Young Villarreal Can’t Hit, But Indians Hardly Mind

For young Panamanians with faraway dreams of playing major league baseball, countryman Rod Carew is the idealized standard.

Carew’s influence is impossible to discount in the baseball-crazy Central American country of 2.6 million. The Hall of Famer hit .328 during 19 major league seasons and joined the elite 3,000-hit club.

Although certainly respectful of Carew, Modesto Villarreal of the Spokane Indians had a different, more approachable baseball influence in his life.

Modesto Villarreal - senior, that is - was good enough to earn a spot on Panama’s national baseball team.

When not pitching, the elder Villarreal played catcher.

Of Villarreal’s three sons, middle son Modesto was the athlete. Dad never forced the game, or any particular position, on his boy.

Villarreal the younger, who is shaping up as the Indians ace, never kidded himself about becoming the next Carew or the next Modesto Villarreal.

“I can’t hit anything,” is how he succinctly puts it.

There’s also little hitting going on when the 19-year-old Panama City native takes the mound.

In his next start, Friday or Saturday at home against Southern Oregon, Villarreal will attempt to win his 10th professional game. That would be nine more than he has lost.

Kansas City Royals scouts Pedro Salas and Herb Raybourn signed the lanky right-hander to a $4,500 free-agent contract two years ago.

Villarreal, attending college at the time, figured the studies could wait.

“I never wanted to say no to the opportunity to play,” said Villarreal, who speaks fine English for someone with just two years’ exposure. “If they gave me one quarter, I would have come to play baseball.”

After signing, Villarreal started with Salcedo, a professional team in the Dominican Republic. His 3-1 record, mostly as a reliever, belied the fact that his earned run average (11.51) and strikeouts-to-walks ratio (14-20) were lousy.

The youngster joined the Royals’ rookie team at Fort Myers, Fla., last summer, figuring to be a long reliever. Villarreal filled the role admirably, then fate interceded and changed his career. Two starting pitchers, including current Indian Justin Adam, went down with injuries. Villarreal was asked to fill in.

“What I heard in (this year’s) spring training was the (Royals’) plan was to use him in relief, maybe as a long reliever,” said Indians manager Al Pedrique. “Then they said, ‘Let’s give him a chance in the starting lineup and see what he can do.”’

By season’s end at Fort Myers, Villarreal was 4-0 with one of the league’s best ERAs, 1.95.

What he’s doing this summer is equally impressive. Villarreal, 2-0, has allowed just three earned runs in 17 innings (1.59). Pedrique called upon Villarreal during the season opener at Yakima. The 6-foot-4 corner-painter allowed one infield hit in five innings.

“The good sign from him is that he has good control and he goes after the hitters,” Pedrique said.

“I try not to work in the middle… . My fastball can look like a sinker,” Villarreal said. “But my best (attribute) is good control; I move the ball here and move the ball there.”

The Indians, who have won five of seven since starting 0-5, hope Villarreal’s pitches do the moving - not Villarreal. The last Spokane starter to show such flash, Glenn Dishman in 1993, was called up to long-season A ball before the Indians’ short-season Northwest League ended. (Dishman beat Los Angeles on Tuesday for his first major league win.)

“The most important thing is to go to the majors,” Villarreal said, “but I don’t want to move up if I’m not ready… . I’m here to show them I’m ready.”

If the readiness comes, Villarreal claims, he’ll have pitching coach Theo Shaw to thank.

“He taught me how to be a better professional,” Villarreal said. “When I come here, I don’t know nothing.”

Villarreal said he enjoys Spokane - which is half as populous as Panama City - but can do without the early summer 50-degree days.

The Villarreals have never seen Modesto pitch professionally. Most news comes over the phone.

“My mom, I know when I talk to her she talks to me fine, but I know when I (hang up) she cries,” Villarreal said.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Color photo