Kotsay Nears Last Hurrah as Amateur

Steve Kotsay, a retired LAPD patrolman, has been watching his budget these days.

He and his wife Pamela, who live in Santa Fe Springs, have been saving their money for the biggest trip of their lives, one that will take them to the Atlanta Olympics.

They wouldn’t miss being there to see their son, Mark, play for Team USA.

“I remember reading an article about Will Clark once, and his father said his biggest thrill was seeing his son play for the Olympic team, and I think that will be mine too,” Steve Kotsay said.

The excitement also is building for Mark Kotsay, who will be the starting left fielder.

Team USA is playing its final exhibition games this weekend at its training site in Millington, Tenn., against Japan and Italy before packing up at midweek and heading to Atlanta for the opening ceremonies. Baseball competition starts Saturday with medal play beginning Aug. 1.

“It’s been hard for me to stay focused on the games we’re playing now, knowing that we’re getting so close to Atlanta,” Kotsay said.

This will be Kotsay’s last hurrah as an amateur after being perhaps college baseball’s highest profile player through much of the last two seasons at Cal State Fullerton.

Not long after the Olympic closing ceremony, Kotsay is expected to sign a contract with the Florida Marlins for a bonus of more than $1 million, and begin a professional career scouts predict will take him relatively quickly to the major leagues.

But before that, Kotsay hopes he and his teammates can leave Atlanta with a gold medal.

It would be a defining achievement for a player whose career also includes two appearances in the College World Series, including a national championship in 1995.

That same summer Kotsay was a standout when Team USA went 36-6 and won the National Baseball Congress amateur championship in Wichita, Kan.

After that, he won the Golden Spikes Award as the nation’s top amateur baseball player, finishing ahead of the No. 1 pick in the amateur draft, the Angels’ Darin Erstad, and five other first-round choices who were among the finalists.

Then, when the U.S. Olympic Committee male athlete of the year was selected for 1995, Kotsay was eighth in the voting, the highest finish by a baseball player other than in 1987 when pitcher Jim Abbott was second to diver Greg Louganis.

Kotsay also has been prominent on Team USA this summer, and U.S. Coach Skip Bertman of Louisiana State also expects him to be a key player in Atlanta.

Several other Southern California players also will figure prominently.

Catcher Brian Loyd, Kotsay’s three-year teammate at Cal State Fullerton, also is on the Olympic roster and appears likely to share time behind the plate with Stanford’s A.J. Hinch. Hinch is No. 1, but Bertman says he’s comfortable with either of them in the lineup.

Infielder Augie Ojeda, who played at Cypress College and Tennessee, also is on the squad, and has alternated with LSU’s Jason Williams at shortstop. Williams appears to have the edge for the starting position in Atlanta because of his strong hitting. Ojeda is regarded as more solid defensively, but is hitting only .222 while Williams is batting more than .400.

USC’s Jacque Jones will be the starting center fielder, and San Diego State’s Travis Lee will be at first base. UCLA’s Troy Glaus is a probable starter at third on at least a part-time basis. Jim Parque of UCLA is one of seven pitchers.

Bertman says he plans to bat Kotsay in the No. 3 spot, followed by Lee and Jones. Those three are expected to provide much of the offensive strength for a team that Bertman rates as possibly the strongest hitting team the U.S. has sent to the Olympics.

Bertman says he has been pleased with Kotsay’s play in the exhibition schedule.

“Mark seems to be stronger and more physical than he was last summer,” Bertman said. “He’s more of a threat to homer, and drive the ball for doubles this season.”

A year ago, Kotsay hit .358 with three home runs in 37 games with Team USA, but in typical Kotsay fashion, he was at his best in tournament play at the NBC World Series, going 12 for 20.

This summer he’s hitting .346 with four homers through 24 games, although he was batting .382 until his average dropped in the past few games. DHe was slowed for a while with a slight ankle sprain, but says he’s fine now.

“Mark had some tough luck on the tour lately, too, with some balls caught that might have gone for extra bases,” Bertman said. “But he’s probably getting the fat part of the bat on pitches better than anyone on the team right now other than Travis Lee. Mark’s a perfectionist, though, and he wants a good at-bat every time he goes up there. He has a great mental approach to the game, a sure-fire big leaguer.”

Lee leads the team in home runs (11) and runs batted in, and is hitting .425. Jones also is hitting above .400.

Bertman says he also has been happy with Kotsay’s play defensively since he moved from center field to left.

“He saved a game for us the other night [against Korea] with a throw that looked like Barry Bonds,” Bertman said. “He’s an excellent defensive outfielder.”

Kotsay says he’s comfortable in left after playing in center the last two seasons for the Titans.

“The throws are shorter, and you seem to have more chances to throw people out,” he said. “But I’ve also played some at center, and either place is fine with me.”

Kotsay expects the competition for the baseball gold medal to be a showdown between the U.S. and Cuba, although Team USA will need a strong performance prior to the medal round to become one of the final four teams.

The U.S. and Cuba played each other in five exhibition games in late June and early July with the Cubans winning the series, 3-2. Team USA won all four games against Cuba last year, but Kotsay says this Cuban team, with eight new players, is probably more focused.

“They seemed to be much more prepared to play this time,” Kotsay said. “Maybe being an Olympic year had something to do with it. They seemed to be in better shape. Maybe they came in with more respect for us too after what happened last year. I think they realized we can play.”

Cuba has been given the edge over the U.S. in pitching, and Bertman believes Cuba might be stronger overall than the team that won in 1992 in Barcelona.

However, Rolando Arrojo, regarded as Cuba’s top pitcher, recently defected. Arrojo had pitched a five-hit shutout for seven innings against the U.S. team.

Kotsay says another Cuban pitcher, Omar Luis, is equally effective.

Kotsay had one of his best performances of the summer in the third exhibition game against Cuba. He went three for four (a home run, two singles and a sacrifice fly) with three RBIs in a game the U.S. won, 11-10. He was six for 18 (.333) in the Cuba series.

Kotsay is well-aware of growing speculation that this might be the the last non-professional baseball team to represent the U.S. in the Olympics.

This is still a team with a dream, not a “dream team.”