BASEBALL / GARY KLEIN : Murphy Sees Spring as the Time to Shine

Shaun Murphy was an integral part of the 1986 Simi Valley High baseball team that spent much of the season ranked No. 1 in the nation by USA Today.

Simi Valley lost to Anaheim Esperanza in the semifinals of the Southern Section playoffs, but seven Pioneers eventually signed professional contracts.

Pitcher Scott Radinsky is now a reliever for the Chicago White Sox; Dave Milstien is a triple-A infielder in the Boston Red Sox organization; infielder Mike Hankins signed last year out of UCLA and is at the Class-A level in the New York Yankees’ organization; Tim Laker signed out of Oxnard College and is a catcher at the Class-A level with the Montreal Expos; first baseman Scott Sharts signed this year out of Cal State Northridge and is in rookie ball with the Cleveland Indians; outfielder Duane Mulville played in the Cincinnati Reds’ organization; and Murphy is in his first full season in the Montreal organization.

Murphy, a 6-foot-2, 195-pound outfielder, was signed as a free agent last year after a star-crossed college career. He is batting .299 for Rockford (Ill.) in the Class-A Midwest League.

“At the beginning of the season, I was struggling because it was so cold here,” said Murphy, 22. “I came out of it and I’ve pretty much been doing well ever since.”

Murphy played two years at Arizona before transferring to Nevada Las Vegas. But after a junior season during which he hit 14 home runs for the Rebels, he underwent shoulder surgery during the winter and was slow to regain full strength.

Passed over in the draft, Murphy went to several tryout camps and was signed by the Expos.

Last season, he batted .353 in 22 games for Bradenton (Fla.) in the Gulf Coast Rookie League.

“It’s a long season, a long haul,” said Murphy, who played in the Midwest League all-star game and has hit three home runs and driven in 44 runs in 355 at-bats.

Murphy wants to bypass high Class-A West Palm Beach next season and gain a promotion to double-A Harrisburg. “I’m hoping that a good spring training will get me to Harrisburg,” he said.

Leaders of the pack: Former Providence High and USC standout Jeff Cirillo, a third baseman for the Milwaukee Brewers’ affiliate at Helena, Mont., leads the Pioneer Rookie League in home runs with 10 and is fifth in batting average (.361) and runs batted in (49).

Former Alemany pitcher Joey Rosselli, who is playing for the San Francisco Giants’ affiliate at Clinton, Iowa, ranks eighth in the Midwest League with a 2.71 earned-run average and has a 7-5 record.

Independent thinker: Normally, when a player is among a league’s offensive leaders, there is reason to be optimistic about a promotion the following season.

But Rick Hirtensteiner isn’t getting too excited.

Hirtensteiner, 23, leads the Pioneer League with 60 RBIs and is fourth in average at .365. He also has seven home runs.

Hirtensteiner, however, is playing for Salt Lake City, an independent team. And unless a major league organization buys Hirtensteiner’s contract, this could be his final season.

“I think I should get picked up, but I’m not counting on it,” said Hirtensteiner, who played at Buena High and Pepperdine and was signed by the Angels in 1989. “As much as I would love to play, if I don’t get picked up, I think I would end up going to grad school.”

Hirtensteiner batted .220 last season for Quad City, Iowa, in the Midwest League. He underwent therapy for a depth-perception problem and was fitted with contact lenses before spring training, but the Angels released him a few weeks before breaking camp.

“After I was released, I sat around and didn’t do anything for a while,” Hirtensteiner said. “Going through that really makes you love the game.”

Recommended reading: Jim Bouton’s “Ball Four” (Collier Books, $12.95) is more than 20 years old, but the former pitcher’s tell-all account of life with the New York Yankees and Seattle Pilots remains a classic.

Even funnier, but harder to come by because it’s out of print, is Bouton’s follow-up effort “I’m Glad You Didn’t Take It Personally,” which chronicled his days with the Houston Astros and the negative reaction to “Ball Four.”