Swinging for the Fences. . . : San Diego’s Super Sluggers : JEFF GAY: Pros Think He’s a Good Catch, Too

Jeff Gay has been toying with the idea of playing in the major leagues since his freshman season at Santana High School.

That was when Ray Boone, a scout for the Philadelphia Phillies, came up and introduced himself.

“I didn’t even know there was such a thing as a scout until Ray talked to me,” Gay said.

He knows all about them now--for good reason. Gay has spent much of his senior season toying with the county’s pitchers. He is batting .527 in Grossmont League play and .640 for the season with four home runs.

“This is the best start I’ve ever had,” Gay said sheepishly.

The scouts obviously agree. More than just a few have routinely been spotted at Santana’s games this season.

“A lot of them have been talking with me all season,” Gay said. “I just go out and try to do my job.”

And when the game is finished Gay likes to toy around with his toys.

He likes to jump in his sparkling 1985 Toyota truck--an early-graduation present from his parents, complete with a license plate rim that says “Jeff’s Toy”--and drive to Fiesta Island.

Once there, he takes another favorite toy--a jet ski--and rides in Mission Bay.

But his recreational activities take a back seat to baseball most of the time.

And thanks to a switch from shortstop to catcher late last spring, Gay could have a future playing professionally.

“He’d always be telling (last year’s Santana coach) Marty Nellis that he was ready to go,” Santana Coach Jim Saska said. “He had the gear and everything. One day, I think Marty got tired of hearing it and said, ‘OK, let’s go.’ ”

Said one local scout: “Jeff Gay has enhanced his chances of making it because of his move from shortstop to catcher. It didn’t seem that he wanted to make the change at first, but now I know he’s glad he did.”

Another reason Gay has drawn so much interest this season is because he won’t be able to attend a four-year university next year. Gay, whose overall grade-point average is high enough to qualify for a scholarship at most colleges, does not meet the new National Collegiate Athletic Assn. rule requiring specific core courses for incoming freshman.

“It’s some new rule they put in that says I need a biology class; and it’s too late to get one,” Gay said.

So, he says, he’ll either sign with a pro club or got to a junior college for a couple of years.

“No matter what, I want to get my education,” Gay said. “If the money’s right, I’ll sign. I’ll have the team that signs me pay for the education.”

Of course, at this time, there’s no way of knowing what team might draft Gay in the June draft. “Right now, it seems like almost every team is talking to me,” Gay said. “The Angels, the Cardinals, the Phillies, the Padres, the Giants, the. . . . “

Despite all the attention, Gay has led Santana to a 15-2 record. The Sultans trail first-place Valhalla by a half-game in the Grossmont League.

He had two RBIs in a game against El Cajon two weeks ago to set the league record for career runs batted in with 86. He has 88 now and is trying to catch former Mission Bay star Chip Stratton, who holds the all-time county RBI mark of 101.

“I think Jeff could go out there today and be the best shortstop in the county right now,” Saska said. “But he’s also done a great job behind the plate.

“He’s got excellent bat control and he’s very patient for a hitter who can hit with power.”

Saska also has been patient. While Gay is being wooed by the scouts, he is still trying to win a CIF championship. Every once in a while, the scouts can get a little rambunctious, he says.

“Most of the time they’re all right,” Saska said. “But this one time, one of the scouts called Jeff before a big game and told him that he was bringing the chief scout down to watch him.

“I don’t care if they talk to my players, but there’s no use in putting that kind of pressure on the kid.”

Pressure? Jeff Gay just toyed with the idea. He went 4 for 4 that day with a home run.