Drew Joins McGwire on Marquee

Major league pitching doesn’t appear to pose a problem for J.D. Drew, and you won’t catch him worrying about a hostile reception in Philadelphia, either.

Mark McGwire just might have a new co-star in the 23-year-old can’t-miss kid, who’ll bat in front of him in the St. Louis Cardinals’ lineup this season.

“He’s a stud,” McGwire said. “J.D. is the real deal.”

Drew held out for a year after the Phillies drafted him in 1997, then was re-drafted by the Cardinals last June and agreed to a $7 million, four-year contract, an unprecedented amount for a draft pick.

His holdout angered some veterans, who felt he hadn’t paid his dues.

* Eric Davis, who’ll play in the outfield with Drew, said last year he hated Drew even though he had never met him.

* Reliever Ricky Bottalico, who was with the spurned Phillies last year, warned Drew to expect consequences when the Cardinals made their first trip to Philadelphia on Aug. 9.

* McGwire criticized Drew as a greedy kid who wanted it all before he had earned a cent and used the Drew case as an example of why there should be limits on rookie salaries.

“If you’re around him on a personal level, you’re really impressed with how he’s been raised,” manager Tony La Russa said. “Other than baseball, he’s very polite, very respectful.”

Drew knew all he had to do was be himself.

“After a little while, my story got out a little better and people kind of understood what the situations were,” Drew said. “Once you walk in the clubhouse you’re a baseball player and everyone is the same. You compete, you play hard, you try to win games for your team.”

Drew was cast as a villain during his acrimonious holdout from the Phillies, during which agent Scott Boras repeatedly asserted that all he wanted for his client was fair market value.

When the Cardinals signed him, general manager Walt Jocketty said Drew, who has drawn comparisons to Mickey Mantle, could be a 30-40 homer man soon.

Farm director Mike Jorgensen was skeptical at first, so he went down to watch Drew play for Double-A Arkansas, where Drew quickly began putting up big numbers. After batting practice and the first three innings, Jorgensen knew what all the fuss had been about.

“Boom! I was a believer,” he said. “It was like this guy was a big leaguer already.”

After a 14-game trial last September, the Cardinals were so impressed they made no effort to re-sign team favorite Brian Jordan, freeing an outfield spot. Drew hit .417 with five home runs and 13 RBIs.

He also demonstrated a tough mental makeup when he answered the cascades of boos that greeted him in Cincinnati, his first road game, with a 438-foot home run. He knows it’ll be worse, probably a lot worse, when the Cardinals head to Philadelphia for the first time.

“I don’t know what’s going to happen or how it’s going to be,” Drew said. “I look forward to going through the season and seeing new cities and just seeing the outcome of everything.”

La Russa said that response was just another example of how Drew is special.

“Sure, it isn’t his favorite way to be received, but it probably helped him concentrate,” he said. “Anything that puts that little chip on your shoulder makes you better. Fans are probably helping him by agitating. Some people try to hide. Not J.D.”

All this buildup is making it tough for La Russa to pretend Drew still must win the left-field job.

“I think it’s going to be real healthy for him and his teammates to know he had to play his way onto the club,” La Russa said. “If he has a terrible spring, that’s going to indicate he’s not ready. Let him go down and get ready.”

Fat chance. Batting ahead in the No. 3 spot ahead of McGwire means it’s likely he’ll see plenty of good pitches.

“They’ll be more apt to go at him,” said McGwire, who set an NL record with 162 walks last season. “If he does what he’s capable of doing, and from what I’ve seen I’ve been impressed, he’ll have a really good year.”

Drew just hopes he can live up to the expectations.

“God has blessed me with talent to play the game, and fortunately he’s given me some success,” he said. “I just go out and work hard every day and it just happens, I guess. Hopefully I’ll have a couple 4-for-4s here and there, and I know I’m going to take my 0-for-4s, but just let me play hard and do the things it takes to help us win ballgames.”

And in time, he hopes his ability will win him universal acceptance.

“It’s not me against the world,” he said. “People are going to interpret me the way they want to, and I’ve just got to go out there and prove them wrong. Hopefully they’ll respect me for that.”