Allen making name for himself in Padres organization

Steve Guiremand

Tuesday, June 2, 1998 | 11:03 a.m.

Timing can be everything for a young baseball prospect trying to climb the minor league ladder.

Dusty Allen is a perfect example.

Allen had a solid 1997 season at double-A Mobile, batting .253 with 17 home runs and 75 RBIs in 131 games.

But the 6-4, 205-pound outfielder/first baseman from Stanford is now the talk of the San Diego Padres' organization after a sizzling start to 1998.

Allen didn't waste any time in spring training opening eyes, winning San Diego's first preseason game with a grand slam homer against the Angels.

The following day, Allen hit another home run in a game against the A's. He also excelled in minor league games.

"He was the player of the year for the spring," Jim Skaalen, the Padres' director of player development, told the San Diego Union-Tribune recently. "He came to camp and worked very, very hard."

"He had an unbelieveable spring," Stars manager Jerry Royster said. "He kept doing stuff and opening eyes."

Allen continued to swing a hot bat at double-A Mobile where he led the squad with four triples and 42 RBIs to go along with six homers in just 154 at-bats. He was promoted to Las Vegas May 21 and hit a game-winning homer two days later at Omaha.

Entering Monday night's game against Salt Lake, Allen was hitting .278 with two homers and six RBIs in 10 games with the Stars.

"He came here swinging a hot bat and has made an impression," Royster said. "But you can slow down. I look forward to seeing him play every day. He's done a good job of working his way through the system. He's impressed me with the way he plays. He's very mature. If he gets a bad call from the umpire, he doesn't respond like a lot of young players might."

"Dusty's kind of come out of nowhere," Skaalen said. "He's got power, and he's got power the opposite way, and there's not a lot of guys in our organization who go out opposite field."

Allen said it was just a matter of cashing in on an opportunity.

"I had an opportunity in spring training to get a little time with the big league team and was fortunate to make the most of it," he said. "It not only catapulted me with the Padres but also boosted my confidence. I knew that I could play at this level after that."

The Padres, thin on first basemen in their organization since trading Derrek Lee to Florida last December, would like to get a look at Allen at first base. But with Eddie Williams set to join the team this week and veteran Jason Thompson already on the roster, Royster will have to do a major juggling act to keep all three in the lineup.

Allen, who has spent most of his time with the Stars playing left field, believes playing two positions could help him in the long run.

"My ultimate goal is what everyone here is shooting for," Allen said. "I'm just trying to do the best I can at this level. But it's nice to know that they're paying attention to me up there."