POWER PLAY

Chicks might dig the long ball, as Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine claim, but Mike Glendenning of the San Jose Giants is learning that’s not enough to reach the big leagues.

Glendenning, a former Crespi High and Pierce College slugger, leads the Class A California League with 16 home runs and has 43 runs batted in.

But he’s batting .223 while splitting time between left field and designated hitter, and apparently the San Francisco brass is concerned about his fielding.

“I think [the organization] felt that because of Mike’s size he was seen as a poor outfielder,” said Lenn Sakata, San Jose manager. “I think he’s an adequate outfielder with a good arm. He’s not brutal by any stretch of the imagination.”

Glendenning, 6 feet and a chiseled 225 pounds, is growing weary of the bad rap.

“In spring training they told me they wanted me to work on defense,” Glendenning said. “In the first 12 games, all I did was DH. Is that how they wanted me to work on my defense?”

Glendenning has played left field in 31 of the team’s 67 games, but Sakata said he simply needed to work other outfielders into the mix.

“Mike’s the type of kid who needs to be nurtured all the time,” Sakata said. “He has [level] seven power, which is just below the [Jose] Cansecos and [Mark] McGwires.

“I’ve seen him hit balls I hadn’t seen hit like that since I was in the big leagues.”

Glendenning, 22, said he’s trying to focus on moving up with the Giants.

“I’m a little frustrated,” Glendenning said. “I need to go out there and produce and not worry about anything else.”

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Jorge Piedra got the message loud and clear.

The former Notre Dame outfielder, who some are pegging as the next Dodger phenom, on Tuesday started playing at San Bernardino of the California League after being suspended during spring training.

“I just broke a team rule,” said Piedra, who refused to be specific. “They had to be tough on me. I understand it.”

The left-handed Piedra, 20, last year played rookie ball at Great Falls and was second in the Pioneer League in batting at .383, tops among Dodger minor leaguers.

He reached base in 54 consecutive games, a season high at all pro levels, batting .416 with 15 doubles and 28 runs batted in during the stretch.

Piedra spent the last few weeks in extended camp at Vero Beach, Fla., and joined San Bernardino for a series in Lancaster. He was hitless on Tuesday, his first game, but had three hits on Wednesday.

“The first game, there were like 25 family members [at the game],” Piedra said. “I had a little cheering crew out there.”

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Trivia: Why did Steve Chilcott, a 17-year-old catcher at Antelope Valley High, make national news in June 1966?

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Right-hander Brendon Cowsill of Lake Elsinore is not playing in the all-star game between the California and Carolina leagues on Tuesday, but he is still performing in front of the home crowd.

Cowsill, who played at Crescenta Valley, is singing the national anthem with his family, The Cowsills.

The Cowsills gained national prominence with several hits in the 1960s and performed the theme song for TV’s “Love American Style.” The band made a comeback last year with the album “Global.”

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Adam Kennedy, former Cal State Northridge All-American shortstop and among the St. Louis Cardinals’ top farmhands, is caught in trade talks.

Several clubs reportedly have asked the Cardinals about Kennedy, who is playing second base for Memphis of the Pacific Coast League.

The Kansas City Royals supposedly are offering disgruntled right-hander Kevin Appier, former Antelope Valley College pitcher, and the Minnesota Twins are willing to part with right-hander Brad Radke for a package including Kennedy.

Kennedy, batting .306 with eight home runs and 32 runs batted in, told The Commercial Appeal in Memphis he is not particularly bothered by the speculation.

“I don’t have any say-so or vote in it,” Kennedy said. “It’s part of the game. The big leagues are the big leagues, right?”

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Trivia Answer: Chilcott was the first player selected in the amateur draft that year, by the Mets.

With the second pick, the Kansas City Athletics selected Reggie Jackson of Arizona State.

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Short hops: Ryan Bleiberg, who resides in Simi Valley, will be the second base umpire in the all-star game between the California and Carolina leagues. . . . Birmingham (White Sox) first baseman Rich Aude (Chatsworth) is second in the Southern League with 20 doubles. . . . Peoria (Cardinals) shortstop Jack Wilson (Thousand Oaks, Oxnard College) is third in batting in the Midwest League at .335.