Kotsay Steps Into Limelight

It was only a taste: 17 days and 14 games in the major leagues.

“I really didn’t expect it,” said Mark Kotsay, the former college baseball player of the year at Cal State Fullerton.

But when the Florida Marlins’ regular center fielder, Devon White, was injured in mid-July, it was Kotsay who got the call from the Marlins’ double-A team in Portland, Maine.

“It was a good experience for me,” Kotsay said. “Not many players have a chance to move up from double-A and replace a seven-time Gold Glove winner.”

It’s a role Kotsay will likely play again.

“When Devon went out and we looked around our organization, we decided the next best guy in center field was Kotsay,” said Marlin scouting director Orrin Freeman, who drafted Kotsay in the first round of the 1996 draft and signed him with a $1.1-million bonus.

White, 34, has been troubled by nagging injuries all season, but when he was healthy enough to return to the lineup, Kotsay returned to Portland, where he could continue to play regularly. The impression Kotsay left behind, however, was favorable.

The highlight probably was the diving catch he made against the Dodgers that ended the game and saved an 8-7 Marlin victory on July 17. He also had a three-run triple off Philadelphia’s Mark Leiter in an earlier game.

“I wish I could have hit for a higher average while I was up there, but there really wasn’t any downside as far as I was concerned,” Kotsay said. “It was the first time I’d faced that kind of pitching in that situation, and it was everything I expected it to be. You really have to be a more disciplined hitter, and you have to hit the ball to the opposite field more. It’s certainly a step above the pitching I’d been seeing in double-A.”

Kotsay had 10 hits in 52 at-bats (.192), but he struck out only seven times, which is regarded as good for a newcomer to the majors.

“We didn’t think he was over-matched at all,” Freeman said. “He did about what we expected under the circumstances, and we believe he’s going to be an above-average major league player. He should be in a good position in the future, depending on what happens.”

Kotsay was happy with the reception he received from the veteran Marlin players. “They all treated me really well, especially Bobby Bonilla,” Kotsay said. “He was always there when I needed to talk about anything, and he helped me a lot.”

Manager Jim Leyland talked briefly with Kotsay before he went back to the minors. “He just told me to continue to play hard and not let going back down affect me,” Kotsay said.

After 108 games for Portland, Kotsay was hitting .311 with 20 home runs and 73 runs batted, and was among the minor league leaders in runs scored with 101. He had 17 stolen bases and been thrown out only five times.

Baseball America recently called him “the most exciting player” in the Eastern League, and it rated him as league’s best base runner.

“He’s the kind of player you win championships with,” Portland Manager Fredi Gonzalez said. “He’s going to be playing in the major leagues for a long time.”

Gonzalez says he has been especially impressed with Kotsay’s work habits and his commitment to the game. “He’s a good natural hitter, but he still works hard on it every day,” Gonzalez said. “He’s always out there early working with the hitting instructors.

“His base-running has surprised me a little because he doesn’t have what you’d call blazing speed, but he knows hot to get a jump and reads pitchers very well.”

Kotsay says he has no complaints.

“I feel I’ve had a real good season in double-A,” Kotsay said. “This is the first season I’ve had this many at-bats (418), and that’s been an adjustment.”

Portland is going into the final days of the regular season in first place in its division, and is virtually assured of being in the league’s postseason playoffs. That could keep Kotsay busy through Sept. 12 if Portland reaches the finals.

But there’s also the possibility he could be recalled by the Marlins when rosters are expanded in September in time for Florida’s West Coast swing against the Dodgers and the San Diego Padres that begins Sept. 5.

The Marlins already are in a situation where Kotsay, a member of the 40-man roster, would have to be protected in the expansion draft because of the earlier call-up.

‘I’d say there’s a pretty good possibility that he’ll be back up here [in the majors] before our season ends,” Freeman said.