Baseball / Gary Klein : Milstien Finds Pitchers Laughable Only When He’s Not at the Plate

David Milstien has seen some odd behavior during his 2 1/2 seasons in professional baseball, and much of that behavior has originated from the pitcher’s mound.

“There was a guy pitching here who wasn’t having a good time at all,” said Milstien, a utility infielder at Winter Haven, the Boston Red Sox Class-A affiliate in the Florida State League. “The manager went to take him out and when he put out his hand and asked the pitcher for the ball, the pitcher screamed, threw the ball out of the stadium and walked into the clubhouse.

“It was hilarious. I was losing it.”

Milstien, 19, has found that playing in the minor leagues requires a sense of humor. And He has had some trying times himself since signing out of Simi Valley High in 1986.

“I graduated from high school on a Friday and was in Elmira, New York the next day,” Milstien said. “I played in the Instructional League in Florida, went home for three months and came here last season. I was in way over my head.”

Milstien batted .221 last season.

“At the end of the year I just wanted to go home and regroup,” he said. “I didn’t know how to handle all that. I went home for two weeks, got myself back together and played well in the Instructional League.”

Through 101 games this season, Milstien is batting .208 with one home run and 22 runs batted in.

“A lot of people think its just a bunch of fun and games, but it’s not,” Milstien said. “You progress physically in this game but the hard part is the mental part. I’m a lot smarter, a lot more knowledgeable about how to handle the ups and downs.”

Jeremy Hernandez turned professional after his junior year in college, but the 6-foot, 4-inch right-hander is continuing his education.

“Before, I would just throw and try for the strike zone,” said Hernandez, who signed with the St. Louis Cardinals out of Cal State Northridge last year after being selected in the second round of the June draft. “Now, I’ll try to take a corner away on the inside and the outside. I’m learning how to pitch instead of just throwing it.”

Hernandez, who played at Poly High, has been hot lately. He ran his record to 9-6 earlier this week and has a 3.83 earned-run average.

“I had a groin pull earlier this season and getting back into things was kind of tough,” said Hernandez, who has 74 strikeouts and has allowed 26 walks in 115 innings. “But I have everything going now. I’ve been very happy with my progress as of late.”

So are the Cardinals.

“He’s had a good second half and has been more consistent with his fastball,” said Jim Riggleman, the Cardinals’ director of player development. “He’s been pitching more aggressively. We’re happy with his progress to this point and we’ll probably invite him to the Instructional League.”

Add Cardinals: Former Northridge first baseman John Balfanz is struggling at St. Petersburg, the Cardinals’ Class-A affiliate in the Florida State League.

Balfanz, who signed in 1987, is batting .212 with 5 home runs and 42 RBIs.

“I’m not really sure what the problem is,” Riggleman said. “I’ve talked to his manager in the last month and he said he’s just not hitting the ball hard.”

Picketts and choose: Former College of the Canyons outfielder Billy Picketts has signed a letter of intent to play baseball next season at Cal State Long Beach.

Picketts, who has hit 10 home runs for the Chicago White Sox Rookies summer league team, will play infield at Long Beach.

“He has a chance to play second or third at this level,” Long Beach assistant Coach Earl Frishman said. “We think he’s a winner.”

Picketts batted .390 last season at Canyons with 4 home runs, 24 runs batted in and 23 stolen bases.

Valley ties: The Valley Dodgers, still alive in the consolation bracket in the 54th annual National Baseball Congress World Series in Wichita, Kan., are a team comprised predominately of Valley-area college players.

But the Dodgers aren’t the only team with Valley connections competing in the 32-team double-elimination tournament.

Randy Stader, a catcher who played at Royal High, Moorpark College and San Francisco State, is playing for the second-seeded Santa Maria Indians, who are 1-0 in the tournament and play today against the Miami Lazers.

Left-handed pitcher Tim Nedin, an all-state selection last season at College of the Canyons who will play at Florida State next season, is playing for Wichita in the tournament.