturday, he homered off Mike Witt, the same pitcher he had hit his first major league home run against in 1981, while playing for Kansas City. Phelps couldn’t resist clapping his hands as he rounded the bases.

“I was kind of excited,” he said. “I hadn’t done anything to contribute up to that point. (But) in order for me to produce, I’ve got to play more often. I think I proved that last year.”

Phelps managed to find his way into the Mariners’ lineup occasionally after recovering from last year’s injury. He hit 24 home runs in 290 at-bats, a average of one homer every 12.1 at-bats that was the best in baseball in 1984.

“That’s pretty good production,” Seattle Manager Chuck Cottier said.

But 290 at-bats was about 200 fewer than Phelps would have liked.

“He wanted more, of course,” Cottier said. “But the way the situation was, that was all we could get him.”

And Phelps, who spent seven seasons trying to break into the Kansas City and Montreal organizations before coming to Seattle in 1983, is tired of sitting when he could be hitting.

“It’s always tough when you don’t play,” he said. “But I’ve been pushed aside most of my career.

“I’m not going to be completely satisfied until I’m playing every day.”