MINOR LEAGUE BASEBALL / GARY KLEIN : Cirillo Keeps Runners on Their Toes, Off the Bases

There are no secrets to the success Jeff Cirillo is enjoying in his first full season with the Milwaukee Brewers organization.

Cirillo, a former All-Pacific 10 Conference third baseman at USC, always has been a good hitter. He is batting .343 with six home runs and 38 runs batted in for Class-A Beloit (Wis.) and will start in this week’s Midwest League all-star game.

Recently, however, he has become artful afield, having pulled off the hidden-ball trick four times at third.

“Tim Ireland, the coach at Stockton, taught us the play during spring training,” said Cirillo, a former standout at Providence High. “His goal was to get 10 outs with it every season. I’ve pulled off four and had two others that the umpires just missed.

“It hasn’t worked recently because the cat is out of the bag. But it helped us in a couple of games. It’s a fascinating play. A real heart stopper.”

Cirillo felt nothing but heartache earlier this season when he was moved to Beloit after seven games at Stockton in the Class-A California League, which is generally considered a tougher league. The move was made necessary because of an injury to another player. Brewer General Manager Sal Bando called Cirillo to assure him that the move was not a demotion.

“My first week in Beloit was miserable,” said Cirillo, who batted .350 with 10 homers and 51 RBIs in 70 games last summer at Helena (Mont.) in the Pioneer Rookie League. “It was definitely a mental adjustment. Now, I’m just trying to stay focused. I know it’s a long season, but I think I’ve proven that I can hit at this level. Hopefully, after the all-star game, something will happen in terms of moving.”

Still warming up: Joel Wolfe was certain he would be playing in the California League this season. He just wasn’t sure if he would be assigned to Reno or Modesto--both of which are Class-A teams affiliated with the Oakland Athletics.

“I didn’t know much about Reno, but I knew it got really hot in Modesto,” said Wolfe, an outfielder who was drafted by Oakland last year out of UCLA.

Wolfe, who was assigned to Reno, is hoping his bat starts heating up soon.

Last season, Wolfe batted .303 and had two homers, 34 RBIs and 19 stolen bases for Southern Oregon in the short-season Northwest League. This year, the former Chatsworth High standout is batting .245 with no homers, 15 RBIs and 10 stolen bases.

“Last season, it was pretty much all success,” Wolfe said. “Here, I’ve been struggling. I don’t feel overmatched, but I haven’t been getting the job done day in and day out. I haven’t been able to go out and put together consistent play.

“I went to the Instructional League after last season and played with guys who were in triple-A and had been in the big leagues. At first, my attitude was, ‘Geez, why am I here? But after being around there for a couple of days, you see there just isn’t that big of a difference in ability between the guys at the lower and higher levels. The difference is the ability to perform consistently.”

Compromising position: Variety might not only be the spice of life but also Bill Picketts’ ticket to the major leagues.

Picketts, who played at Kennedy High, College of the Canyons, Cal State Long Beach and Cal State Los Angeles, has become the ultimate utility man in the Oakland organization.

Picketts, 5-foot-10, 175 pounds, played infield and outfield and batted .253 in 99 games last season for Madison (Wis.) in the Midwest League.

During the winter, he began playing catcher for the A’s scout team. This season, he has played infield, outfield and behind the plate.

“I’m never going to be an everyday player in the major leagues,” said Picketts, who is batting .309 with 13 RBIs. “To play as many positions as possible is probably my best bet.”

Picketts, 23, was tutored during spring training by Bob Boone, who caught more games in the major leagues than anyone. Boone is managing the A’s triple-A affiliate in Tacoma.

“We worked with him almost every day, blocking balls, framing pitches and throwing guys out,” Picketts said. “If you’re going to learn from somebody, it might as well be someone like him.”

Rolling along: Former Alemany High standout Joey Rosselli has been selected to play in the California League all-star game that will be played Thursday in Modesto.

Rosselli, a left-handed pitcher, is 8-1 with a 1.71 earned-run average for San Jose, a San Francisco Giants affiliate.

Last season, Rosselli, 20, was 8-7 with a 3.10 ERA for Class-A Clinton (Iowa).