Sunday, June 7, 1998

BY JOHN FAY
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Mike Frank is a pulled hamstring away from the big leagues, but he hasn't had time to think about it. That's because he has spent so much time getting adjusted to Triple-A.

"I was talking about that last night," Frank said. "I should be watching what's going on the big leagues because I'm so close. But things have happened so quickly that I'm still getting used to being here."

Here for Frank is with the Triple-A Indianapolis Indians. He arrived in Indy at warp speed. A year ago, Frank had just been drafted in the seventh round out of Santa Clara University.

He didn't even know if he was going to be a pitcher or hitter for the Reds, because the team did not talk to him prior to the draft.

"Leading up draft, I heard I was going as a pitcher," he said. "It really didn't matter much to me. I just wanted to go play."

Frank, a left-hander, was 11-0 on the mound for Santa Clara as a senior. But on the day Al Goldis, the Reds senior director of scouting - player development, saw him play Frank hit a monster home run.

The Reds sent Frank to rookie ball in Billings and put him in right field. The Pioneer League was no match for him. He hit .376, with 10 homers, 62 RBI, 18 steals in 62 games. So the Reds started him at Double-A Chattanooga this year. He spent a month there, hitting .301, with eight homers and 35 RBI in 46 games, before the promotion to Indy.

At Indy, he's hitting .325 in nine games since his call-up.

"The adjustment from Double-A to here wasn't as big as from rookie ball to Double-A," he said.

Frank has particularly impressed the Reds' brain trust with his defensive ability. He has played mostly center this year. If he continues to hit at Indy, look for him to get a shot at the Reds' center field spot next spring.

RECRUITING VISIT:

Adam Dunn felt like he was on a recruiting visit. Dunn, the Reds second pick in Tuesday's draft, and third-rounder Greg Porter, were in Cincinnati for the weekend with their families for a little wining, dining and batting practice.

"It's been a blast," Dunn said.

The Reds in a way are trying to recruit Dunn and Porter because both have other options. Dunn, a quarterback, has signed a with Texas to play football, and Porter, a tight end, has signed with Texas A&M.

Dunn, a 6-foot-5, 225-pound left-handed hitting outfielder, says he'll sign with the Reds but play football when the baseball season is over.

Porter, a 6-4, 210-pounf third baseman, is less certain.

"I can't see giving up football," he said. He has the option of going to A&M and playing both sports.

The Reds would prefer that both players concentrate on baseball but will settle for a football-baseball split.

"That would have to be negotiated," said Johnny Almaraz, the scouting supervisor who will try to sign them. "We have to weight the risk of our investment. If they want to play both, we'd make some kind of adjustment."

A second-round pick typical gets a bonus in $200,000 range, a third-round pick about half that. So the Reds may offer less if either player chooses to play both.

The weekend visit should help the Reds' cause.

"It could not have been nicer," Dunn said. "Everyone, the trainers, coaches, managers, the people of Cincinnati, have been so nice."

17 DOWN, 31 TO GO:

The Reds have signed 17 of 48 players they drafted. An announcement will be made today.

SWEET 16:

There are nine days between the end of extended spring training and the start of rookie ball at Billings.

So the Reds didn't want to send Jacobo Sequea, the 16-year-old Venezuelan, all the way home. So they sent him to Charleston, W.Va., to allow him to get some work in until Billings begins playing.

"But he was doing well so we decided to activate him," said Muzzy Jackson, the team's director of player development.

Since being activated, Sequea has pitched eight innings and allowed only one run.

He earned a victory in his first pro start Monday with three impressive innings, walking three, striking out one and giving up one hit and no runs.

So is still going to Billings?

"Not if he keeps it up," Jackson said. "I'll keep him there in A-ball in he can continue to compete. His progress has been amazing." Sequea throws in 88 to 92 range and has hit up to 94 on the radar gun.

He doesn't speak more than a couple of English words. That hasn't been a problem because pitching coach Andre Rabouin is fluent in Spanish.

NO. 1 WHERE?

It's a given that on draft day, the club is going to give a inflated report on every player it picks. That's true in every sport.

And that's how you get statements like this: "He's a No. 1 or 2 starter." One of the Reds scouts was talking about fourth-round pick Darrell Hussman.

If he's going to be a No. 1 or 2 starter in majors, how come he was 4-5 for Arizona this year?

TWIN RUNNERS:

Are Scott Sollmann and Ryan Grimmett, the same player or what?

Sollmann, a St. Xavier grad, is hitting .267, with 38 runs and 26 steals; Grimmett, a Glen Este grad, is hitting .267, with 34 runs and 30 steals. Both are playing in Single-A for the Detroit Tigers -- Sollmann at Lakeland, Fla, and Grimmett at Western Michigan.

REDS PROSPECT OF THE WEEK:

Braxton Whitehead, the catcher at Charleston, was named to play in the South Atlantic League all-star game. He's hitting .273 with 22 RBI.

That's quite an improvement over a year ago when Whitehead hit .176 in 36 games at Billings. Whitehead, 22, was picked in the 14th-round of last year's draft.