Dibble Helps Future Star Spradlin Keep His Mind on Present

Jerry Spradlin was well aware of Cincinnati Reds reliever Rob Dibble’s public image: Pitcher throws ball at batter’s head, sparking bench-clearing brawl; pitcher heaves ball into crowd in frustration, pitcher wrestles manager in clubhouse.

But Spradlin, who played briefly at Katella High School and Fullerton College before rising to the Reds’ triple-A team at Indianapolis this season, saw another side to Dibble in March.

“I talked to him for two hours one night in spring training, and he’s a lot different than people think,� said Spradlin, a reliever. “He gave me some real good advice--that wherever you end up, just worry about what you’re doing there.

“Don’t worry about what goes on in the big leagues because it will only mess you up. And if you have a good outing, don’t get the attitude like you should be in the big leagues. Just pitch, keep a good attitude, and things will happen.�

Sometimes easier said than done, but at least he is trying.

You can sense Spradlin, 26, is not ecstatic about his new role--the 6-foot-7, 230-pound right-hander, who had a 1.38 earned-run average, set a Southern League record with 34 saves and won the league’s Rolaids Relief Man Award at double-A Chattanooga in 1992, has gone from closer, the glamour bullpen job, to middle reliever, a blue-collar spot.

Spradlin thinks his mental makeup and skills are suited to short relief, but he hasn’t let those frustrations affect his pitching. He’s off to a good start in triple-A, with a 2-0 record, 2.54 ERA, one save and 25 strikeouts in 21 games.

“I would like to close a few more games, but this is where they want me,� Spradlin said. “If (closing) isn’t how I’m going to be used in the big leagues, there’s no sense in doing it here.�

The fact that Spradlin is pitching professionally is remarkable. He played sparingly on Katella’s freshman team and was cut from the sophomore, junior varsity and varsity teams.

He spent two years after high school working odd jobs, delivering furniture, pumping gas, hauling lumber, but his comeback bid at Fullerton College was cut short when, two months into the 1988 season, he was kicked off the team for missing a game.

Spradlin continued playing in the Orange County Amateur Baseball Assn. and was drafted by the Reds in the 19th round in 1988. Five years later, he’s on the verge of making the major leagues.

“I have a good chance--I don’t know if it will be with this team, but I would think if I have a good year here something will break,� Spradlin said. “Maybe they’re working me slow, so when I get to the big leagues I’ll stay up there instead of going up and down.

“But I really don’t know what to think, and I don’t try to figure it out any more. I just pitch and let the rest take care of itself.�

*

Strike up the bandwagon: Former Orange Coast College pitcher Mike Misuraca, who struggled the past three years on the Class-A level, is on the verge of a breakthrough season for the Nashville Xpress, the Minnesota Twins’ double-A team.

Misuraca, a right-hander who had a 34-40 professional record entering this season, is 4-0 with a 2.98 ERA and 34 strikeouts in 42 1/3 innings. He went from the bullpen to the starting rotation last month and appears to have finally caught the attention of the Twins’ front office.

“I wouldn’t say they’re jumping up and down on my bandwagon, but I’ve been hearing a lot of nice things,� said Misuraca, who played at OCC in 1987 and ’88. “Terry Ryan (Minnesota’s vice president, player personnel) was in town and said he’s turning me in as a major league prospect. That doesn’t mean anything now, but it keeps me positive.�

Misuraca, 24, didn’t have such a good outlook last season. He thought he should have made the double-A team but spent the entire year at Class-A Ft. Myers, Fla.

“I had the wrong attitude and did poorly at the start of the season--I had something like a 5.00 ERA in the first half,� Misuraca said. “But I straightened things out. I figured if I don’t turn things around, I might not be around much longer.�

Misuraca finished with a 7-14 record and a respectable 3.61 ERA and 107 strikeouts for one of baseball’s worst teams--the Ft. Myers Miracle went 46-85. Tougher competition has spurred him to new heights this season.

“My concentration level has really picked up,� Misuraca said. “I’m focusing on one pitch at a time, not getting any farther ahead. If it’s a bad pitch, I forget about it and concentrate on the next one. If it’s a good one, great, but I let it go. It sounds easy, but it’s a hard thing to do.�

*

New royalty: Duane Page, a former Ocean View High School and Orange Coast College pitcher, has signed a free-agent contract with the Kansas City Royals and will report to the team’s short-season, Class-A affiliate at Eugene, Ore., June 10.

Page, a 6-3 right-hander who was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles out of high school, was 2-3 with a 5.23 ERA for OCC in 1991 and 4-4 with a 3.81 ERA in 1992.

He had signed a letter of intent with Cal State Long Beach but opted to leave school. Page spent this past season as an assistant coach at Santa Margarita High.