BASEBALL / ROSS NEWHAN : Rich A’s Can Get Richer With Picks in High School, College Draft

Having used the annual June draft of high school and college players to help build their budding dynasty, the Oakland A’s have a chance to reinforce it with seven of the first 66 choices in the three-day process that begins Monday.

And the A’s seem to have the right formula.

They have drafted and developed three of the last four winners of the American League’s rookie of the year award--Jose Canseco, Mark McGwire and Walt Weiss.

Their seven early selections in this year’s draft include five compensation picks for the loss of free agents Storm Davis, Dave Parker and Tony Phillips.

“We’re excited,” said Dick Bogard, A’s scouting director. “We know we’re going to get some good players. Our biggest need throughout the system is pitching, and that’s what we’ll try to address.”

The Montreal Expos have a shot at an even bigger jackpot with 10 of the first 53 picks, the compensation for failing to sign their No. 1 selection of last year and losing Hubie Brooks, Mark Langston, Bryn Smith and Pascual Perez as free agents.

The Expos always have done well in the draft. All of their regulars, except shortstop Spike Owen, were drafted and developed in the Expo system. Montreal’s problems surface when their players become eligible for free agency.

Said Gary Hughes, Montreal’s scouting director: “We haven’t had much success in attracting or keeping free agents. But if we build a successful organization, players will want to stay and players will want to come.”

Everybody’s No. 1 is pitcher Todd Van Poppel of Martin High in Arlington, Tex.

But Van Poppel has said that he will attend the University of Texas rather than sign. Is that leverage?

The Braves have the first pick and Paul Snyder, Atlanta’s scouting director, is spending the weekend in Arlington, trying to convince Van Poppel that owner Ted Turner has a lot to offer.

If Van Poppel convinces the Braves that he will not sign, the Expos, who draft 11th, are expected to risk one of their top 10 picks on him, with the Braves making Iowa shortstop Tim Costo their No. 1 choice.

Southern California players expected to go in the first round include outfielder Tony Clark of Christian High in El Cajon, who is also considering playing basketball at Arizona; first baseman Mark Newfield of Marina High in Huntington Beach; catcher Mike Lieberthal of Westlake High in Westlake Village; catcher Paul Ellis of UCLA; shortstop Aaron Holbert of Jordan High in Long Beach, and pitcher Kurt Miller of West High in Bakersfield.

Two local players with familiar bloodlines could go in the second round or higher--infielder Bret Boone of USC and outfielder Gary Mota of Fullerton Community College.

Boone, who enhanced his status with an impressive display of power in NCAA regional play, is coveted by the Boston Red Sox, for whom his grandfather, former major leaguer Ray Boone, scouts. Mota is also being wooed by Arizona State and has yet to complete the three years of college that his dad, Manny Mota, demands of his sons.

The Dodgers, coming off what can be kindly called spotty performances in recent drafts, select ninth in the first round but do not hold a second- or third-round choice because of the signing of free agents Brooks and Jim Gott.

The Dodgers do get two compensation picks between the second and third rounds after losing free agents John Tudor and Dave Anderson, and Scouting Director Ben Wade said he expects to find quality players.

The Angels, who draft 24th, do not have a first-round selection because of Langston’s signing, but they are not upset. After making Jim Abbott their No. 1 in 1988 and Kyle Abbott their No. 1 in 1989, there is not another Abbott who fits their No. 1 mold anyway.

There has been suspicion that the 1990 baseball contains the same juice as the 1987 model, but, although home runs are up in both the American and National leagues over last year, the pace does not compare to ‘87, when the National produced a record 1,824 homers and the American had a record 2,634.

The current American League pace projects to 2,165, the National to 1,531.

Through 40 games for every team, the yardstick employed by the Elias Sports Bureau, there had been 378 homers hit in the National League, an increase of 83 over a similar period in 1989 but 106 behind the ’87 pace.

In the American League, there had been 481 homers hit, an increase of 65 over last year but 165 fewer than the ’87 pace.

In analyzing the increase over last year, most cite the full-time availability of Jose Canseco and Andre Dawson, the emergence of Cecil Fielder, the lockout that left starting pitchers unprepared to sustain their stamina or throw breaking balls through April and a deterioration of quality pitching in the National League.

Having surpassed Ty Cobb’s American League stolen-base record with his 893rd steal Tuesday night, Oakland’s Rickey Henderson is confident he will top Lou Brock’s major league record of 938 sometime in August.

“I want to be remembered as an all-around player, but I know that the base-stealing will stand out,” he said. “I expect to steal 1,200 to 1,500 before I’m through.”

Fired manager Davey Johnson will get $850,000 in guaranteed salary from the New York Mets through 1991, but the decision could prove even more costly to the Mets if Darryl Strawberry and Kevin McReynolds make good on indications that they will now leave as free agents.

