MINOR LEAGUES / SEAN WATERS : Redfield Yearns for His Moment in Spotlight

For every Robin Yount who signs a multiyear, megabucks contract, there is a chorus line of Joe Redfields singing, “I Can Do This, I Can Do That.”

And they’ll play for a fraction of the price.

Unlike the musical, however, the real-life stars don’t step aside to give the supporting cast a chance to be headliners.

For eight years, Redfield, 29, has performed in the minors, waiting for someone to leave the big show. This season, he is playing for the Denver Zephyrs, the Milwaukee Brewers’ triple-A affiliate in the American Assn.

Redfield’s travels have also included trips through the triple-A towns of Norfolk, Va., Moosic, Pa., and Edmonton, Canada.

With each club, the former Miraleste High standout has been one step away from the majors. At the same time, he has considered walking away from baseball to pursue a degree in dentistry.

“I felt many times I would like to hang it up,” said Redfield, who majored in biology at UC Santa Barbara. “(But) getting to play one game in the major leagues makes the headaches worthwhile. I’ll keep trying as long as they give me a uniform.”

The Mets selected Redfield in the ninth round of the 1982 June amateur draft after his junior year at UCSB.

Redfield considered quitting in his third season after being sent from the Mets’ double-A organization in Jackson, Miss. to their class-A team in Lynchburg, Va.

“I told the minor-league director if he sent me to single-A ball to save his breath, I’m not going,” Redfield said. “The Jackson owner, who was a friend of mine, talked to me and convinced me to hang in there.”

The Mets converted Redfield to third base from shortstop, the position he played in college. He said he was too slow getting to ground balls and covering second base on steal attempts in professional ball.

The transition was successful, and before the end of the 1985 season, Redfield replaced an injured Kevin Mitchell for two weeks.

After four years in the Mets’ organization, Redfield was traded to Baltimore for Rick Lockwood in a swap of minor-league third basemen.

Playing for the Charlotte Orioles (double-A), Redfield had a .297 average and 14 home runs. He also was selected the best defensive player on his team.

The Orioles weren’t that impressed, trading Redfield to the Angels for catcher Stan Cliburn, the younger brother of pitcher Stuart Cliburn.

Before the 1987 season, Redfield met to discuss his baseball future with family friend and Angel pitching coach Tom Morgan at Redfield’s Palos Verdes home. Morgan knew that Redfield had some impressive statistics and couldn’t understand why he hadn’t been promoted to the majors.

“He told me I wasn’t going after my goal hard enough,” Redfield said about his conversation with the former New York Yankee pitcher. “My numbers were good, but I wasn’t getting a chance. He taught me to think positive, be more goal-directed and do only the things that would help me make the majors.”

Morgan worked to change Redfield’s lifestyle and set down new ground rules.

* No more late nights with David Letterman and sleeping till noon the next morning.

* No fishing or golfing on game days.

* No more drinks with the boys the night before or after a game.

* No more junk food.

If Redfield wanted entertainment, he could read the positive-thinking books that Morgan left with him.

Redfield responded with his best season. He led the Texas League in home runs (30), runs batted in (108) and runs scored (108) playing for the Midland Angels.

The big-league Angels, however, bypassed Redfield when they expanded their roster to 40 players in September.

“I was pretty disappointed,” he said.

The Angels also didn’t invite Redfield to major-league camp for spring training in 1988 and dispatched him to their triple-A team in Edmonton.

But Redfield soon got his chance.

Ten days into the season, outfielder Devon White and infielder Gus Polidor were injured and Redfield was promoted to the big club. He played one game against Milwaukee and flied out twice against pitcher Teddy Higuera. Redfield still talks about his two at-bats as if he hit a game-winning home run in the World Series.

“It was pretty exciting for me to bat against Teddy Higuera,” he said. “Some guys like to talk about their major-league experience and I’m one of them.

“My teammates get tired of hearing about it.”

Following a two-week stay in the major leagues, Redfield returned to Edmonton where he had a 17-game hitting streak, the longest of his career. He finished with a .290 batting average and was selected the team’s most valuable player.

After seven years in the minors, Redfield had the option to sign a free-agent contract with any major-league organization and chose the Philadelphia Phillies, figuring that Mike Schmidt would soon retire and create an opening on the 24-man roster.

In 1989, Redfield received his first invitation to major-league spring training, and batted .340 as a late-inning replacement for Schmidt. When it came to the final roster cut, the Phillies signed free-agent outfielder Dwayne Murphy and reassigned Redfield to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in Moosic, Pa. On the last day of camp, Redfield pulled a back muscle and missed the first 25 games of the season.

Schmidt retired by midseason, but Redfield was unable to take advantage of the opportunity. He struggled to overcome his injury and hit only .249 at Scranton. The Phillies, meanwhile, acquired third baseman Charlie Hayes as part of deal that sent reliever Steve Bedrosian to the Giants.

“That was a big opportunity for me when Schmidt retired,” Redfield said. “I was getting back from the injury when they needed someone to replace him. But when I came back, (the back) was still bad, but good enough to play. I really tried, but I wasn’t ready.”

When it came to contract-signing time this year, Redfield moved on to Denver, joining the Milwaukee Brewers’ triple-A team. Infielders Jim Gantner, Bill Spiers and Paul Molitor were recovering from injuries and the Brewers had doubts as to whether they would regain their health.

After 122 games with Denver, Redfield is still waiting for his chance. He has a .270 average with 14 home runs and 62 RBIs despite nagging knee and shoulder problems.

“If I don’t make it with a major-league team this year, I would like to play closer to home in the Pacific Coast League,” Redfield said. “The traveling in this league is ridiculous.”

Redfield, however, wouldn’t mind playing in Denver if it means playing for a major-league team. He might get his chance if he can wait until 1993.

With the National League scheduled to add two expansion teams in 1993, Denver has become one of the favorites to land a franchise. Voters in a six-county tax district approved a 0.1% sales tax on Aug. 14 that will help raise funds for a proposed $140 million, open-air stadium seating 40,000.