Newman Misses Deadline but Keeps Right on Pitching

It seemed like a good idea to Alan Newman. Give himself four years to reach the major leagues, then enter the real world if his baseball career didn’t go anywhere.

That was 11 seasons ago, and Newman continues to pitch in the minors, first here, then there, doing this, then that.

Right now, Newman is in Las Vegas, playing for the Padres’ triple-A team.

A left-handed pitcher, it’s tough to let go of the dream he had while playing at La Habra High in 1987 and at Fullerton College for one year.

Newman is in his second year as a reliever. He is learning to be a specialist, brought in for specific, clutch situations.

“Last year, I moved around a lot and ended up being the closer for the White Sox [organization],” said Newman, who spent the year in double-A Birmingham (Ala.), where he had a 2.49 earned-run average and 10 saves. “I’m adjusting to [being a specialist] now; there’s less room for error.”

When Dario Veras was included in the Padres’ trade with Boston for Jim Leyritz, the Stars went to a bullpen by committee. Newman, 28, has a team-high five saves despite largely having a setup role.

His ERA is 3.67.

Newman’s career has been sporadic. In Visalia (Class A) and Orlando (double A) in 1991, his ERA was 3.16; in Orlando in 1992, it was 4.15; in Nashville (triple A) and Indianapolis (triple A) in 1993, it was 6.57. In successive years in Alexandria (La.) playing in the independent Texas-Louisiana League, it was 2.83, 5.19 and 4.56.

Then, last season in Birmingham, he was 7-3 with a 2.49 ERA.

“I’ve been thinking about [retiring] the last few years,” Newman said. “To come this far and not get there [to the majors], it’s a hard decision to make.

“With everybody struggling for left-handed pitching, it makes it harder to walk away from it.”

So Newman sticks with it, but he has prepared for that time when he finally walks away.

He lives in Alexandria, where “it’s kind of a laid-back atmosphere out there,” pondering coaching opportunities in high school or college baseball. He says he has one more semester to go before he can get his teaching credential.

He went after his college degree the hard way.

“My first year of college, I finished almost two years of credit,” Newman said. “I went back after eight years off. It was a little harder than I anticipated.”

He is completing college courses in Alexandria.

He signed with the Twins as a second-round draft choice out of Fullerton College and was part of the Twins’ 40-man roster after four seasons. He was too close to walk away.

“I’ve missed my window [of opportunity] a couple of times,” Newman said. “When I’ve had a good year, the opportunity hadn’t been there.”

Newman has gotten by with a fastball, curve and changeup. His best fastball, he says, is “a natural slider.”

This season, he has 61 strikeouts in 61 1/3 innings but has given up 46 hits and 38 walks.

“It’s been up and down--I’ve gotten into streaks where I’ve done well, then I’ll have a bad outing that sets me back,” Newman said. “I’m trying to get some consistency going. . . . But my strikeouts seem to come at the right time.”

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If the Padres win the World Series, they might have former Cal State Fullerton catcher Brian Loyd to thank--indirectly, of course.

Loyd, playing at Rancho Cucamonga, and a player to be named were traded to Toronto for relief pitcher Randy Myers, providing the Padres (along with Trevor Hoffman) with arguably the best bullpen in the major leagues.

“My understanding is [Toronto] asked for him,” said Mike Curto, director of media relations for Rancho Cucamonga. “I think he was surprised. It’s always good to be traded for a major leaguer--it means they like you.”

Loyd was the catcher on Fullerton’s 1995 College World Series champion. This season with the Quakes, he batted .305 with four home runs and 35 RBIs. He joined Dunedin, Toronto’s Class-A team in the Florida State League. In his first five games, Loyd went two for 12 (.167) with two runs batted in.

“He’s a pretty good prospect,” said John Cook, Dunedin’s assistant general manager. “He calls a good game behind the plate, works well with pitchers and hits for a good average.”

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Jeff DePippo has found the early going of his professional career a little tougher than college. The catcher for USC’s College World Series champion this spring, DePippo only recently found himself a regular in the Burlington (N.C.) Indians lineup.

Highly regarded prospect Angel Bastardo developed a sore shoulder, providing DePippo a forum for showing off his skills. DePippo, a graduate of Pacifica High and a 27th-round selection in the June draft, appeared in 30 games and is batting .224 with one home run and eight RBIs. Though he an unlikely candidate on a team filled with speed demons, DePippo’s only home run is the Indians’ only inside-the-park home run of the season.

If DePippo has struggled to get going offensively, he hasn’t disappointed anyone with his defensive play.

The Burlington pitching staff leads the league in walks, and though he has gotten banged up blocking pitches in the dirt, DePippo has shown some terrific defensive skills, according to Manager Joe Mikulik.