Now He’s Blue-Collar Executive

The studious, bespectacled man is halfway through his schedule, throwing batting practice for guys who clearly need the work.

Earlier, he hit grounders during infield practice and provided pointers on pitching. And Dave Wallace finished his day by helping where he was needed, moving between practice fields at the New York Mets’ spring training complex.

But watching Wallace in action begs the question: What does any of that have to do with being an executive?

“Yeah, you usually don’t expect to see too many front-office guys throwing a little [batting practice],” said the former Dodger pitching coach, now a special assistant to the general manager of the Mets.

“The image of a tie and desk definitely comes to mind, but that’s the great thing about my new job. I think what I’m doing now is unique in baseball. At least, it’s not something you see every day.”

And for many reasons.

After doing things the Dodger Way for 17 years, Wallace surprised many by leaving for New York. Changing jobs after that much time is as difficult as one would think, and Wallace has had his rough moments.

But he has embraced his still-evolving new role, which was created to prepare him for a place among the Mets’ top decision-makers. Wallace is discovering more about himself in an unfamiliar environment, but sometimes change can be good.

“This is somewhat new territory for me, and it’s not something I honestly envisioned doing,” Wallace said. “But I thought it would be a good challenge from a career standpoint. I guess you could say I’m trying to expand my baseball horizons.”

So far, the horizon looks great.

The Mets have welcomed Wallace to New York, treating him unlike most newcomers to that city. Of course, the Big Apple usually makes exceptions for successful outsiders--and Wallace qualifies.

“I don’t want this to come out the wrong way, but the thing about Dave is that he was never your prototypical coach,” said Met General Manager Steve Phillips, who hired Wallace on several strong recommendations, including that of Dodger Hall of Fame pitcher Sandy Koufax.

“Dave has administrative skills and evaluation skills that have really served him well. Combined with his ability to articulate, Dave has a unique way of connecting with people. It was that keen insight that made us want to bring Dave into the organization, because you’re always looking for people with such a great set of skills.”

The Mets and Wallace are still determining how to best use his skills. He’s working on the field during spring training, assisting Manager Bobby Valentine and pitching coach Bob Apodaca.

Primarily, Wallace is sticking to pitching. Evaluating pitchers’ mechanics and throwing batting practice for them fills his days.

But when the season starts, Wallace is headed upstairs. He will be involved in the Mets’ pitching-related decisions, observing prospects in the minor leagues and evaluating players for trades.

“We’re making this thing up as we go along,” Wallace said. “Steve has put a lot on the table to see what direction we want to take things.

“That’s why I could be throwing batting practice one day and dealing with trades the next. We’re really playing it by ear.”

However, Wallace’s role in the Mets’ expanding international plans is already defined. Wallace is among the keys to the Mets’ strategy to increase their global presence, especially in Latin America.

The Dodgers are the industry leader in supporting international baseball, and they’ve been rewarded for their efforts with a pipeline of talent from other nations to Dodger Stadium. The Mets believe Wallace is the right guy to lead their charge.

“We went to the Dominican [Republic] on a trip this winter and it was incredible,” Phillips said. “Everyone there knew Dave and adored him. People came up and welcomed him everywhere we went.

“There are so many areas in which Dave is an asset. He’s really going to be a second set of eyes for me.”

So Wallace is Phillips’ pointman on pitching, which isn’t the same as being Valentine’s pitching coach. Phillips repeatedly stresses that point because of the inevitable speculation that Wallace will eventually assume that role too, something Phillips said won’t happen.

“Dave Wallace was not brought here to be the pitching coach, and I talked with [Apodaca] about that early on,” Phillips said. “You just can’t assume people won’t look over their shoulders, so I wanted to make it clear that this was not that type of situation.

“I knew that perception would be out there, but you can’t let perception and speculation prevent you from doing the right thing. Hiring Dave Wallace was definitely the right thing to do.”

Wallace was a minor league journeyman pitcher. He played parts of three seasons with the Philadelphia Phillies and Toronto Blue Jays, and for years has been among the game’s most revered pitching evaluators and teachers.

During his tenure with the Dodgers, starting in 1981 as a minor league pitching instructor, Wallace helped develop such stars as the Boston Red Sox’s Pedro Martinez, the San Francisco Giants’ Orel Hershiser, Texas Ranger closer John Wetteland and much of the Dodgers’ standout staff.

In Wallace’s three seasons as pitching coach, the Dodgers led the major leagues in team earned-run average in 1996, and finished second to the Atlanta Braves in ’95 and last season. And Dodger starters consistently ranked among baseball’s leaders in victories and strikeouts. Wallace also developed a well-deserved reputation as a confidant of his pitchers.

This wasn’t lost on Phillips. After succeeding the fired Joe McIlvaine in July, Phillips, who was promoted from assistant general manager, sought to improve his front-office staff.

In the pitching department, Phillips repeatedly heard one name: Wallace.

Convinced he had found his man, Phillips requested permission from Dodger Executive Vice President Fred Claire to interview Wallace. Phillips realized he faced a formidable challenge, trying to pry Wallace from a job he loved and an organization that considered him among its cornerstones.

“We knew it wasn’t going to be easy,” Phillips said. “But we all believed we had to make the effort.”

Fortunately for the Mets, Wallace had been considering making a change. Although he had the job he coveted, which the Dodgers opened for him by shoving aside longtime coach Ron Perranoski, now the Giants’ pitching coach, personal factors made working for the Mets favorable.

He had recently remarried after 13 years as a single parent, and his new wife and three children from a previous marriage resided in Massachusetts. Also, Wallace, 50, had been pursued by other organizations through the years. Wallace wondered, if he passed on this opportunity, would there be others?

“But it was still a very difficult decision,” Wallace said. “You’re talking about a job I had aspired to for many years, and people I care a great deal about. I don’t think I slept 10 minutes a night leading up to the day when I called Steve [and accepted].

“You have to understand, Ramon [Martinez] is like a son to me, and Chan Ho [Park] came to fill a similar role. It was . . . it was one of the toughest things I’ve ever done.”

Succeeding Wallace as pitching coach is the energetic Glenn “Goose” Gregson, who is among Wallace’s closest friends and someone who followed a similar road. They have homes near each other in Vero Beach and talk often, helping Gregson’s transition.

“Goose and Dave worked together in the past, so it’s not like everyone has to get used to him,” Manager Bill Russell said of Gregson, who served as his pitching coach at triple-A Albuquerque in 1993.

“Goose was our top choice for the job, and he was ready for the chance. I haven’t seen anything to think Goose will have any problems.”

Wallace helped bring Gregson to the organization in 1988 and, like Wallace and Perranoski, Gregson was promoted from organizational pitching coordinator to major league pitching coach. Also like Wallace, Gregson speaks Spanish well, almost a prerequisite for the job because of the strong Hispanic influence throughout the organization.

“Goose is going to do fine,” Wallace said. “He knows these guys and he knows his job.”

As the new guy, Gregson, 48, realizes he’s being watched. But he isn’t concerned.

“If [the pitchers] don’t have an opinion of me, then that will be established in time,” he said. “If there is any respect to be earned, then that will happen as I do my job and they see I’m here to help. If I was worried about gaining their respect, I wouldn’t have accepted the job.”

But what about the pressure of following someone so admired?

“It’s really pretty simple to me,” Gregson said. “Dave Wallace was a great pitching coach for this team, and we share many of the same philosophies. My main philosophy is that if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. And I don’t see anything that needs fixing.”