Without Hrbek, Twins At A Loss For A First-Sacker

For 13 years the Minnesota Twins never had to worry about first base. There was always Kent Hrbek.

Now that the chubby, charming Hrbek has retired, the Twins are spending this abbreviated exhibition season auditioning as many as six players at first.

Kevin Maas, David McCarty, Scott Stahoviak, Steve Dunn, Jerald Clark and Matt Merullo all can play there. But none is likely to make Minnesota fans forget Hrbek.

“It’s tough to follow a guy like that,” McCarty, a No. 1 draft choice in 1991, said Sunday. “He was a great player, he had a lot of great years here. Those are tough shoes to fill.”

Hrbek, who announced his retirement a week before the strike, and Hall of Famer Harmon Killebrew are the only Twins with more than 1,000 RBIs. Hrbek finished his career with a .283 average, 283 home runs and 1,033 RBIs.

With soft hands, a powerful bat and recognizable paunch, Hrbek had been a fixture at first since he was called up late in 1981. Raised just south of Minneapolis in Bloomington, Hrbek was beloved by the fans, and his demeanor will be missed as much as his baseball ability.

“He was somebody that helped out a lot of the younger guys, in all aspects of the game,” said Stahoviak, who also can play third. “I don’t think anybody’s trying to fill his shoes or follow in his footsteps as far as a baseball player because that’s a difficult thing to do. He had an outstanding career.

“Whoever plays over there, or if more than one guy plays over there, they’ve just got to do what they can do.”

So far, Maas may be the leader.

Signed as a free agent in December, Maas would find his left-handed power well-suited to the Metrodome if he can find the stroke that made him a rookie sensation with the New York Yankees in 1990. That year, he hit 21 home runs in 79 games, but faded and was released near the end of spring training last year. He spent the entire season in the minors.

Maas has gotten off to a good start offensively. He has four RBIs in two games, including a two-run homer Saturday, but he also committed a two-run error in Thursday’s opener.

McCarty is trying to live up to the promise that made him the third player chosen in the ‘91 draft.

After leading the 1990 Olympic team with a .445 batting average, McCarty was voted the 1991 college player of the year by Baseball America while he was at Stanford.

He spent more than half of 1993 in Minnesota and started there again last season. In 142 games with the Twins, the 6-foot-5 right-hander has hit just .227 with three homers and 33 RBIs.

“I wanted to be established by now, but it just hasn’t worked out,” he said. “Now it’s a situation where there’s an opening. Everybody has to battle and step up to take that spot.”

McCarty was 1 for 3 and scored a run in Sunday’s 13-2 win over the Chicago White Sox. Manager Tom Kelly said he is the best all-around first baseman in the organization.

“Whether he’s going to hit enough to play that position, I don’t know,” Kelly said.

The left-handed hitting Stahoviak also is 6-5 and was a first-round pick by the Twins in 1991, 27th overall. While McCarty was Baseball America’s player of the year, Stahoviak won the American Baseball Coaches Association award at Creighton.

Clark, a former Spokane Indians outfielder, has seen major-league action with San Diego and Colorado. Last season, he played in Japan.