Magill, One Tall Baby M, Set For Debut In Opener

Jim Magill, one of the tallest pitchers in the Seattle Mariner organization, has been named to start for Bellingham in the Baby M's Northwest League opener tomorrow night in Everett.

Manager P.J. Carey said Rich Lodding will start Bellingham's home opener Tuesday night, also against Everett's Giants.

Magill, 21, stands 6 feet 10 and weighs 205, according to the Seattle Mariner media guide. Carey described him as a ``6-7 right-hander.''

Regardless, he will make his Class A debut after two seasons in the rookie-class Arizona League. He was 1-6 with a 5.27 earned-run average with Peoria in 1988 and 2-7, 3.39 with Tempe last year.

Magill was signed as an undrafted free agent out of Tottenville (N.Y.) High School in 1988.

``When he gets command he can be pretty tough,'' said Jeff Malinoff, then Seattle's player-development director. ``It may take a while to put it together. There's so much of it to put together.''

Carey, back for his third season as Bellingham manager, said Magill was ``our most consistent pitcher in extended spring training. He has made a lot of progress on his mechanics. He has close to an average fastball. He's been throwing strikes, has a good breaking ball, is working on a changeup. He's improved all around.''

Lodding, also 21 and a right-hander, was a 16th-round draft pick last June. He had a 4-5 record and 3.75 ERA at Bellingham.

The Baby M's pitching staff includes two left-handers picked high in this month's free-agent draft - No. 7 Kevin King of Oklahoma and No. 8 John Cummings of USC.

Rob Callistro, 20, a second-year pro who was named to the Arizona League all-star team in 1989, is slated for short-relief duty. Callistro was 5-2, 2.62 with a league-leading 78 strikeouts (22 walks) in 75 2/3 innings at Tempe.

Carey said catcher Matt Kluge, 19, played strong defense in extended spring training.

Infielders include shortstop Fred McNair, 20, who was Tempe's MVP last season; second baseman Willie Wilkerson; Rob Nichols, rookie first baseman out of Sammamish High and Washington State; Greg Hunter, from Juanita High and WSU, and Lipso Nava, a 14th-round draft pick this month.

Bellingham's young outfield includes Sean Twitty, James Terrell and Willie Romay, each 19, and Brian Stephens, 20. Twitty, whom Carey said has the tools to run, throw, hit and hit with power, and Stephens earned Arizona League all-star honors last season at Tempe. Romay, a fifth-round 1988 draft pick, hit .116 at Bellingham.

AROUND THE FARMS

- Seattle's first-round draft pick, first baseman Marc Newfield from Marina High in Huntington Beach, Calif., has been assigned to Tempe of the Arizona League to learn to play the outfield. Tony Manahan, Arizona State infielder selected with a compensation pick between Round 1 and Round 2, reported today to San Bernardino of the California League. Bret Boone, USC infielder selected in the fifth round, has been assigned to Peninsula of the Carolina League.

- Thruough Thursday, Calgary's Jose Melendez ranked second on the Pacific Coast League earned-run list with a 2.4868 mark. Tacoma's Scott Chiamparino leads with 2.4853. . . . Cannon shortstop Mario Diaz hit safely in nine consecutive games (14-35, .400). . . . Williamsport's Rich Delucia lowered his Eastern League ERA to 1.66 with 15 consecutive shutout innings.

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BEST OF REST

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BATTING (minimum 45 at-bats) - Holley (Peninsula, A) 19/51, .373; Jones (San Bernardino, A) 22/63, .349; Brundage (Williamsport, AA) 32/97, .330; Clark (SB) 81/250, .324, (W) 1/13, .077; Bolick (Stockton-SB) 59/189, .312; Barbara (P) 45/147, .306; Pirkl (SB) 52/172, .302; Lennon (SB) 47/163, .288, (W) 7/23, .304.

Doubles - Clark (SB) 15, Bolick (Stock-SB) 12, Turang (SB) 10, McDonald (W) 10, Keitges (SB) 10.

Triples - Maynard (SB) 5, Turang (SB) 3, Pennington (W) 3, Pezzoni (P) 3.

Home runs - Clark (SB) 12, Lennon (SB-W) 9, Bolick (Stock-SB) 9, Stargell (SB) 8, Bailey (P) 5, Hooper (W) 4, McDonald (W) 4, Pirkl (SB) 4, Keitges (SB) 4, Turang (SB) 4.

RBI - Clark (SB) 45, Bolick (Stock-SB) 42, Stargell (SB) 41, Lennon (SB-W) 34, Turang (SB) 33, Keitges (SB) 27.

Stolen bases - Maynard (SB) 56, T. Williams (W) 22, Stargell (SB) 14, Tavarez (P) 12.

PITCHING

Earned-run average (minimum 20 innings pitched) - Poissant (P) 0.90 (20 ip), Delucia (W) 1.66 (48 2/3 ip) and (SB) 2.05 (30 2/3 ip), Gardiner (W) 2.10 (81 1/3 ip), Ridenour (W) 2.27 (35 2/3 ip), Woodson (SB) 2.55 (70 2/3 ip), Newlin (SB) 2.59 (41 2/3 ip), Evers (W) 2.94 (67 1/3 ip), Balabon (P) 2.98 (87 2/3 ip), Figueroa (W) 3.27 (22 ip), Wiggs (SB) 3.38 (53 1/3 ip), Salkeld (SB) 3.76 (55 ip).

Winning pct. (minimum 3 decisions) - Pitcher (SB) 3-0, 1.000; Taylor (SB) 6-3, .667; Balabon (P) 6-3, .667; Ridenour (W) 2-1, .667; Blueberg (W) 6-4, .600; Delucia (SB-W) 6-4, .600; Jones (SB) 3-2, .600; Wiggs (SB) 3-2, .600; Gardiner (W), 4-3, .571; Evans (SB) 7-6, .538.

Saves - Newlin (SB) 11, Wiggs (SB) 7, Poissant (P) 5, Figueroa (W) 3, Rojas (W) 3, Ridenour (W) 3.

Strikeouts - Balabon (P) 90, Gardiner (W) 63, Delucia (SB-W) 60, Woodson (SB) 60, Evans (SB) 59, Salkeld (SB) 57, Wiggs (SB) 57.