Hey, He’ll Take It : Scarsone Plays Sparingly for Giants, but Who’s Complaining?

SAN DIEGO —  You can’t get much more content than Steve Scarsone. He relaxed in front of his locker in the San Francisco Giant clubhouse before a game last week, smiling, laughing, trading barbs with teammates.

He’s aware of the moment and his part in it. A reserve infielder for the team with the best record in baseball. A role player who’s happy to be just that. A player who Manager Dusty Baker describes as “one of our saviors.”

No, Scarsone is not going to miss a second. He has waited too long.

“I’m enjoying every minute of this,” Scarsone said. “You have to go with the flow. Right now, the flow is going great.”

Spoken like a man who has gone against it once or twice.

It took Scarsone, 27, six years to make it to the major leagues. Then he was traded. Then he was traded again--all in the past year. One organization gave up on him, the other didn’t give him a chance.

Then, just when he found his niche with the Giants, what happens? Scarsone catches a line drive and breaks his finger.

Yes, getting here has been a battle. Sticking around has been the easy part.

“There were times when I wondered if I’d reached the end of my career,” said Scarsone, who played at Canyon High School and Rancho Santiago College. “But then I looked at the flip side. Each move was a new beginning. It’s a tough game, but I’ve stuck with it.”

Now he’s sticking it to others.

Not many teams have the luxury--and the hitting--to sit a guy with a .301 batting average. Not many .301 hitters would stand for it.

Scarsone had eight hits the 17 at-bats before he went zero for five Friday and Saturday against Houston at Candlestick Park. His streak of five consecutive hits--in four games over two weeks--ended Thursday.

Tough to keep a guy like that on the bench. But with Robbie Thompson at second base and Matt Williams at third, there’s not much room for Scarsone.

Thompson is hitting .317 with nine home runs and 41 runs batted in. Williams is hitting .298 and is among the National League leaders in homers (25) and RBIs (79).

“I’m going to put one of those guys on the bench?” Scarsone said. “There’s no question the right people are in the starting lineup. I know my job is to be ready when the chances come.”

They came, and Scarsone was ready.

He was summoned from Phoenix, the Giants’ triple-A team, when Williams was placed on the 15-day disabled list June 28 with strained lower abdominal muscles. Two weeks later, Thompson went down with a strained left quadriceps.

The Giants suddenly needed an infielder who could hit. Scarsone, fresh off the disabled list because of a lacerated right index finger, stepped in.

“I told him, ‘Don’t give away at-bats,’ ” Baker said. “I wanted him to make every at-bat count. That’s just what he did.”

Scarsone went 10 for 20 with three doubles, a home run and seven RBIs during a four-game series against the Philadelphia Phillies just before the All-Star break.

He had four hits--including his first major league home run--and three RBIs in the first game of the series. In the finale, he had four hits and two RBIs. The Giants won three of four in a matchup of division leaders.

“We could have been in trouble then with Matt and Bobby out,” Baker said. “Steve was one of our saviors.”

A big moment for Scarsone. Even more so since the Phillies were the ones who gave up on him after more than six years.

“It’s always sweet to go back to your old stomping grounds, play against your old organization, and show them,” Scarsone said. “Not necessarily to say, ‘Hey, look what you missed out on.’ But just to show them that I was still around.”

Scarsone was a second-round pick of the Phillies in 1986. He made steady progress through the organization and even was named the most valuable player of the International League All-Star game in 1991, going three for four.

But the Phillies lost interest along the way. They moved Mickey Morandini, their current second baseman, along quicker.

Scarsone had a brief stint with Philadelphia last season. He hit .154 in seven games, then was returned to the minor leagues. He was traded to the Baltimore Orioles for shortstop Juan Bell in August and appeared in 11 games, hitting .176.

“The trade was shocking because I spent seven years in the Philadelphia organization,” Scarsone said. “It was like leaving your high school, where you knew everybody around.”

Scarsone went to the Arizona Instructional League during the off-season, where he played on a team managed by Baker. He quickly made an impression.

“He could play every infield position and had some pop in his bat,” Baker said. “I thought he had the potential to be around for a while.”

Baltimore officials didn’t think so. The Orioles were in need of a left-handed hitting outfielder, in particular the Giants’ Mark Leonard, and dangled Scarsone as bait. The Giants bit.

“It was an easy deal for us to make,” Baker said. “Steve is the type of player you want on your team, even when he’s not playing. He has a great attitude.”

Scarsone finally found an organization that wanted him. He was even told that he had made the team. Two days later, while playing third base, he snagged a line drive and suffered a hairline fracture in his right index finger.

“I couldn’t believe my luck,” he said. “It was just a routine play, but I guess it hit me just right and twisted my finger.”

Scarsone was on the disabled list until May 31. By then, the Giants were rolling, so why mess with success?

Scarsone went to Phoenix, where he hit .257 in 19 games, then lacerated his finger June 22 and went back on the disabled list. He was reinstated June 27 and was called up the next day.

“Things evolved where we needed Steve,” Baker said. “He did the job when Matty and Bobby were hurt. I don’t know what would have happened without him.”

Williams and Thompson are back, but Scarsone had done enough to remain with the team as a reserve.

He knows his chances will be few--a pinch-hit here, a spot start there (he played in Thompson’s place at second Saturday, leading off and going zero for four). But he has no complaints.

“The great thing about this team is everyone knows his role,” Scarsone said. “I know mine. My job is to be ready for the opportunities. I got my chance now, and I think I’m going to stick.”

Which makes for one happy camper.