It’s All Relative : Zaun Has Been a Big Hit in Baltimore, and Not Just Because of His Uncle Rick

You keep your nose pointed south on a breaking pitch, drive the ball in a blur toward the opposite field, and the second baseman’s glove happens to get in the way.

There are certain things in baseball a player can’t control. That’s one of them.

You bat .325 and display a throwing arm that could be characterized as a concealed weapon, yet when you are recognized on the street, the greeting goes, “Say, aren’t you the kid related to. . . .”

Former St. Francis High standout Gregg Zaun has no control over that, either. And it doesn’t seem to bother him.

Zaun, a 22-year-old catcher for the Bowie (Md.) BaySox in the Baltimore organization, is the nephew of former major leaguer Rick Dempsey. And the BaySox, as chance would have it, are not playing in Bowie this season. Instead, the double-A affiliate in the Eastern League is playing in Baltimore’s Memorial Stadium, where Dempsey, a gritty redhead known for his competitive spirit and fun-loving nature, was a favorite from 1976-86.

Bowie’s new stadium is still under construction. Until their new venue is completed, the BaySox are playing in 52,000-seat Memorial Stadium in downtown Baltimore.

Memorial Stadium was stomping grounds for Baltimore’s major league club until Oriole Park at Camden Yards opened in 1992. But the old park now is major league by dimensions only.

“Sometimes it’s a little discouraging when you’re out in the field and you look into the stands and there are five empty seats between fans,” Zaun said. “It’s almost like high school. Every game, you see the same people.”

Early on, Zaun said, players comforted themselves by thinking of the many major league greats who had performed on the same diamond. “You think of all the names who played on this field, not only the Orioles, but all the guys on opposing teams. It was kind of eerie.”

Frank Robinson in the outfield, Jim Palmer on the mound, Brooks Robinson at third base, and, for the better part of 11 seasons, Dempsey behind the plate.

Zaun can feel his uncle’s presence, both in and around the ballpark.

In the Baltimore suburb of Timonium, where Dempsey lived during the season in his playing days, there is a lounge called Christopher’s with a wall dedicated to the Orioles’ former No. 24. There is a similar display of photographs and autographs at the Oriole Bar, which is located in a swanky downtown hotel.

Dempsey, who played at Crespi High and Pierce College and now manages the Dodgers’ Class-A team in Bakersfield, occasionally used to step up on stage at both places and croon a few tunes himself.

Zaun said he meets friends of his uncle’s all the time, many of whom offer him free meals or services.

“It’s amazing how many people really like him, not just because he was a ballplayer but because of what kind of a person he is,” Zaun said. “I’m proud of him. I couldn’t be linked to a better person.”

Nor could Dempsey be related to a better Orioles catching prospect.

Zaun, a switch-hitter, is batting .389 from the right side, .306 from the left and a team-high .356 with runners in scoring position.

“Gregg has a lot of capabilities, hitting is just one of them,” said Bowie Manager Don Buford, a former Orioles’ outfielder. “He handles pitchers well, he has a great arm, he moves well behind the plate. . . . It’s going back many years, but Gregg plays with a lot of the same enthusiasm and intensity Rick did.”

If anything, Buford said, Zaun may have been trying a little too hard in previous minor league seasons. He batted .251 last season for Frederick (Md.) of the Class-A Carolina League, .274 the year before that.

“He’s a lot more disciplined now,” Buford said. “He makes better contact. Before, he was swinging at a lot of bad pitches and getting himself out.”

The low point of Zaun’s baseball career came midway through last season when his batting average dipped to .108.

“I was hitting the ball decent, but nothing was going my way,” Zaun said. “It was a nightmare.”

Zaun said his mood at the time was “sheer panic.” He began to doubt himself.

Then, with the help of his mother, Cherie Zaun, a former professional golfer, he made a decision: He would fret only about situations he could control.

“It made me relax,” Zaun said. “Instead of worrying about results, how many hits I got, I just concentrated on hitting the ball hard. If the pitchers were slow (on their delivery) and a guy was stealing, all I worried about was making a good throw.

“The way I look at it now, it’s up to (the pitcher) to get me the ball in time. If they don’t, it’s their win-loss record and their (earned-run average).”

Since he has adopted that policy, Zaun’s defense has improved. “I don’t take so many chances any more,” he said. “The Orioles know I can play defense. What I need to prove is that I can be consistent and that I can hit in two halves of a season.”

During the second half last season, Zaun batted .370. Since signing with the Orioles out of St. Francis in 1989, he has typically gone on late-season batting tears.

“We’re just coming up on what generally has been my time of year,” he said.

Zaun was not included on the Orioles’ 40-man roster last winter, but he did receive an invitation to attend Baltimore’s big-league spring camp. Next season, he hopes to “throw a scare” into Chris Hoiles and Jeff Tackett, the club’s major league catchers.

He says a “reliable source” has told him the Orioles already consider his defensive skills of major league caliber.

Dempsey, who was the Orioles’ bench coach when he was relieved from active duty midway through last season, did some checking on his nephew’s behalf.

“He told me they thought I could catch in the big leagues right now,” Zaun said. “But they can’t afford to have someone back there who isn’t going to have a solid .250 (batting) year every year.

“That’s what I’m out to do, to eliminate that question mark.”

And, of course, enhance his family’s already sterling reputation.