THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, July 25, 1996 TAG: 9607250528
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C6 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY RICH RADFORD, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: 58 lines
Norfolk Tides leftfielder Benny Agbayani realizes there are some factors working against him as July melts into August.
Tides opening day leftfielder Kevin Flora is making rapid progress in his comeback from wrist surgery and could be activated any day. It was Flora, not Agbayani, who was in the New York Mets' Triple-A plans when spring training broke. A position squeeze could be in the making.
But two factors reside in Agbayani's corner: a hot bat and Tides manager Bobby Valentine.
Heading into Wednesday night's game, Agbayani had gone 21 for 49 (.429) and hit safely in 13 of the last 14 games, bumping his batting average up more than 50 points to .283 while stabilizing the No. 4 spot in the Tides' order.
The cleanup role had been somewhat suspect for the Tides following Alex Ochoa's call-up to the Mets a month ago. But when Agbayani slid into the role, he quickly made his presence felt. In the second game following the Triple-A All-Star break, he drove in seven runs, the most by a Tides player since Phil Lombardi drove in eight in a game over seven years ago.
``He's not a home-run hitting No. 4 hitter,'' Valentine said. ``But he's real good at making contact and I think Benny's given us a credible at-bat in every at-bat this season. Plus, you need a No. 4 guy who gets on base.
``A lot of times the first inning goes 1-2-3 and that guy leads off the second. Benny's average might not have been much the first month he was here, but he was hitting into a lot of tough-luck outs.''
His average had been even worse in Double-A. In 21 games with Binghamton, Agbayani was hitting .170 and wasn't even an everydayoutfielder. Eyebrows raised when the Tides called him up. But Valentine was in Agbayani's corner coming out of spring training and he hasn't waivered in his belief in the 24-year-old Hawaiian native.
Agbayani has rewarded Valentine's confidence. He's driven in 31 runs and homered six times since his call-up May 16. But the most amazing statistic is his 12 stolen bases. Agbayani, whose 5-foot-11, 210-pound frame belies his speed, has only been caught once, giving him the highest success rate on the Tides.
Agbayani was even asked to fill in at first base this week when regular first baseman Roberto Petagine was hit in the right elbow with a pitch. Agbayani performed flawlessly in the new defensive role.
``To me, my season started after the All-Star break,'' Agbayani said. ``After not playing much in Binghamton, I told myself it starts over here.
``Bobby and the Mets will have a decision to make when (Flora is activated). If things happen and I'm asked to come off the bench, I'm used to it. Flora and (designated hitter/outfielder Jay) Payton were the guys in the Mets' major league camp. I'm just trying to play myself into a position where I can hold my position.'' ILLUSTRATION: BILL TIERNAN/The Virginian-Pilot
Since the Triple-A All-Star break, Benny Agbayani has hit .429,
including hitting safely in 13 of 14 games. by CNB