COLUMN Van Slyke rediscovers confidence

with the Phils with the PhilsFrom Adam Barrist's "Scraps From the Plate" Fall '95 Daulton, the elder statesman on the team, had a lot say to the newest Phillie. Although the two have the same amount of major league experience, Van Slyke paid close attention to the all-knowing catcher. Although I was standing five feet from their conversation, I couldn't pick up all of what they were saying. But it was clear that Daulton was going out of his way to ensure the neophyte knew he was among friends. After all, the former all-star had a tough time fitting in during his brief American League stint. Van Slyke was rarely used by the Orioles, and as a result managed a measly .159 batting average, some 41 points below the infamous Mendoza line. Despite his status in Baltimore, Van Slyke will undoubtedly be welcomed with open arms in Philadelphia. Before the reconfiguration of the National League, the Pittsburgh Pirates were a powerhouse division rival of the Phillies. Needless to say, "Slick," as he is otherwise known, was instrumental in making Phillies fans walk out of the Vet disgruntled. This was not the first time the Phillies obtained a player who was menacing to them in the past. Other former "Phillies killers" obtained via trade include Kent Tekulve and Dale Murphy. Phillies GM Lee Thomas had to make a move when starting outfielders Lenny Dykstra (sore back) and Gregg Jefferies (thumb) were both sidelined with injuries recently. Manager Jim Fregosi told me he concurred with Thomas' assertion that Van Slyke was "the best player available who fit the description of what [the Phillies] needed." When asked if Van Slyke could potentially start in the outfield after Dykstra and Jefferies returned, he responded as cool as the Kool cigarette he was smoking: "We'll see how he does until Lenny and Jefferies get back." Perhaps Fregosi wasn't as confident about the return of the two ailing outfielders as he appeared, for he was consuming the Kools in chain fashion as we spoke. Placing a .159 hitter third in the batting order in his first appearance with a club seemed a bit uncharacteristic of any team, let alone a team in sole possession of first place. As strange as the circumstances may have appeared, the only doubters were the front office staff down I-95 at Camden Yards. In his first at-bat, Van Slyke cued a sharp shot through the hole into right field. Shades of his peskiness became pleasantly familiar. Even more pleasant was Van Slyke's second at-bat in which he said, with one swing of the bat, "Shea Stadium isn't a big enough park to hold what I've got!" Not only was Slick's dinger instant gratification for Lee Thomas, but it was instrumental in the Phils' 6-3 victory. After pitcher Paul Quantrill singled to left field to lead off the inning, it looked as if the Phillies could easily chalk up a few runs. When Mickey Morandini and Mariano Duncan both popped up, Van Slyke came to the plate with two outs and hit the home run to salvage the good start to the inning. Van Slyke's defensive skills shined with a shoestring catch of a ball that Ryan Thompson hit to center field, saving extra bases. Shades of Dykstra? Maybe so, but the word around the clubhouse is that Van Slyke is an insurance policy, preventing Dykstra and Jefferies from returning too early and further aggravating their respective injuries. The Andy Van Slyke-for-Gene Harris trade is not likely to be the Phils' retribution for the trade in which the Cubs sent Ivan DeJesus to Philly in exchange for Larry Bowa and a little-known second baseman named Ryne Sandberg. But one can speculate that Thomas could have done no wrong by trading Harris, who was repeatedly ineffective. Fregosi claims to be an advocate of the school of baseball that suggests confidence breeds success. Van Slyke claimed that the surroundings in the Phils' clubhouse caused him to feel confident in himself for the first time all year. If the atmosphere around Van Slyke continues to be conducive to his confidence, the effects might facilitate a cutback of Kools by Fregosi. Adam Barrist is a College sophomore from Bala Cynwyd and a catcher for the Penn club baseball team.