Clayton Making the Connection : Northridge Graduate Regaining Confidence After Minor Woes at 3rd

Craig Clayton never threw a better series of sinkers.

During the 1991 college baseball season, Clayton had been one of the best pitchers in the nation for Cal State Northridge, yet he could not recall a game in which the balls he delivered had sunk so much, so fast.

Unfortunately for Clayton, his confidence was traveling a similar path.

The problem was one of location.

Clayton was playing third base, not pitcher, for Bellingham, Wash., the Seattle Mariners’ affiliate in the Class-A Northwest League. His sinkers were crossing up his first baseman, not opposing batters.

Clayton, the Mariners’ sixth-round pick in the June amateur draft, was in the early stages of his transition from being a multipurpose collegiate player to an everyday professional third baseman.

“When I first got here (to the professional level), first base looked like it was about a mile away from third,” said Clayton, who was promoted two weeks ago to San Bernardino in the California League. “Everything I threw over there went about 60 feet 6 inches. And the harder I threw, the more sink I got on the ball.”

Clayton since has become acclimated to his new position. Extra work with his managers at Bellingham and San Bernardino have cured his throwing problems.

That, in turn, has allowed him to relax at the plate. In 14 games with San Bernardino, he is batting .315 and has three home runs, three doubles and seven runs batted in.

San Bernardino Manager Tommy Jones, who has worked in the Kansas City Royals, New York Yankees and Seattle organizations, likens Clayton to Royals third baseman Kevin Seitzer.

“He’s similar to Seitzer as far as the intangibles and the way he plays aggressively,” Jones said. “He has a lot of desire and a good work ethic. Those are some of the things that are going to push him over the hump.

“I think he’s going to be in the major leagues within three years.”

Clayton, 20, has no timetable for advancement, although he is aware that Ken Griffey Jr. made a stop at San Bernardino on his way to the Kingdome. So did former Saugus High pitcher Roger Salkeld, who probably will be in the major leagues next season.

Said Roger Jongewaard, the Mariners’ vice president of scouting and player development: “He’s young, but he has played a lot of baseball so he should be able to make the adjustment to higher levels. Sometimes it’s not age but how many games you have under your belt. He has those games and he has them under pressure conditions.”

For now, at least, Clayton is just happy to be finishing his first season in the more-highly regarded California League. He has been invited by the Mariners to participate in the Instructional League in Arizona this fall.

“To get to the major leagues, I have to prove that I can be a run producer day in and day out,” Clayton said. “I know I’m going to have to start hitting the ball out of the yard more to be an RBI guy.”

Clayton was an extraordinary offensive player during his three years at Northridge. He set school career records for hits with 276, RBIs (151) and runs (175) and fell two doubles short of the record of 51.

After leading the team in batting his freshman season, Clayton helped the Matadors to a second-place finish in the NCAA Division II World Series in 1990. Last season, the Matadors’ first at the Division I level, Clayton batted .364 and compiled a 14-5 record and a 2.25 earned-run average as Northridge came within three outs of winning the West II regional in Fresno and advancing to the College World Series in Omaha.

Mariner scout Ken Compton first saw Clayton play when he was a freshman. Compton liked Clayton’s “hitting actions,” and followed him throughout the next two seasons.

“Even though he was an All-American pitcher, there was something about his swing that I thought would take him further than his arm ever would,” Compton said. “There is no doubt that he could go out and pitch professionally, but I could see him hitting his way to the big leagues and being a productive offensive player.

“Before the draft, every person that was coming in to see him, supervisors and cross-checkers (high-level scouts), was coming to see a player that had been described as a good-looking hitter. They all walked out saying, ‘Yeah, this guy can hit.’ ”

Clayton said he was glad the Mariners drafted him as an everyday player rather than a pitcher. And while he seemingly has not missed a beat offensively since turning pro, he has been tested defensively.

Clayton played every position except catcher at Northridge, but he last played third base regularly when he was a junior at Loara High in Anaheim.

“When I first started at Bellingham, there were times when I didn’t want the ball hit to me,” Clayton said. “I had never said that to myself before and I had to work through it.

“Now I get out there and I want the ball hit to me. It’s been a big turnaround.”

Clayton credits Northridge Coach Bill Kernen for providing the background that enabled him to overcome his initial problems at the pro level.

“Everybody can play when they are feeling good, but everything we did at Northridge was set up for us to perform when we weren’t feeling good. He (Kernen) trained us mentally to perform,” Clayton said.

“Sometimes, there’s games you don’t want to play in because you’re tired or not feeling good. He taught us how to fight through that stuff.

“My attitude has to be, ‘I’m better than this guy, better than the pitcher and I’m the best third baseman.’

“For me to get to the big leagues, that’s how I have to think.”