MINOR LEAGUE NOTEBOOK / South Atlantic : Najera’s Bonus Is Strong Recovery From Elbow Surgery

Jaret Wright has the biggest signing bonus, the biggest name and the best fastball in the South Atlantic League, but the best story belongs to Wright’s Columbus (Ga.) RedStixx teammate, Noe Najera.

“He’s a can’t miss,” Najera said of Wright. “We’ve taken different roads to get to the same place. I’m the oldest guy on the club.”

At 24, Najera has been down roads that Wright, 19, probably will never travel. Najera, who went to Norwalk High and Cypress College before playing at North Carolina State for a year, has been drafted in the 39th, 30th and 19th rounds--Wright was the 10th pick overall and signed for $1.2 million--and he has had Tommy John surgery, often baseball’s death knell.

But like John, Najera has prospered since his elbow surgery, which was performed by Angel team physician Lewis Yocum. After missing 1 1/2 seasons, Najera is throwing in the low 90s and is suddenly a prospect again.

Though he’s only playing on the Indians’ Class-A team--essentially four stops from the majors--Najera said there is only one pitcher between him and Jacobs Field.

“There’s only two players in my role as a left-handed setup man [Paul Assenmacher and Alan Embree] on the roster and another guy in double A,” Najera said from his hotel room in Fayetteville, N.C, where the RedStixx were playing the Generals.

The Indians thought so highly of Najera’s comeback they protected him last year on the triple-A roster. Like most of their moves lately, this one appears to be paying off too. Najera is 3-1 with a 3.46 earned-run average and one save. In 41 games and 41 2/3 innings, he has 52 strikeouts and 24 walks. (Statistics through Saturday’s games.)

“Hopefully, if I don’t make it up to the majors soon, I can get picked up in the Rule 5 draft or by one of the expansion teams coming,” he said.

As a left-hander who throws the ball hard, Najera realizes how valuable he has become, and how expendable he was a couple years ago when he was lying on his back in pain.

With only two starts left in his 1992 season--Najera’s first in the minors--Najera collided with a baserunner while covering first base.

“The throw was high and the guy ran into me while I was up in the air,” he said. “When I came down to break my fall, my elbow just snapped. I thought I was never going to play again.”

Najera tried rehabilitating his left arm on his own for six months, but the pain wasn’t subsiding.

“Right there, I thought about not playing again,” he said. “But I’d been playing since I was 6 or 7 and I didn’t want to give up that easily. I did some serious soul-searching.”

Najera searched with a couple of buddies, San Diego reliever Trevor Hoffman and Colorado infielder Jason Bates, who told him to have surgery.

“Being a lefty, I was a big Tommy John fan, and I knew he had a good career after his surgery,” Najera said. “They say you have an 80% chance of recovery.”

So far, the odds seem to be on Najera’s side.

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Wright has not set the South Atlantic League on fire with a 5-5 record and a 2.90 ERA, but he has shown why he was drafted so high and given so much money out of Katella High. In 96 1/3 innings, he has 83 strikeouts and has given up only 71 hits. The downside: He has 62 walks and had hit 10 batters through 91 innings.

Four of those 10 batters were hit on opening night.

“It was fun,” Wright said with a devilish laugh. “It was my first outing and it was just a lack of control. I was just having a real tough time throwing strikes.”

Since recovering from the opening-night jitters, Wright said he has pitched “very well.”

“I’m learning a lot,” he said. “It’s going to take time, but that’s what I’m here for. I’m slowly building up my confidence.”

Najera, who had never seen Wright pitch before this season, said Wright has been spectacular at times.

“I’ve seen him hit 98 on the radar,” Najera said. “He’s going to be a good one. He has the makeup, it’s just a matter of him maturing.”

Although he has a fatter wallet and a more lively fastball than his teammates, Wright has become one of the guys in Columbus, Ga.

“You couldn’t tell by looking at him that he’s a first-rounder,” Najera said. “But when he’s on the mound, he does have that air of arrogance to him.”

Wright said he’s often kidded by his teammates about the big signing bonus, but he hasn’t heard anything yet from the other dugout.

“If I ever got that from other teams, they’d be in for a long night,” Wright said.

Najera said he hears that the Indians are grooming Wright to be in Cleveland by 1997, but Wright said he isn’t looking too far ahead.

“I’m here right now,” said Wright, who has added a changeup to his repertoire of fastball, slider and curve. “If I started thinking about getting to Cleveland, I’ll never get there.”

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

South Atlantic League Road Map Weather has played a role in the life of this five-state, 14-team league. In 1987, the season opener was snowed out in Charleston, W. Va. That franchise is not to be confused with the league’s other Charleston team, in South Carolina. The South Carolina stadium was damaged in 1989 by Hurricane Hugo. *

When formed: Depends on the name. This Class-A group has been operating since 1980. Earlier versions, known as the Sally League or the Western Carolinas League, date back to 1904. Small league, big hitter: Future New York Yankee star Don Mattingly led the league in hitting (.358) and hits (177) in 1980. Famous name: Lary Aaron, son of home run champion Henry Aaron, joined the Anderson franchise (no longer in the league) in May of 1982. Stolen record: Kansas City’s Vince Coleman stole 145 bases in 1983 with Macon, setting a minor-league season record.

Here’s a look at the teams and their major league affiliates: Albany, Ga. (Montreal Expos) Asheville, N.C. (Colorado Rockies) Augusta, Ga. (Pittsburgh Pirates) Capital City, S.C. (New York Mets) Charleston, W. Va. (Cincinnati Reds) Charleston, S.C. (Texas Rangers) Columbus, Ga. (Cleveland Indians) Fayetteville, N.C. (Detroit Tigers) Greensboro, N.C. (New York Yankees) Hagerstown, Md. (Toronto Blue Jays) Hickory, N.C. (Chicago White Sox) Macon, Ga. (Atlanta Braves) Piedmont, N.C. (Philadelphia Phillies) Savannah, Ga. (St. Louis Cardinals) * Source: League records, Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball