They’re Making a Pitch for a Job : Jones, Patterson, Hayward, Vosberg Hope to Avoid Minors

Each day, they dress and work out next to Goose Gossage, Eric Show and Andy Hawkins.

So, what is there to separate Jimmy Jones, Bob Patterson, Ray Hayward and Ed Vosberg from Gossage, Show and Hawkins?

Try the month of April.

That’s when Gossage, Show and Hawkins return to San Diego. In the meantime, Jones, Patterson, Hayward and Vosberg return to minor league outposts such as Las Vegas and Beaumont, Tex.

In February, the latter group comes to spring training hoping to make the major league club. At best, each individual’s chance is slim.

But there’s always hope. For instance, pitching coach Galen Cisco said a staff traditionally has seven secured spots and three openings.

Those with guaranteed positions on the 1986 Padre staff are Gossage, Hawkins, Show, Dave Dravecky, Mark Thurmond, Craig Lefferts and LaMarr Hoyt (when he returns). The almost-certains are Gene Walter and Lance McCullers. And then there are those with previous major league experience--Greg Booker, Roy Lee Jackson, Tim Stoddard and Ed Wojna.

Where does that leave Jones, Patterson, Hayward and Vosberg?

“In real honesty, I don’t think any of those guys had the kind of years where they deserve to be here,” Cisco said. “Basically, what they’re up against is proving they can take the job from someone else.”

Originally, this was supposed to be the year when Jones would catch on. He was drafted third in the nation out of high school in 1982, and the Padres projected he would make their staff in 1986.

The other three weren’t as highly touted, but that doesn’t diminish their dream of making the 1986 Padres.

Wishful thinking.

Jones, 21, has spent the past two years at Double-A Beaumont in the Texas League. For the past three years he has been plagued by season-ending injuries in July. He had tendinitis in his right (pitching) arm in 1983, torn ligaments in his right ankle in 1984 and various problems with his left knee in 1985.

“It seems like the Padres have held my hand a lot in the past couple of years,” Jones said. “I’m the type who needs my butt kicked in a pressure situation when I can let my talent show. What has happened has been nobody’s fault but injuries. They’ve been the reason for my slow progression.”

Jones was progressing well in 1984 at Beaumont with a 7-2 record and 4.10 ERA before the ankle injury. But in 1985, his numbers slipped to 7-5 and 4.66.

Realistically, he expects to begin 1986 at Triple-A Las Vegas.

“It’s real frustrating,” he said. “I see guys like (Shawon) Dunston, (Dwight) Gooden and (Bret) Saberhagen, who are all my age. Dunston was the only one drafted ahead of me. I saw them in the big leagues last year, and I was in Double-A. You wonder what the deal is. It certainly hurt my confidence.”

Patterson, a 26-year-old left-hander, knows about destroyed confidence. He was called up to the Padres from Las Vegas last September, just long enough to have a cup of coffee without a refill. In four innings, he allowed 13 hits and 11 runs for an ERA of 24.75.

After the season, Hawkins had a little talk with Patterson, drawing a parallel between their careers. Hawkins explained how he, too, once put major league hitters on a pedestal and didn’t challenge them.

“You look forward to pitching in the major leagues all of your life,” Patterson said. “Then, when you get there, it hits you like a brick wall with no door. I would like to think I still have a shot at making the roster. There is a lot of talent and young talent here. I haven’t given the Padres a choice of keeping me. I guess I have to make an opening, which I will do.”

High hopes.

Hayward, a 24-year-old left-hander, shares those desires with Jones and Patterson. Hayward, a first-round draft pick in 1983, has been on the verge of making the team for the past two seasons in spring training. But no such luck.

Instead, he has labored in Las Vegas since 1984. Last year, he was 11-10 with a 4.00 ERA.

This spring, he has been set back by soreness in his pitching arm.

“If my arm is well, I’ll give it the best shot I can,” Hayward said. “If not, hopefully I’ll get called up some time in the year. This is something you wait for your whole life. You just have to wait your turn. When (the Padres) think you are ready, that’s when your turn comes.”

Vosberg, a 24-year-old right-hander, may have to wait for a while. He has pitched the past two seasons at Beaumont and was 9-11 with a 3.91 ERA in 1985.

“I try not to worry about the future too much,” Vosberg said. “Sometimes, when things don’t go your way, it just makes you wonder what will happen. I try to look at it this way. If you pitch well, somehow you will get a chance, if not with the Padres, with somebody else.”

Barring a trade, each of the young pitchers hopes to pitch for the Padres.

“One thing that’s difficult is they see the pitchers here and the number of spaces left,” Cisco said. “Sometimes, I think they tend to sell themselves short. It’s not as far away as they sometimes think it might be.”