Riggs and ready

Thursday, April 3, 2003 | 10:29 a.m.

NEXT UP

What: Salt Lake at 51s

When: Today, 7: 10 p.m.

Where: Cashman Field

Radio: KENO 1460-AM

Professional baseball in Las Vegas promises to be a novelty, at least for a little while, to shortstop Eric Riggs and manager John Shoemaker.

"From what I hear, it's interesting here," Riggs said. "Other cities in the Pacific Coast League might not be as hard to play in as here. But if you keep your mind in the right place, you'll be fine."

Shoemaker, 46, hopes the city's many attractions become distractions to the guys in the other uniforms. For his own players, Shoemaker was blunt.

"Hopefully," he said, "two or three trips, with some bad luck, will keep them out of the casinos."

Riggs has been working to get here for three seasons, and it took Shoemaker, a former infielder, 26 years to obtain his most important assignment yet within the Los Angeles Dodgers' organization.

Shoemaker spent 13 years managing at the Single-A and Double-A levels of the Dodgers' system, and he accepted the Las Vegas position in January after Brad Mills took a bench position in Montreal.

The Triple-A 51s open their season tonight at 7:10 against Salt Lake at Cashman Field.

Shoemaker said local fans should enjoy watching Riggs, who spent the past three years at Double-A San Antonio and Jacksonville.

"He will get a chance to play a lot here, whether it's at shortstop or other positions," Shoemaker said. "Jumping to Triple-A will be a big challenge for him, and it's well deserved. He's played well in Double-A and, finally, he's getting an opportunity to make it in Triple-A."

Riggs, 26, was voted by Southern League managers as its best defensive third baseman in 2001. However, he has played shortstop in four of his five minor-league seasons.

Over the past two years in Jacksonville, the former University of Central Florida point guard hit .252, with 13 home runs, 105 RBIs, 121 runs and 11 stolen bases.

"In the spring, I went out and tried working hard, playing my game -- small ball," Riggs said. "I don't hit the ball out of the park, like some of these guys. But I play a lot of positions in the infield. That's what I bring to the table.

"Hopefully, I'll be able to be on the field and help the team."

Brian Mallette, a 28-year-old right-hander who was touched for six earned runs in five innings for Milwaukee last season, will start tonight for the 51s.

With Indianapolis, the Brewers' Triple-A affiliate, Mallette was 3-2 with a 2.78 earned-run average and 25 saves. Troy Brohawn, a 30-year-old lefty, will spell Mallette until he develops a starter's stamina.

Bryan Corey, who retired four of the five Colorado Rockies he faced in an exhibition appearance for the Dodgers at Cashman last Thursday, will be another bullpen arm that Shoemaker will rely upon.

Of the 27 players who reported to Cashman this week, 14 had at least a whiff of major league experience last season. By tonight, Shoemaker and 51s general manager Don Logan will have trimmed the roster to 24.

Shoemaker is familiar with Lindsay Gulin, a 6-3 lefty from New York who went 5-2 with a 4.98 ERA last year in Las Vegas. Gulin was 7-5 with a 2.64 ERA in Jacksonville, where Shoemaker was honored as the Southern League's manager of the year.

In his eight-year career in the minors, Gulin has averaged almost a strikeout per inning, the mark of an aggressive starter.

"He's a good competitor who knows how to keep hitters off-balance," Shoemaker said. "He uses his fastball like some people use their off-speed pitches, and he has control over his off-speed pitches to throw them at any time in the count."

Outfielders Chin-Feng Chen, Wilkin Ruan and Bubba Crosby, catchers David Ross and Ryan Kellner, and infielder Chris Clapinski also return to Las Vegas and will undoubtedly show Riggs around.

"I'm anxious to see what happens," Riggs said. "I don't think any of us are playing the game to be in the minor leagues. We want to play in the major leagues, so we're trying to do the stuff that will get us promoted."

In the meantime, Riggs' friends back home in Brownsburg, Ind., are planning to see some baseball the next time they visit Las Vegas.

"They're anxious," Riggs said. "They're already trying to make plane reservations to get out here and see me."