Lentz Ready For The Call

Twenty years later, little remains in Mike Lentz's home to suggest that the San Diego Padres once considered him the best pitching prospect in the nation.

A pencil sketch of him wearing a minor-league uniform in the hallway. Two plain scrapbooks tucked under a tabletop in a corner of the living room. And Ryan.

Ryan is the newborn who fills almost as many pages as Mike in the scrapbook of that season in Amarillo, Texas. And he's that toddler with the toy bat in the scrapbook from the year in Reno, Nev.

Now a senior at Woodinville High School, Ryan might find out late today, or maybe tomorrow, that he'll get a chance to go back, a chance to play professional baseball.

Just like his dad. And, if he's fortunate enough and good enough, nothing like his dad.

"I feel I have an insight a lot of other kids don't have - what to expect from the minor leagues, what not to expect," said Ryan, a 6-foot-1 third baseman with an exceptional right arm and powerful left-handed bat.

The annual June amateur draft began this morning and is expected to continue into the weekend.

Twenty years ago to the week, Juanita High's Mike Lentz was drafted by San Diego, No. 2 overall - the highest-drafted prep player in state history. But his career quickly went downhill. Lentz spent much of the 1975 season (dislocated shoulder) and all of 1976 (knee surgery) on the disabled list.

"Then one thing leads to the next: frustration, lack of

discipline, lack of focus," Mike said. "The one thing I always tell Ryan is once you turn 18, the work starts. It takes harder work to stay in shape. That's where I was not disciplined enough. Things come too easy sometimes."

After the injuries, Mike lasted two seasons in the minors. He went a combined 12-19 with a 5.54 earned run average at Class AA Amarillo and Class A Reno, eventually growing 30 pounds overweight and being released before the 1979 season.

"The players I saw make it to the big leagues were the ones who had to work the hardest," said Mike, now a sales/operations manager for Union Bay Sportswear. "The guys who were just natural didn't know how to work. They didn't have a clue."

If Ryan chooses pro ball over his University of Washington baseball scholarship, his work ethic might be his most natural asset.

He missed his high-school baseball season this spring because of a serious knee injury suffered while quarterbacking Woodinville's football team last fall. Six months of healing and often grueling rehabilitation have resulted in his return, only now, and two months earlier than projected, to baseball. He opened the summer season last weekend for his Senior Babe Ruth team, Chaffey Baseball Club of Redmond.

"There are days you think this is never going to work," Ryan said of the rehab, "that it's never going to come back."

But he said he feels 100-percent healthy.

"I think it's made me a lot more mature in the way I look at things," he said. "It makes me appreciate the game a lot more and the work ethic involved in the whole thing."

Before his injury, several scouts had Ryan projected to be drafted in the top five rounds, perhaps the highest-drafted prep player out of the state this year. But concerns over the knee are expected to push him back, probably into the teen rounds.

"Some people tell me I'll be surprised. Some tell me not to expect too much," he said. "I might get a shot. But I know I have a spot on the UW roster."

And that might be what he chooses even if he's drafted. One thing his father's experience has done for Ryan is snatch the stars from his eyes.

"I told Ryan it's very lonely, it's a very lonely game," Mike said. "It's a lot of fun when you're on the field, but you spend a lot of hours by yourself and with a select few."

Mike's loneliness was significantly lessened after his first pro season. He and Jody were married in March of 1976 and remain together today, with three sons (also Richie, 10, and Andrew, 9).

But Mike gave up his only shot at a major-league spring training by following through on their wedding date.

After setting a date that would give him enough time to leave for minor-league spring training, the Padres called and invited him to the major-league camp, three weeks earlier. He turned them down because of it conflicted with the wedding.

"I didn't get another invite," he said. But he seems to have few regrets.

"I made the decisions. I lived it. I did it," he said. "It was devastating when it was over, but in reality, I can only blame myself."

And, he said, "I know everyone I ever met wished they would have experienced what I experienced. It was the most amazing thing, besides having my kids, that I ever experienced."