Strawberry, eligible to go after the 1990 season, said Johnson’s firing “pretty much finalizes my decision.”

He and Johnson had a number of confrontations, but Strawberry said, “Even with all our disagreements, I love the man, I really do. He stood by me when it got tough.”

McReynolds, eligible to leave after the 1991 season, said of the Mets’ decision, “It stinks. I mean, I guess his history with the Mets doesn’t matter to the geniuses in the front office.”

McReynolds may not have to think about moving far. Rumors persist that Johnson will ultimately replace Bucky Dent as manager of the cross-town Yankees.

A headline in the New York Daily News the other day read: “Davey Preys While Bucky Prays.”

Acknowledged Johnson: “I’d like to manage the Yankees. I don’t want to put any pressure on Bucky, but I’ve learned to manage in the toughest market in the league.”

Of course, the Yankees make it that much tougher, considering the involvement of owner George Steinbrenner.

Then again, Johnson wasn’t sure who ran the Mets, calling General Manager Frank Cashen and Vice Presidents Joe McIlvaine and Al Harazin a three-headed monster.

“At least with George you’d have some conversations,” he said, pausing before adding, “maybe too many.”

Steinbrenner, meanwhile, continues to leave the door open concerning Dent. He told New York reporters in Chicago the other day that he considered Johnson “a wonderful guy” and asked, “If you were the owner of a team 14 games (10, actually) under .500, what would you do?”

One thing seems certain. Unless the Yankees--who on top of all else lack heart and guts, according to outfielder Mel Hall--make a move in the standings during a 26-game stretch against Eastern Division opponents that began Friday, Dent will be out. Caught in the current crossfire, Dent’s skin is thickening in a hurry.

“It gets aggravating and annoying to hear the same questions every day,” he said. “ ‘Are you secure? Are you worried?’ I don’t even think about it. As I’ve said, by the time I leave I’ll be an armadillo.”

The miseries continue to mount for the San Francisco Giants.

--Outfielder Kevin Bass goes on the 21-day disabled list and will be sidelined two to three months because of knee surgery.

--Pitcher Rick Reuschel, 6-0 in May of last year and 0-5 in May of this year, twists a knee and joins two other starting pitchers, Kelly Downs and Mike LaCoss, on the disabled list.

--Another starter, Don Robinson, is activated after rehabilitating a surgically repaired knee, only to suffer back spasms that require a cortisone injection and leave him an indefinite starter today against the Houston Astros.

--Kevin Mitchell, batting .375 on the road through Thursday but only .253 at home, where the Giants were 6-16 through Thursday, decides that the wind and dust at Candlestick Park are too tough on his contact lenses and will try glasses as a last resort.

--Will Clark, with one hit in his last 22 at-bats through Thursday, ends a string of nine consecutive months in which he has hit .300 or better by batting .203 in May.

The surprising success of his Minnesota Twins hasn’t created any illusions for Manager Tom Kelly in a division dominated by the A’s.

What will it take for the Twins to win?

“A miracle. That’s all, a miracle,” Kelly said.

The San Diego Padres opened a 13-game home stand Thursday--a make-or-break span, perhaps. The Padres won three in a row and five of their last six on the road after a team meeting prompted by Mike Pagliarulo’s comments regarding the selfishness of a leading San Diego player.

Pagliarulo didn’t identify the player but left no doubt that it was Tony Gwynn.

The situation festered, with Gwynn and Pagliarulo exchanging media potshots, until Manager Jack McKeon called the meeting. Gwynn reportedly exchanged views with several players who supported Pagliarulo. Pitcher Eric Show and catcher Benito Santiago were among others who drew teammates’ fire for their attitudes.

“I know there were some hurt feelings, and I know a lot of guys didn’t like what was being said about them, but you don’t have to be best friends to play good together on the field,” Pagliarulo said.

“I mean, if guys don’t like me for what I said, get in line. I’ll be damned if I’m going to play for a mediocre team. I want to play on a winner, and I’m going to do everything I possibly can to make it a winner.”

Said Jack Clark: “There was a lot of bad stuff going on. When guys were stealing bases, for instance, we’d actually step out of the way to give the catcher a better chance of throwing the runner out.

“Now we’re a team again. We’ve come a long way in the past week. I’m not saying everything’s perfect yet. We’re still going to have a few more meetings to get things ironed out, but this is a start.”

Some comments . . .

General Manager Tom Grieve of the Texas Rangers on speculation that Manager Bobby Valentine is in trouble: “I don’t believe in firing the manager when things go bad. That’s a panic move, and I don’t panic.”

Detroit Tiger Manager Sparky Anderson on Bo Jackson’s acceleration: “Yes, he can really excel.”

Recently retired pitcher Dan Quisenberry, on his decision to reject job offers that would have put him on the road again: “I want to see what it’s like being married with children.”