Teufel Not Playing as Much as He Had Hoped : Padres: Utilityman spurned move to Giants. Now he’s behind Stillwell, Sheffield.

Tim Teufel makes a living on circumstances. He has built a career out of filling gaps.

Platoon here, pinch-hit there. Step in where there is a spark, see if he can turn it into a flame.

But when you play with circumstances, sometimes they take advantage of you, too.

When the Padres arrive in San Francisco this afternoon, there will be a moment when Teufel will recall a few decisions made last winter. He will think about how, tonight, he could have been sitting in the heated Giants’ dugout across the field instead of in the chilly Padre quarters.

The Giants really wanted him. They figured he would be the perfect guy to back-up Robby Thompson at second and spell Matt Williams at third.

It was January, and the free-agent signing deadline was closing in. The Padres were without a second or third baseman. Bip Roberts had been traded to Cincinnati in December.

Teufel knew the Padres were involved in trade talks, and he knew they were scouring the free agent market. But there were two positions to fill, and if you’re looking for some solid playing time, those aren’t bad odds.

So he signed with the Padres.

“I decided at that point in time I had nobody competing with me at either second base or third base, and I figured if (the Padres) got one, I’d play the other position,” Teufel said. “I was basing it on playing time.”

A month later, on Feb. 21, the Padres signed Kurt Stillwell to play second base.

And a month after that, on March 28, they traded for Gary Sheffield.

Third base.

While Sheffield grabbed the headlines with a career-high five RBIs Sunday, Teufel watched it all from the shade of the Padre dugout.

Circumstances. Instead of being a backup second and third baseman in San Francisco, Teufel is filling the same role in San Diego.

“(The Sheffield trade) made me as a player a little less significant than I thought I’d be,” Teufel said succinctly. “But we’re a good team now, and I played (Saturday) night and didn’t hurt the club.”

Indeed, he got his first start and went 0-for-3 with a walk and a stolen base. Played a solid game defensively. The Padres won, 3-2.

Overall, pure Teufel. Nothing flashy, but solid.

“You just never know,” Teufel said. “When you’re in that situation in the off-season, you can speculate all you want on playing, but you have to wait for camp to see what happens.”

In a season he figured would finally bring him a starting job, something he hasn’t had for a full summer since he was traded from Minnesota to the Mets in 1986, he has five at-bats in seven games. He is still waiting for his first hit.

“He seems to be handling it real well,” said Padre pitcher Craig Lefferts, one of Teufel’s closest friends on the team. “I think he realizes he still has an important role. I haven’t noticed any difference in his preparation. He’s still as enthused as ever.”

There is hardly a role in baseball Teufel hasn’t filled. He started at second base in Minnesota in 1984 and 1985. With the Mets, he platooned with Wally Backman and played on a World Series championship team in 1986. By the end of his stay with the Mets last May, he was strictly a role player.

“To me, he’s such a leader,” Lefferts said. “Not that he’s going to be an All-Star player and lead by numbers, but it’s just his presence and attitude. What happened to us the second half of last season (the Padres came on strong to finish third), a lot of guys looked at Tim as a leader.”

He started more than 40 games each at second and third for the Padres, and had more at-bats in San Diego (307) than in any of his five seasons in New York.

But Teufel, who bats right-handed, also compiled the lowest batting average in the NL against right-handers (.182) last summer. And the Padres decided they needed to beef up their infield.

“There was talk (of the Sheffield trade) all spring; there was every indication it was going to happen,” Teufel said. “I kind of had the feeling that Milwaukee wanted to make the trade and we wanted him. It was a perfect match, having the deal come through.”

A perfect match for everything but Teufel and the daily box score.

Padre Manager Greg Riddoch met with Teufel after acquiring Sheffield and assured Teufel that he was still an important part of the team.

“Hey, if we have a key injury, we’re going to have to call on him again,” Riddoch said. “He’s our right-handed game-winner (off the bench). He can play first, second, third, whatever we need him to do.”

Said Teufel: “I know the role. I don’t need to dwell on the negatives. I know the team is stronger at this point. And having the security that they’ve given me puts things a little more at ease.

“It’s easier to accept, and it’s easier to perform without a cloud over me every time I go up to the plate.”

He has an enviable contract--the Padres signed him to a two-year deal worth $1.375 million.

“There’s pride involved,” Teufel said. “There are competitive juices, of course. I like to be on the field. I like to sweat, I like to perform. That’s a letdown.

“But, my circumstances are not necessarily mine. There are a lot of things in this world you cannot control.”

So he will arrive at Candlestick Park this afternoon a Padre rather than a Giant. He will check the lineup card, as always, and get ready for the game.

Maybe he will play.

The dugout is cold.