A Gamble That Could Lead to the Majors : Baseball: Chris Martin was ignored by the scouts four years ago, but that was before he became a star with bat and glove at Pepperdine.

When Chris Martin started classes at Pepperdine University nearly four years ago, he suffered from much more than normal freshman jitters.

He felt a little like his future was passing him by.

Four months earlier, Martin, a talented shortstop at Hamilton High, had been ignored by college and professional baseball scouts. Although an All-City selection, the Hamilton senior found no one willing to take a chance on him.

So with his ego a bit bruised, Martin decided to take a trip up Malibu Canyon Road to meet with then Pepperdine baseball Coach David Gorrie.

“I just told him (Gorrie) I thought I was a good enough ball player to make it in college and that I had the brains to get into Pepperdine,” the 22-year-old senior, said. “He told me there were no guarantees, but that I was welcome to come to tryouts in September.”

Martin was accepted to Pepperdine and embarked on what he considered to be his final chance at salvaging a baseball career that meant more to him than “anyone else knew.”

The last-ditch gamble paid off, as Martin was one of only three walk-ons out of 30 hopefuls who Gorrie asked to join the team.

“Once I saw what everybody could do, I knew I was good enough to make the team,” Martin said. “There was some very good talent out there, but I felt I stacked up. I felt very fortunate, though, and I’ve worked very hard since then to prove I wasn’t a mistake.”

No one at the school would call it a mistake.

“If I can get a walk-on like Chris in my career, I’d be the happiest man in the world,” said Pepperdine Coach Alex Lopez, who replaced Gorrie last year. “Right now I think it’s safe to say he’s the best shortstop on the West Coast. He has plenty of natural talent, but he’s worked very hard to make himself among the best.”

Many might argue that USC’s Bret Boone is the best shortstop in the West, but Martin’s numbers this season are more impressive. In 40 appearances, he leads Pepperdine in virtually every offensive category, including runs (48), runs batted in (47), home runs (11), stolen bases (20) and total bases (106). He is second in batting (.366) and total hits (56). Boone, in 42 appearances, is batting .300 with four home runs, 31 RBI’s and eight stolen bases.

Baseball America rated Martin as one of the most powerful college shortstops in the nation in a recent issue.

The Waves, who are seeking their seventh straight West Coast Conference title, are 26-15. They were rated No. 19 in Baseball America’s preseason poll, but dropped out in the second week after a slow start and haven’t been in again.

Martin’s college career has been surprisingly smooth considering there were a lot of unanswered questions in the beginning. In a reserve role his freshman season, Martin hit .231 in 50 at-bats. He moved into a starting role the next year, improving his batting average to .319 and helped lead the Waves to the West II Regionals of the NCAA tournament. Pepperdine was eliminated in his sophomore season in the West II Regionals and again last year when Martin’s batting average slipped to .255.

“I’m not really sure why I struggled more at the plate last season,” Martin said. “I knew I was going to be starting again, so there wasn’t any pressure over that. I knew my numbers had dropped off, and I just kept telling myself to hang in there. Maybe I felt some pressure to produce more than I had been expected to previously.”

The numbers at the plate didn’t concern Lopez much. Martin was in the starting lineup because of his excellent defensive skills, the coach said, and anything beyond that was just gravy.

“I just told Craig to be spectacular on defense, and I figured he would find his groove on offense,” said Lopez, who previously coached at Cal State Dominguez Hills. “He’s done very well to differentiate between both aspects of the game.”

Martin credits his play in the Cape Cod League this past summer as the main reason for his improved offensive showing. Martin, who played for the Harwich Mariners, said good pitching and the use of wooden bats forced him to hit better.

“My biggest goal this past year was to improve on offense,” said Martin, who had played in the Alaska League the previous summer. “I knew I could play defense, so I had to prove to everyone else that I could play offense as well. Believe me, I’ve noticed a big improvement.”

Although his numbers are improved, it isn’t certain if his stock has risen with the scouts. Martin, 6-foot, 170 pounds, was selected by the New York Yankees in the 25th round of last year’s amateur draft. After long debate, he decided to return for his senior season.

Aside from being closer to receiving his degree in education, Martin is hoping a solid senior season means being drafted in a higher round and receiving a more lucrative contract.

“It’s always hard to predict where anyone will go in the draft,” said one National League scout. “But Chris definitely has ability. He’s always had great potential on defense and now he’s producing big numbers on offense. I’m sure there are several pro teams who will be very interested in his services.”

Jim Callis, a writer for Baseball America, said Martin is more visible this season but because he’s a senior his bargaining power has lessened. He projects Martin will go in the sixth or seventh round.

Loyola Marymount Coach Chris Smith, whose team is currently leading the WCC, said Martin presents all kinds of problems. In a 7-6 win over the Lions last week, Martin went 4-for-5 at the plate and scored three runs.

“Chris hits the ball all over the field and catches everything in sight,” said Smith, a former scout for the Yankees. “He has improved immeasurably since he showed up at Pepperdine. I think the pro people will be very interested in him. He’s quite a weapon.”

Martin, who someday would like to be a coach, said his main goals now are to win the WCC, get back to the playoffs and get drafted. He believes all three are within reach.

“I really want to play pro ball, and I now feel I’m ready for it,” Martin said. “I don’t like to think about when and if I get drafted. But if I do, believe me I will go in a minute.”

Stan Martin, Chris’ father, has been able to offer plenty of advice and support. Stan was drafted out of Valley College by the Baltimore Orioles in 1967. An infielder, he spent five years in the minor leagues while under contract with the Orioles and another four with the California Angels organization before deciding to call it quits.

“I told Chris it was important to finish school,” Martin said. “I didn’t want him to need baseball. I wanted him to have his academics to fall back on.

“He now has all the makings of a great pro. The longer you let him play in a situation, the better he gets. He has the heart of a lion.”

Perhaps the least surprised about Martin’s success is the former Coach Gorrie. Now a university affairs officer at Pepperdine, Gorrie has closely monitored Martin’s career.

“Chris is one of those kids who almost fell through the cracks because no one noticed him in high school,” Gorrie said. “I can’t answer exactly why that happened. I recognized his abilities when he showed up for tryouts. I just told him he’d have to work hard and maintain some kind of consistency to make it.

“Looking at him now, he’s obviously done what it takes. He is a solid player with a lot of maturity.”