MINOR LEAGUE BASEBALL / SEAN WATERS : Former Harbor Pitcher Is Battling Back in Salinas

Steve Maye had reached the bottom of his professional baseball career. In his seventh year as a pro, Maye had signed a contract with the Salinas Spurs, a class-A independent team in the California League.

What the Spurs didn’t need was a batting-practice pitcher for their opponents.

“I got the . . . kicked out of me for three straight starts,” Maye said. “It wasn’t like I was giving up bombs. It was more like a walk here, a base hit there and then bam--a two-run double. I would pitch five innings and it would be 8-0 by the time I came out.”

Fearing that he would be released for the third and possibly last time in his career, the right-handed pitcher sought help with his mechanics.

Former Dodger reliever Steve Howe answered the Maye Day call.

Howe, who was suspended twice from the major leagues for illegal drug use, was making a comeback try in Salinas. Shoulder surgery had prevented Howe from pitching more than three innings, so he served as the team’s pitching coach until his arm healed.

“People get the wrong idea about Steve Howe because of all that drug stuff,” Maye said. “But that’s in his past. He’s a great guy once you get to know him.

“He’s been working hard trying to smooth out my delivery. I really count on him because he knows my pitching style.”

Howe told Maye to stop trying to strike out every batter and be more aggressive in keeping batters from leaning too close to the plate.

“I think pitch selection was my biggest problem,” Maye said. “He told me when to come up and in. If you hit a batter, so what. You have to keep them honest.”

Maye didn’t have any trouble with his control at Harbor College, helping the community college win a state championship in 1984. He had a 4-2 record, 12 saves and a 29-inning scoreless streak.

Maye was selected by the Chicago Cubs in 1984 on the strength of an 85-m.p.h. fastball. He played three seasons before being released by the Cubs’ A team in Winston-Salem, N.C.

“It was an accumulation of five or 10 things,” Maye said. “I hurt my arm and lost 8 m.p.h. off my fastball and my consistency.”

Maye taught himself how to throw a curveball and worked his way from an independent class-A team in San Jose to the Oakland A’s double-A team in Huntsville, Ala., in two seasons.

Maye, however, suffered a broken bone in his right wrist when he got hit by a teammate swinging at a batting tee. He underwent corrective surgery during the off-season in 1988.

Last season, Maye made eight appearances in the first 10 days of the season for Huntsville. His fastball had lost its velocity and his curveball its bite because of the operation. Maye was sent to Oakland’s class-A team in Madison, Wis., but was released after refusing to change his delivery.

“When God created the black hole of the universe, he created Madison,” Maye said. “I didn’t like the city, I didn’t get along with the pitching coach and I asked for my release.”

With Howe as his coach, Maye has been impressive in his last four starts. He has improved to 3-7 and lowered his nearly double-digit earned-run average to 4.74. He threw a three-hitter to beat the Bakersfield Dodgers, 8-2, Sunday. It was his fourth complete game and tied him for the league lead.

Maye, 25, believes that he can reach the major leagues if he gets a few breaks.

First, Maye must be signed by a team affiliated with a major league club. Salinas Manager Hide Koga thinks Maye can do it if he learns to keep his pitches low in the strike zone while maintaining his high hopes for a promotion.

“Steve has a decent fastball,” Koga said. “He doesn’t throw too hard, but he knows how to pitch. His problem is control. He needs to keep the ball down to reach a higher level (in the minors).”

Maye, however, will have to make his next start without the help of Howe, who was hospitalized Saturday for a blood clot in his lung.

“They say it’s not life-threatening,” Maye said. “I expected him to be back in uniform in about a week. He’s a fighter.”

You have to be to escape Salinas.

Add Maye: Maye’s fan club has grown in numbers since he joined Salinas. He got married in September and became the stepfather of a 4-year-old boy. The couple celebrated the birth of their son--Cameron Austin Maye--April 26.

“My wife takes care of the children 95% of the time and lets me concentrate on baseball,” Maye said. “I take care of the baby only on the nights after I pitch.”

Maye said he has managed to support his family despite making less than $1,200 a month.

“You watch what you spend,” he said. “You buy the things you need and not what you want.”

Add Harbor alums: Maye is one of five players currently in the minor leagues who played at Harbor for Coach Jim O’Brien, who retired this season after winning his third state title.

The others are outfielder Eric Bullock, who plays for the Montreal Expos’ triple-A team in Indianapolis, Williamsport (Pa.) AA shortstop Bryan King (Seattle Mariners), Memphis (Tenn.) AA catcher Jorge Pedre (Kansas City Royals) and Baseball City (Fla.) A pitcher Jim Hudson (Royals).

Caught on at right time: Pedre said he might not have been drafted if he attended a college other than Harbor during his sophomore season.

Pedre was an outfielder his freshman year at West Los Angeles before the school dropped its baseball program.

After calling nearly every day, O’Brien persuaded Pedre to transfer to Harbor and become a catcher.

“I owe a lot of my success to O’Brien and his assistant coaches,” Pedre said. “If it were not for them, I wouldn’t be here.”

Pedre was selected in the 33rd round of the 1987 amateur draft and played for the Royals rookie team in Eugene, Ore.

After hitting .270 with 13 home runs and 66 runs batted in, Pedre spent his next season playing in the cold weather at Appleton, Wis.

“I never saw snow fall down before Appleton,” Pedre said. “I had only seen it on TV.”

After a brief stopover at Baseball City, Fla., last season, Pedre was promoted to the Royals’ double-A team in Memphis.

He splits catching duties with Brent Mayne, who played for Cal State Fullerton before the Royals selected him with their first pick in the 1989 draft. When either Mayne or Pedre catches, the other is the team’s designated hitter.

In 45 games, Pedre has a .291 batting average with one home run and 17 RBI. Mayne is hitting .236, but has one home run and 32 RBI.

On Tuesday, Pedre had three hits, including a two-run single, to help the Chicks beat the Charlotte (N.C.) Knights, 9-2.

“The hardest part is living away from your friends and family and playing in these small laid-back towns,” Pedre said. “I’m a big-city boy and it’s been a tough adjustment.

“That and the long bus rides. Our shortest bus trip right now is nine hours long.”

If he keeps hitting, Pedre will be flying to the big leagues.

This Mann can hit: Catcher Kelly Mann, a Redondo Beach resident, was promoted to the Atlanta Braves triple-A affiliate in Richmond, Va., last week after an impressive hitting performance in double-A. Mann, a right-handed hitter, had a .316 batting average with seven home runs and 27 RBI at Greenville, S.C. He also threw out 16 of 17 runners attempting to steal.

Mann played seven games for the Braves last season after being traded by the Chicago Cubs for relief pitcher Paul Assenmacher. He had five hits in 24 at-bats in September when major league teams are allowed to expand their roster to 40 players.

When veteran catcher Ernie Whitt was placed on the disabled list June 5, the Braves called up left-handed hitting Jim Kremers from Richmond, creating an opening for Mann.

“Kelly could be in the majors today if he was a left-handed or switch-hitter,” Greenville official Jeff Phillips said. “I think he’ll get his chance before the season is over.”