MINOR LEAGUES / GARY KLEIN : His Yankee Dream Is on Hold for Moment

Don Sparks saw a future that included pinstripes and the House That Ruth Built when the New York Yankees selected him in the fifth round of the 1988 draft.

Five years and six professional seasons later, Sparks’ vision has blurred a bit.

The former Loyola Marymount player has put together solid performances at each level of the Yankee organization. This season, he is batting .284 with 10 home runs, 32 doubles and 70 runs batted in for Columbus, the Yankees’ affiliate in the triple-A International League.

Those numbers would be even more impressive if Sparks, a first and third baseman, had not spent the last month scrambling for playing time. Kevin Maas was demoted from New York in July and has been playing first every day.

“It’s definitely been frustrating,” said Sparks, who is not on the 40-man roster. “I’ve put up some good numbers, but with Kevin coming down, it’s been tough to break through.

“I mean, I play first base and third base. So in front of me, in the big leagues, are Don Mattingly and Wade Boggs, two (future) Hall of Famers.

“I would love to make it with the Yankees, but my main goal is to get to the big leagues. There are scouts in the stands all the time. Even if you’re frustrated to the point that you feel like you’ve hit a stonewall, you can never really let down your guard because there could be a trade.”

The 6-foot-2, 185-pound Sparks is a gap hitter who established a Loyola record with a 27-game hitting streak in 1988. He also ranks 10th on the school’s all-time RBI list with 120 in only two seasons.

Sparks, 27, played at Columbus as a reserve for about a month during the 1990 season and was a starter in 1991 before he suffered a broken arm that forced him to miss almost the entire season.

“That was like a wasted year,” he said.

Last year, Sparks played at Albany (N.Y.) in the double-A Eastern League and batted .313 with 14 homers and 72 RBIs.

Sparks, former Loyola shortstop Bobby DeJardin and former Pepperdine second baseman Andy Stankiewicz are all playing for a Columbus ballclub that is stockpiled with prospects.

Sparks and others look to J.T. Snow and Torey Lovullo as examples of what can happen if a player performs well. Snow was shipped to the Angels as part of the Jim Abbott trade. Lovullo was released by the Yankees and signed as a free agent by the Angels after batting .295 with 19 homers and 89 RBIs.

“Those guys got a break where they went to team that was sort of trying to rebuild and using younger players,” Sparks said. “The Yankees don’t have time to go through two or three years of rebuilding because the fans want a winner right away.”

Sparks is hoping that his play this season will earn him a spot on the Yankees’ 40-man roster and a second consecutive invitation to big league camp in spring training.

“All you’re hoping for is a chance to get up there and for a fair shot,” Sparks said.