KIDDIE CORNER

By JASON REID

April 2, 1999 12 AM PT

TIMES STAFF WRITER

Adrian Beltre is not complying with the plan, performing in ways the Dodgers didn’t expect.

And they couldn’t be happier.

The young third baseman has been outstanding in spring training, building on his strong performance in the Dominican Republic winter league that persuaded team officials to give him another shot at the everyday job. Beltre has made the most of his second chance, securing the opening-day spot shortly after he arrived at Dodgertown in Vero Beach, Fla.

Now, the precocious Beltre, who turns 21 Wednesday, has set his goals higher, prompting his bosses to revise their thinking. Dodger executives are attempting to contain their excitement, trying to avoid the mistakes of the predecessors in similar situations with promising prospects.

But Beltre is making it difficult for them.

“We’ve been very careful about trying to keep him relaxed, and we went into this not expecting too much out of the chute,” General Manager Kevin Malone said. “But when you watch him day after day, when you see his athleticism and all the tools he has, well, yeah, it really gets you thinking about how good this guy can be.

“He has so much talent and so much potential. But the exciting thing is not only his physical skills, it’s his maturity and his understanding of the game. He is so mature for his age, and when you think about the package he has, you have to keep reminding yourself that what he’s doing now isn’t what we were counting on.”

Beltre is doing more and more each day.

With three exhibition games remaining, Beltre is among the National League spring training leaders in several categories. He is batting .434 with a home run and eight runs batted in, and has struck out only eight times, making better contact than during his brief and difficult encounter with major league pitchers last season.

Beltre has been impressive in the field, committing only three errors. He regularly makes eye-opening plays that most at his position couldn’t even attempt.

“I wasn’t ready last year, but I think I’m ready now,” Beltre said. “I think being in spring training has helped me a lot this year, because I feel positive now about what I can do. I know I’m ready now.”

Of course, Beltre isn’t the first Dodger prospect to shine in spring training. This organization has a history of hyping players when the games don’t matter--only to watch them bomb when the lights come on.

Last spring, player-personnel executives and scouts around the league had doubts about former Dodger prospect Paul Konerko, the organization’s minor league player of the year in 1996 and ’97. Because of Konerko’s lack of speed, poor footwork and marginal fielding skills, some scouts said he was better suited to play in the American League, but former Dodger decision makers believed Konerko would continue the organization’s stranglehold on the NL rookie-of-the-year award.

Konerko was overmatched against NL pitching and was included in the trade to acquire closer Jeff Shaw from the Cincinnati Reds last season. Konerko struggled with the Reds, was demoted to their triple-A affiliate and traded to the Chicago White Sox in the off-season.

“There have been some guys in the past here, for whatever reasons, who didn’t perform to the level that some people in the organization thought they would, and that’s just a fact,” first baseman Eric Karros said. “But with Beltre, you can see it. He doesn’t have the experience, and he still has to go out and do it, but you can see the guy has the tools to be real good.”

Second baseman Eric Young said the only question with Beltre now is “when,” not “if.”

“You see the way that young boy picks up the ball, the balls he gets to, not a lot of guys in this game even try to do that,” Young said. “That’s not something you can teach, that’s just something you have or you don’t.

“He’s got a good eye up there [at the plate], and he’s got a lot of veterans around him, so he doesn’t have to put too much pressure on himself. All he has to do is just relax and go out and play.”

Beltre didn’t do that last season, pressing to try to impress team officials after he was rushed from the minor leagues to Chavez Ravine on June 24. Senior Vice President Tom Lasorda, then the interim general manager, purchased Beltre’s contract from double-A San Antonio in his first move after succeeding Fred Claire, fired June 21.

Third baseman Bobby Bonilla, traded to the New York Mets in the off-season, was injured and sick, and Beltre was the top prospect in the farm system, so Lasorda brought him to L.A. Beltre, a native of the Dominican Republic, has been considered a rising star since club Vice President Ralph Avila signed him as a 16-year-old.

Avila, who built the organization’s highly successful Latin American program, knew his protege wasn’t ready. But Beltre was the team’s only in-house alternative, so Avila hoped for the best.

Predictably, though, Beltre struggled. In 77 games, he batted .215 (42 for 195) with seven homers, 22 RBIs and 37 strikeouts. His problems at the plate affected his performance in the field, where Beltre committed 13 errors in only 176 total chances.

Avila wasn’t disappointed about Beltre’s statistics--but he was about Beltre’s attitude. Beltre sulked and his work ethic waned, and Avila had a stern talk with his pupil.

“I told him he wasn’t working as hard as he could work, and he knew I was right,” said Avila, who plans to retire at the end of the season. “I also told him some other things that I’m not going to repeat.”

The swift kick worked.

Beltre refocused on the game, and he was selected the most valuable player of the Dominican Republic winter league after batting .301 with 10 homers and 37 RBIs. Beltre said Avila’s strong words inspired him.

“He told me that to try to help me, I know that,” Beltre said. “I was stupid last year because I tried to do too much to impress everybody because I didn’t want to go back to the minors. I was pressing and I hurt myself.

“Now, I’m just going to go out and play the game. I’m going to work hard every day, but I’m not going to press. I feel good, I feel like I can do a lot to help the team, but I’m not going to try to do everything like before.’

That’s a plan the Dodgers like.

****

Adrian Beltre

SPRING STATS

AVG: 434

HR: 1

RBI: 8

DODGERS AT ANGELS at Edison Field, 7 tonight, Ch. 52

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Adrian Beltre Facts

At 20 years 78 days when he was called up in 1998, the Dodger third baseman was the second-youngest player in the majors:

* Height: 5 feet 11.