MINOR LEAGUES / SEAN WATERS : Chris Donnels Looking Like a Sure-Bet Met

After establishing an impressive track record for first-round picks, the New York Mets thought they had discovered another star when they made Loyola Marymount University junior Chris Donnels their top selection in 1987’s amateur draft.

Hubie Brooks (1978), Tim Leary (1979), Darryl Strawberry (1980), Dwight Gooden (1982), Shawn Abner (1984) and Gregg Jefferies (1985) were Met first-round selections who reached the major leagues within three years of being drafted.

The Mets, who had won the World Series in 1986, had confidence that Donnels could make a similar jump and eventually take over at third base. Ray Knight, who had played that position, had left the team as a free agent.

While the Mets grew accustomed to instant success from their prized picks, Donnels took three seasons to escape the class-A level and justify his current status as one of the top 10 prospects in the organization.

During his first two years in the minor leagues, Donnels failed to produce the kind of numbers that made him a Southern Section 4-A Division Co-Player of the Year at South Torrance High and an All-American as a sophomore at Loyola.

Considering his status as a first-round pick, Donnels failed to impress the Mets with his two-year totals of 10 home runs, 68 runs batted in and .246 average.

The Mets sent hitting instructors to the Mets’ class-A team in Columbia, S.C., to discover a cure for Donnels’ batting ills.

The Mets concluded that Donnels was having trouble making the adjustment to the wooden bats used in professional play after hitting with aluminum bats in high school and college.

“I think it was more of a mental thing,” Donnels said. “Swinging a wooden bat everyday does take its toll because it’s heavier than an aluminum bat. But it’s not like you go to the plate and learn how to swing differently.

“You just need to get stronger and that takes time.”

Donnels argued that it was a sore right shoulder, not the cast of his bat, that was draining him of his power. After the 1988 season, Donnels was discovered to have calcium deposits irritating the shoulder’s muscle lining.

Get rid of the pain, Donnels reasoned, and the old swing will return.

The Mets had their doubts.

After returning to his Torrance home in the off-season, Donnels resumed a weight-training program to strengthen his shoulder and quicken his wrists.

Donnels, 24, went to training camp in 1989 with one last chance to prove his worth.

“I came into camp in better shape and with a new attitude,” Donnels said. “I wanted to give it one more shot. If things didn’t go my way, I was going to hang up my spikes and finish my education at Loyola.”

After a month with St. Lucie (Fla.), Donnels’ slump continued and he appeared destined to settle for playing softball back in Torrance. Then Donnels had a two-home run performance against Baseball City on May 7 and his cold spell ended. He was selected player of the week, the first of several honors he received last season.

Donnels put together two 10-game hitting streaks, 33 multiple-hit games and was named the Florida State League Most Valuable Player. He led the league with 78 RBI and was second in home runs (17) and batting (.313).

Donnels was given the Doubleday Award as the best player at the Mets’ high class-A level. He also was named to the Topps National Assn. class-A all-star team.

“I stopped taking everyone’s advice and started playing the game the way I always had,” Donnels said. “I went back to being a line-drive hitter and hit the ball where it was pitched.”

The Mets protected Donnels on their 40-man roster and promoted him to the double-A affiliate in Jackson, Miss., this season.

Entering this week, Donnels was batting 263 with five home runs and 22 RBI. He hit his sixth home run to give Jackson a 3-2 victory over Arkansas Tuesday in the final game of the season’s first half. The Mets missed winning the title and finished .001 behind Shreveport, La.

Waiting for Bean to sprout: Dodger Executive Vice President Fred Claire, Manager Tommy Lasorda and pitching coach Ron Perranoski watched the Dodgers’ triple-A franchise in Albuquerque on Wednesday, looking for help for the parent team.

The Dodgers need a fifth pitcher for their rotation and a possible replacement for veteran outfielder Kirk Gibson if he’s placed on the injured list because of a groin injury.

Billy Bean, who played center field for the Loyola Lions, knows that he might be a candidate for the outfield. He has major league experience, bats left-handed like Gibson and can play all three outfield positions.

Despite leading the Pacific Coast League in team batting average, the Dukes were held to three hits in a 6-3 loss to Portland. Bean, who entered the game with a .300 batting average, was 0 for 2 with two walks and two stolen bases.

“I wasn’t pressing,” Bean said. “Experienced players learn not to worry about what other people think.”

In his fifth pro season, Bean has earned several round trips from the minors to the majors.

Bean was picked in the fourth round by the Detroit Tigers in 1986 after earning All-American honors and a business degree at Loyola Marymount.

He played 1 1/2 seasons in the minors before making his major league debut with the Tigers in April, 1987. That trip lasted 6 1/2 weeks before Bean was returned to the minors. In 26 major league games, he hit .258.

A dream came true two years later when the Tigers traded Bean to the Dodgers for minor league prospects Domingo Michel and Steve Green.

Bean, who grew up in Southern California, wanted a chance to play before his friends at Dodger Stadium. After only three days in Albuquerque, Bean was sent to the Dodgers and it was more than he could handle.

Bean had more requests for tickets from his friends than he had hits for the Dodgers. In home games, Bean had one hit in 23 at-bats for an average of .050. On the road, he hit .255.

With the off-season acquisitions of Hubie Brooks and Juan Samuel, the Dodgers didn’t have room for a light-hitting outfielder, and Bean began the season in Albuquerque.

“It’s a real gamble for a major league team to bypass a proven player available on the market for one of their prospects,” Bean said. “A lot of teams want to win now and are not willing to be patient with their prospects.

“I think Albuquerque is full of good young players that deserve a chance. I’m going to pull my weight here and not worry about injuries. I don’t plan to be a lifetime minor leaguer.”

Lions alumni club: In 1986, Loyola reached the College World Series for the first time under new Coach Dave Snow.

Aside from Donnels and Bean, three other Lions continue to play pro ball.

Pitcher Tim Layana, who won 18 games his senior year with Loyola, joined Manager Lou Pinella with the Cincinnati Reds after four seasons in the New York Yankees’ organization. Pinella selected Layana in the November free-agent draft after the Yankees failed to protect him on their 40-man roster.

Bob Dejardin, who was a freshman second baseman on the ’86 team, is playing for the Yankees’ double-A affiliate in Albany, N.Y.

Jim Bruske, who was a right fielder and a spot starter in ‘86, is pitching for the Cleveland Indians’ double-A team in Canton, Ohio.

Backed out in time: Not all of the stars from Loyola’s 1986 team found success in the minor leagues. Jim McAnany, who hit .340 with nine home runs and 49 RBI in 1987 for the Lions, quit the minor leagues after 1 1/2 years.

McAnany, who was drafted in the 19th round by the Angels in 1987, realized early that he wouldn’t make the path up the minor league ladder despite coming from a baseball family. His father, Jim, played several seasons in the major leagues, including an appearance with the Chicago White Sox in the 1959 World Series against the Dodgers.

Layana is McAnany’s cousin.

McAnany mostly played for the Angels’ class-A team in Palm Springs.

“It was a tough decision to quit baseball,” said McAnany, who is close friends with Donnels and Bean. “My friends and my cousin would be taking off for training camp and I was left sitting at home. But not everyone makes it. I was lucky to realize early that I didn’t have a chance. I didn’t have to spend all those years being frustrated.”