Minor League Notebook / Elliott Teaford : Redington Passes the Tennis Test : Former Esperanza Star Keeps Improving at Third Base

The days of tennis balls are past for Tom Redington, former Esperanza High School star.

Last season, while playing at Sumter, S.C., the Atlanta Braves’ Class-A affiliate, Redington underwent an intensive training program to improve his fielding skills at third base.

Ned Yost, Sumter coach and a former major league catcher, would hit a barrage of tennis balls at Redington to sharpen his reaction time.

Yost would stand about 25 to 30 feet away and hit smashes Andre Agassi would be proud of. He hit tennis balls instead of baseballs to prevent bruising Redington, whose mission was to stop the balls at all cost, even if it meant flopping around like a hockey goalie.

“It seemed ridiculous,” Redington said. “(But) I was having trouble fielding. I think I let my hitting affect my fielding.”

If that was the case, then the fielding drills were clearly necessary because Redington, in his first full season in professional baseball, hit just .195 with 11 home runs and 58 RBIs.

He had finished his high school career with a .399 career average, 22 home runs and a wealth of postseason accolades, including Times’ Orange County player of the year honors as a senior in 1987.

This season Redington has moved on to the Braves’ Class-A team at Burlington, Iowa, leaving the tennis balls and his hitting troubles far behind.

After his high school career as shortstop at Esperanza and a little more than a season of adjustment in the Braves’ farm system, Redington has--with a great deal of relief--become an accomplished third baseman. In 21 games so far this season, Redington is batting .293 with six homers and 17 RBIs.

Why the improvement?

First of all, Redington doesn’t think the turnaround has been that dramatic. He points out that he hit .300 with four homers in the final month of the 1988 season. Redington also thinks the sessions with the tennis balls helped greatly, but maturity and a season’s worth of experience have been the most significant factors.

He has settled into the routine of a professional baseball player. He sleeps in late most mornings, runs errands, then returns to his apartment to catch “Days of Our Lives” or a Chicago Cubs game on TV. Then it’s time to gear up for the evening’s game.

Last year, getting motivated for each game proved to be as difficult as learning his new position.

“It was always easy in high school,” Redington said. “Here, it’s hard to get yourself pumped up. Of course, there are days you don’t want to be there. That’s natural.”

So, Redington said, he tries to maintain an even keel, and it seems to be paying off.

“It’s been pretty enjoyable,” he said. “I’m a lot more comfortable. It’s almost like I was back in high school. The pitchers (out of respect for his hitting skills) are throwing me a lot of curveballs and trying to make me chase pitches I don’t want to swing at.”

Playing in the Braves’ organization, which has shown a commitment to youth in recent seasons, also has helped to boost Redington’s confidence.

“If you’re a pitcher or an outfielder in the Mets’ organization, you have to ask yourself, ‘Where am I going to play?’ ” Redington said. “Most likely, you’re not going up (to the big club) or you’re going to get traded.

“(Atlanta) really isn’t all that stable at third base right now.”

Ron Gant, the Braves’ starting third baseman, is hitting just .173 this season. He has struggled after being moved from second base, where he played his rookie year.

For now, Redington is making the most of his opportunity at Burlington, even if it isn’t the most attractive place to live.

“This is the only town I’ve been in where I look forward to the road trips,” he said with a laugh.

Angel update: Mike Fetters, a former Pepperdine pitcher and one of the Angels’ bright prospects, didn’t get the call when the team added a pitcher to the roster Monday to take infielder Mark McLemore’s spot.

Instead, the Angels brought up Rich Monteleone, who had a 1-3 record with a 3.82 earned-run average in five appearances with triple-A Edmonton.

Fetters, a 24-year-old right-hander, could very well get a chance with the big club later this season, however. He had progressed rapidly since joining the organization in 1986. He is 2-2 with a 4.13 ERA in four starts with the Trappers this season.

He split time between double-A Midland, Tex., and Edmonton last season. At Midland, he compiled an 8-8 record with a 5.92 ERA in 20 starts. He was 2-0 with a 1.93 ERA in two starts with Edmonton.

Bobby Meacham, who was released by the New York Yankees before the season began as part of the team’s ongoing overhaul, has hooked on with the Pittsburgh Pirates’ organization.

Meacham, a former infielder at Mater Dei High School and San Diego State, has been assigned to the Pirates’ triple-A affiliate at Buffalo. A shortstop, Meacham is batting .121 in 33 at-bats since signing April 5.

He spent six seasons with the Yankees’ organization and seemed to have a confirmed seat on the Columbus shuttle, moving frequently from the big club to the team’s triple-A team in Columbus, Ohio.

His best season with the Yankees was 1987 when he hit .271 in 77 games. He also spent 40 games at Columbus, hitting .273.

New place, same result: Bob Hamelin, who tore up the Northwest League last season at Eugene, Ore., has moved up in the Kansas City Royals’ organization. He hit .298 with 17 homers and 61 RBIs in the Class-A Emeralds’ short-season schedule.

Hamelin, who was the Southern California community college player of the year at Rancho Santiago College, is at double-A Memphis this season.

In 23 games, the first baseman is hitting .304 with six homers and 10 RBIs.

Add sluggers: Keith Kaub, a former Los Alamitos, Golden West and Cal State Fullerton first baseman, is batting .409 with two homers and seven RBIs in eight games for Rockford, Ill., the Expos’ Class-A team.

Kaub hit .344 with 20 homers and 59 RBIs last season as Fullerton reached the semifinals of the College World Series.