Time to Make a Good Pitch : Baseball: The best players--and best faces--will be on display tonight at Oriole Park at Camden Yards.

It has been suggested that baseball has an identity crisis, what with only the name of Nolan Ryan appearing on fan polls of the best-known athletes, no heroes of Joe DiMaggio’s stature and few young stars.

But if the rosters for the 64th All-Star game tonight at Oriole Park at Camden Yards are an indication, the only crisis is--or should be--who to market next.

There is a galaxy of young All-Stars here, an extensive inventory of marketable faces.

“Ownership needs to recognize the gold mine it has and stop denigrating the product,” Pittsburgh Pirate outfielder Andy Van Slyke said Monday.

Van Slyke was voted in as a National League outfield starter by the fans, but is recovering from a broken collarbone and won’t be playing tonight when Mark Langston (9-3, 2.82 earned-run average) of the Angels starts for the American League against Terry Mulholland (9-6, 2.72 ERA) of the Philadelphia Phillies.

The National League will try to stop a five-game losing streak with 13 first-time All-Stars. The American has eight rookie All-Stars and 11 players 25 or under.

Of the 56 players on the two teams, almost a third, 18, have yet to reach their 26th birthday. And 37 are 29 or younger.

Van Slyke said the owners have failed to take advantage of this bonanza.

“This is the only professional sport in which you hear the owners bash the players as often as you do,” he said. “Maybe they don’t want to boost the product because they’re afraid they’ll have to pay the players even higher salaries, but there are a lot of avenues they could travel if they tried.”

Paul Molitor, the Toronto Blue Jays’ designated hitter and the oldest of the All-Stars at 36, concurred.

“The potential marketing of young stars is unlimited,” he said. “The growth of licensing products shows what can be done, but baseball hasn’t done well looking at the horizon. The owners haven’t demonstrated good vision in that area.

“They have another great opportunity to take this young group and build on it, but before they can even project the image of the players they have to improve the image of the game. They have to lift that cloud.”

Molitor cited the myriad problems besieging baseball: the absence of a commissioner; the tense relationship between big and small markets; the revenue, playoff and regionalization issues raised by the new television contract; the wisdom of expanded playoffs and, most important, Molitor said, the attempt to resolve two decades of conflict between the owners and players through new collective bargaining.

“If these negotiations turn sour, baseball will have to wait for the next generation of superstars to take advantage of their marketability,” he said.

“My hope is that both sides recognize what’s at stake.”

At stake tonight is largely a matter of pride, but history is a subject the current generation of young stars may not be able to avoid.

The American League’s 25-and-under set includes:

25--Roberto Alomar, Scott Cooper, John Olerud and Frank Thomas.

24--Carlos Baerga, Travis Fryman, Pat Hentgen and Mike Mussina.

23--Juan Gonzales and Ken Griffey Jr.

21--Ivan Rodriguez.

The National:

25--Andy Benes and Greg Jefferies.

24--Gary Sheffield, Mike Piazza, Rod Beck and Darryl Kile.

23--Steve Avery.

Some have already drawn commercial recognition. Thomas, the Chicago White Sox first baseman, has a national endorsement contract with Reebok that is similar to Barry Bonds’ contract with Nike. Griffey, the Seattle Mariners’ prodigal center fielder, has a national contract with Kellogg’s, and a regional deal with Pepsi.

Griffey predicted that marketing avenues will gradually open for the younger players and said he is “just starting to get used to being in front of crowds and cameras.”

“I went from (Class) A ball to the major leagues, and from the major leagues to being the next great this or that,” he said.

“It takes time to adjust, to become comfortable with who you are and where you are, and every player isn’t interested in every offer he gets.”

That, too, is part of the problem. The absence of marketing isn’t all the owners’ fault or the result of the family fights.

Salaries are so high that many players are more interested in protecting their privacy than in making an extra buck. Then, too, it has become a transitional game and sponsors are sometimes leery of committing to a player soon eligible to move to another team.

All of that will be forgotten tonight, when an array of young stars illuminates baseball’s midsummer showcase. But the relief will be only temporary.

Starting Lineups

NATIONAL LEAGUE Marquis Grissom (CF) Expos Barry Bonds (LF) Giants Gary Sheffield (3B) Marlins John Kruk (1B) Phillies Barry Larkin (SS) Reds Mark Grace (DH) Cubs David Justice (RF) Braves Darren Daulton (C) Phillies Ryne Sandburg (2B) Cubs Terry Mulholland (P) Phillies *

AMERICAN LAEGUE Roberto Alomar (2B) Blue Jays Paul Molitor (DH) Blue Jays Ken Griffey Jr. (CF) Mariners Joe Carter (RF) Blue Jays John Olerud (1B) Blue Jays Kirby Puckett (LF) Twins Cal Ripken Jr. (SS) Orioles Wade Boggs (3B) Yankees Ivan Rodriguez (C) Rangers Mark Langston (P) Angels