MINOR LEAGUE NOTEBOOK / MARTIN BECK : Katzaroff Decides to Specialize : Baseball: Three-sport star at Los Alamitos High concentrates on diamond, where he excels in the Expos’ organization.

Robbie Katzaroff is no Bo.

He’s not even a Deion.

But at Los Alamitos High School, Katzaroff set Orange County records that still stand today in football and baseball. For good measure, he was also an all-Southern Section soccer player.

During his junior year at Los Alamitos, Katzaroff had 51 hits for a single-season county record. But UCLA baseball Coach Gary Adams said he was just as impressed by Katzaroff’s play on the football field, where as a senior he set another single-season county record by catching 93 passes.

“If he was just a good baseball player, I don’t think I would have recruited him,” Adams said. “He’s a hard-nosed, durable kid, which makes him an outstanding competitor.”

Katzaroff gave up football and soccer at UCLA in the pursuit of a professional baseball contract. He said forsaking football was difficult because he loved the game and missed the school and fan attention that surrounds the sport.

But because he is only 5-foot-8 and 160 pounds, Katzaroff said he knew he would only be a one-sport man. There would be no chance for comparisons to two-sport stars Bo Jackson or Deion Sanders.

“Those guys are exceptional athletes,” Katzaroff said. “They are two guys out of millions who probably want to do that.”

Katzaroff played four years in the Bruins’ outfield and said he is two classes shy of earning his bachelor’s degree in sociology.

Adams calls him one of the best leadoff hitters he has coached in 17 years at UCLA. However, no professional team drafted him in 1989, after he batted .342 his junior year.

During his senior season, Katzaroff said he put too much pressure on himself and his batting average dropped to .306.

Adams said Katzaroff, upset that he wasn’t drafted, found his average falling because he was trying to be more of a power hitter during the first part of the season. Katzaroff’s play improved, Adams said, after the coach told him his value was in other areas, such as getting on base often, stealing bases and playing solid defense.

“I said, ‘Robbie, there isn’t a big league team that can’t use one player just like you,’ ” Adams said. “I think every ballclub looks for one guy that can do what Robbie can do. The best description is he’s a pest to the opposition.”

After a season in which the Bruins came within a victory of qualifying for the College World Series, the Montreal Expos drafted Katzaroff in the 14th round.

Assigned to the Expos’ Class-A affiliate in Jamestown, N.Y., Katzaroff is leading the New York-Penn League with a .375 batting average. He also leads the league in hits (66) and is second in stolen bases (20) through 43 games.

In July, Katzaroff batted .385, had six doubles and two triples and stole 19 bases in 22 attempts, prompting Jamestown Manager Pat Daugherty to nominate him as the Expos’ minor league player of the month.

“The atmosphere is a little more relaxing, so I’m able to play better,” Katzaroff said.

Mota-vating: The sons of former Dodger great and current coach Manny Mota continue their father’s legacy of hitting. Jose, who played at Cal State Fullerton, is batting .279 for the San Diego Padres’ triple-A team in Las Vegas.

Andy, who also played for the Titans, is spending his first season in double-A ball with the Houston Astros’ Columbus, Ohio, team. Andy, who is batting .286, was named the most valuable player of the Southern League’s all-star game on July 11.

Gary Mota, who played at Fullerton College last season, is batting .252 for the Astros’ Class-A team in Auburn, S.C.

And Domingo Mota, who played for the Titans last season, leads the Gulf Coast League in hitting with a .386 average as the designated hitter for the Dodgers’ Class-A affiliate in Kissimmee, Fla.

“Yeah, baseball fans recognize the name,” Andy said. “It’s good as long as I keep up with the name.”

Former Orange Coast College player Joey James is among the Midwest League’s leaders in batting average, home runs and runs batted in. Now playing for Clinton, Iowa, in the Giants’ organization, James is batting .293, the seventh-best average in the league, with 17 home runs (tied for third) and 71 RBIs (tied for the league lead).