An All-Star, an Also-Ran for Padres

One Padre made the National League All-Star team Thursday, but the clubhouse tremors came from one who didn’t.

While relief pitcher Mark Davis told reporters how happy he was to be named to Tuesday night’s game in Cincinnati, catcher Benito Santiago expressed deep disappointment at being left out. It will be the first All-Star game for Davis, 27, and would have been the first for Santiago, 23.

“I thought I was going to make it,” Santiago said. “I think I should have made it. I think I’m the best catcher in the league.”

Santiago ran second to Gary Carter of the New York Mets in the fan poll, receiving 734,931 votes to Carter’s 825,407. The vote was the closest for any position in the league. But Manager Whitey Herzog of the St. Louis Cardinals, who will manage the National League team, passed him over for Philadelphia’s Lance Parrish, who finished fifth with 442,969 votes.

Carter, whose selection was automatic, and Parrish were the only catchers chosen. The usual procedure is to pick three, but Herzog deviated from it because of a glut of deserving infielders and outfielders.

Asked whether he thought Carter and Parrish should be on the team, Santiago said, “I don’t like to talk about those guys. They’ve been around a long time, and I’ve only been here a year and a half.

“Of course, Carter plays in New York, and that helps him get the votes. But I finished second in the voting, and I know I’m one of the best defensive catchers in baseball, and that’s what they’re looking for.”

Santiago would have seemed a cinch if he were hitting as well as he did last season, when he batted .300, hit 18 home runs and drove in 79 runs on the way to becoming the league’s rookie of the year. But he is hitting .248 this season, with just 3 homers and 19 RBIs. In the past month, he has no home runs and only five RBIs.

Carter and Parrish both have lower averages, but have shown more power.

Carter is hitting .245, with 8 homers and 33 RBIs. Parrish has an even lower average--.230--but has 12 home runs and 47 RBIs.

Mike Scioscia of the Dodgers, who finished sixth in the fan poll, has the best average among National League catchers at .289, with 2 homers and 24 RBIs.

“I feel good about the year I’m having,” Santiago said. “My bat has come back (from .217 a month ago), and my defense is still good.

“Last year I came on after the All-Star break, including my big (34-game) hitting streak. I’ve just got to keep getting better and better. If I don’t make it next year, I’ll wait for the year after. Sooner or later, I’m going to make it.”

The good news for Davis and the bad news for Santiago weren’t unrelated.

Each team had to be represented by at least one player, and Davis beat out a worthy relief pitcher in the Mets’ Randy Myers. If Herzog hadn’t picked Davis, he would have had to pick Santiago, because the Padres didn’t have any other candidates.

Davis, a left-hander obtained a year ago from the San Francisco Giants, has 15 saves and a 2.78 earned-run average. Myers has a much lower ERA--1.26--but two fewer saves.

“This is something I’ve dreamed about since I was a kid,” Davis said. “I never looked at it as a goal, but I had a dream. Fortunately, I was blessed with some talent.”

Until he joined the Padres, Davis, who broke into the majors with the Phillies in 1980, had shuttled between starting and relieving with only modest success. Late last season, he did well as a setup man for Goose Gossage. Now, with Gossage gone to the Cubs, he is the Padres’ big game-saver.

“It’s just a matter of becoming consistent,” Davis said. “Dobber (pitching coach Pat Dobson) has made me a more polished pitcher. He impressed on me the importance of making quality pitches. I learned that power isn’t as important as location and pitch selection.”

Asked if becoming a full-time relief pitcher had been his big break, Davis said, “I have much more confidence in this role, but if I were to start regularly, I think I could adjust to that. With Dobber as my coach, maybe I’d be consistent enough to be a starter.”

Because right-hander Todd Worrell of the Cardinals was the only other reliever named to the All-Star team, Davis has an excellent chance of getting into the game.

“That’s good,” Davis said. “I want to play. But I didn’t pitch today, and if I don’t pitch then, fine. It’s an honor just to make the team.”