It's something Ryan likely will have a chance to experience, maybe as early as this summer. ------------------------------------------------ STATE'S TOP PROSPECTS FOR TODAY'S BASEBALL DRAFT

---------------------------------------------------------------. Player : : : : Pos. : B : T : School : College (1): Comment ---------------------------------------------------------------. Darin Blood : : : P : R : R : Gonzaga U./C. Valley: - : Pitcher of the

: : : : : year in Pac-10

: : : : : North ---------------------------------------------------------------. Jason Brester : : P : L : L : Burlington-Edison : Washington : Should be top

: : : : : prep pitcher

: : : : : drafted from

: : : : : state ---------------------------------------------------------------. Ryan Bundy : : : C : R : R : Lake Stevens : Washington : Good

: : : : : all-around

: : : : : athlete,

: : : : : all-state

: : : : : linebacker ---------------------------------------------------------------. Ken Cameron : : : OF : L : L : Wash. St./Tigard, : - : Slashing

: : : Ore. : : hitter with

: : : : : decent speed ---------------------------------------------------------------. Jeremy Deshazer : : OF : B : R : Lake Washington : Wash. State: Only 5-10, but

: : : : : switch-hits,

: : : : : good speed ---------------------------------------------------------------. Lindsay Gulin : : P : L : L : Issaquah : None : 9-0, 1 ER in

: : : : : '95; crafty,

: : : : : fastball

: : : : : around 80 ---------------------------------------------------------------. Mark Hendrickson : : P : L : L : Wash. State/M. : - : Throws hard

: : : Vernon : : for a

: : : : : basketball

: : : : : player ---------------------------------------------------------------. Seth Johnston : : C/1B : R : R : Sunnyside : None : Power-hitting

: : : : : prospect, may

: : : : : move to first

: : : : : base ---------------------------------------------------------------. Mike Kinkade : : : C/1B : R : R : WSU/Tigard, Ore. : - : Great bat with

: : : : : power,

: : : : : questionable

: : : : : glove ---------------------------------------------------------------. Damien Kolb : : : OF : R : R : Capital : Arizona St.: Has speed,

: : : : : brains, will

: : : : : be tough to

: : : : : sign ---------------------------------------------------------------. Jason Lakman : : : P : R : R : Woodinville : Oregon St. : 6-2, 200+

: : : : : pounds and

: : : : : still growing;

: : : : : throws mid-80s ---------------------------------------------------------------. Ryan Lentz : : : 3B : L : R : Woodinville : Washington : Knee injury

: : : : : might drop

: : : : : high pick to

: : : : : lower rounds ---------------------------------------------------------------. A.J. Marquardt : : OF : R : R : Ore. St./Kennewick : - : Ineligible in

: : : : : '95, top

: : : : : Pac-10 hitter

: : : : : in '94 ---------------------------------------------------------------. John Mattson : : : P : R : R : South Kitsap : None : Solid junior

: : : : : year, should

: : : : : go in middle

: : : : : rounds ---------------------------------------------------------------. Freddie May : : : OF : L : L : Kennedy : None : State's top

: : : : : position

: : : : : player, could

: : : : : go 2nd-3rd

: : : : : round ---------------------------------------------------------------. Brett Merrick : : P : L : L : UW/Meadowdale : - : Great stuff,

: : : : : needs more

: : : : : consistency ---------------------------------------------------------------. Kevin Miller : : : SS : R : R : Ballard : Washington : Soft hands;

: : : : : solid stick -

: : : : : hit .727 ---------------------------------------------------------------. Lawyer Milloy : : OF : R : R : U. of Wash./Lincoln : - : One of best

: : : : : athletes in

: : : : : college

: : : : : baseball ---------------------------------------------------------------. Alex Puckett : : : OF : R : R : Federal Way : None : All-state LB

: : : : : with size

: : : : : (6-2, 215) and

: : : : : power ---------------------------------------------------------------. Robert Ramsay : : P : L : L : Wash St./Mtn.View : - : All Pac-10

: : : : : North, good

: : : : : size (6-4) ---------------------------------------------------------------. Jon Vander Griend : : OF : L : R : UW/Lynden Chris. : - : Big (6-5) with

: : : : : sweet stroke,

: : : : : could be a

: : : : : sleeper ---------------------------------------------------------------. Bryan Williamson : : P : R : R : Kamiakin : Washington : 6-5 size means

: : : : : fastball has

: : : : : room to grow ---------------------------------------------------------------. Tyler Willis : : P : L : L : Lindbergh : None : Went 21-0 in

: : : : : high school

: : : : : with two state

: : : : : titles ---------------------------------------------------------------. Jarrod Wong : : : 1B : R : R : Gonzaga U./Boise : - : Solid

: : : : : line-drive

: : : : : hitter ---------------------------------------------------------------.

(1) - College signed with.