For Seattle’s Ken Phelps, the Wait’s Been Worth It

Ken Phelps takes his place inside the Anaheim Stadium batting cage Saturday and waits. Coiling his 6-foot 1-inch frame, he leans heavy upon his back, left foot--leaving his right foot with little more to do than scratch at the dust.

He weighs 200 pounds. His chest protrudes and his back is broad. The shirt on his back--a Seattle Mariner warmup jersey--looks small and ready to tear. He resembles the kid on the block who grew into his clothes and then some.

He lays down a couple obligatory bunts, then begins to swing.

Ground ball. Line drive. Pop fly.

His timing is off and he takes a minute to re-adjust his stance. The next pitch is thrown and he uncoils in perfect sync. His bat strikes the ball, which a few seconds later is rattling about the empty seats in the right-field bleachers.

If there is one thing that Ken Phelps can do, it is hit home runs. He describes himself as an adequate fielding first baseman, a position he shares with Alvin Davis. As far as batting for average, Phelps is just about that. He is hitting .257 this season--his three-year major league average being .227.

Ken Phelps hits home runs. In 1984, when he hit 24 homers in just 101 plate appearances, he averaged a home run for every 12.1 at-bats, tops in the major leagues. Of his first seven hits in 1985, five were home runs.

The home run has been Phelps’ ticket to the big leagues, a ticket that since 1976 has taken him to places like Sarasota and Waterloo, Omaha and Wichita, where he hit 46 home runs and drove in 141 runs in 1982.

But now, as he strides out of the batting cage, failing to notice the gang of kids scurrying for the ball he has just blasted, he seems at home. He walks over and puts a bear hug on Mickey Brantley, a rookie outfielder playing in his first game.

“This is the big time, Mick,” he shouts. “The Big A! This is a great park. Welcome to the big leagues.”

Welcome yourself, Mr. Phelps. After years of cups of coffee and extended stays, it looks like Ken Phelps is finally going to stick around the big leagues for a while.

He has 17 home runs this season and has driven in 43 runs. He is happy to have finally found a place, it’s just too bad that it’s with Seattle, which languishes in last place in the American League West, 13 games back of the Angels, who beat the Mariners, 5-0, Saturday night.

“There’s a lot of good talent on this team, it’s just too bad there wasn’t some more experience to go along with it,” he says.

Phelps steps back inside the cage. He coils and strikes, the ball jumps toward the center-field wall, 404 feet away. It clears the wall easily as Phelps adjusts his helmet and waits.

“There’s a little more pressure on a guy like me to hit home runs when we’re behind a lot,” he says. “A lot of times when I go up to the plate I’m just thinking hit the ball out of the park, which probably isn’t the best method of hitting. But with the club going like we are, there’s not much you can do.”

So for now, Phelps will have to continue to do what he does best. Hit home runs. He’ll have to wait for a while until the Mariners are ready to let him do more.

“I’m happy where I am,” he says. “Sure I’d like the team to be doing better, but I’m just going to do my part and hope.”

Ken Phelps has waited this long, what’s a little more?