Yankee Players Shifting Their Focus to Irabu

The won/lost ledger would seem to be reason enough for the New York Yankees to be concerned, but now it’s the $12.8-million signing of Hideki Irabu that has attracted their focus.

What has he done on U.S. soil to earn that contract?

“I think it’s . . . that he’s getting all that money, but if he can get it, he can get it,” pitcher David Wells said.

“Does he deserve it? Hell no. Personally I don’t care, but a lot of the guys are offended.”

Said Andy Pettitte, runner-up for the Cy Young Award last year but not yet eligible for arbitration or free agency:

“It blows my mind that he could make that kind of money and not even pitch one game in the minors. I guess that’s what they have scouts for.”

The union-oriented David Cone seemed to have the best handle on it.

“They better stop their bitching and moaning and get over it,” he said of his teammates.

“They fail to realize Irabu’s presence will have a long-term impact on the game. He’s the wave of the future, the global aspect of baseball.

“Irabu’s just gotten out from under a prohibitive free-agent system in Japan. He stood up to them. We should admire the guy for what he did.”

Cone added that he understands the envy, but “we need to squelch that.” He said that at some point before Irabu arrives “we’ll all talk about it, just to clear the air.”

*

An American League scouting director says Jon Garland of Kennedy High in Granada Hills is the “best right-handed pitcher” in Tuesday’s amateur draft. Garland is expected to be among the top 10 players selected, possibly No. 7 by the Kansas City Royals.

He has the eye of the Angels, who draft third, but the Angels probably will stick with UCLA third baseman Troy Glaus, who is being advised by former Angel third baseman Doug DeCinces, whose son, Tim, was a former Glaus teammate at UCLA and whose daughter dates Glaus.

Among other Los Angeles area players expected to go on the first round: pitchers Randy Wolf of Pepperdine, Kyle Kane of Saddleback Community College, Jeff Weaver of Simi Valley and Fresno State and pitcher/outfielder J.J. Davis of Baldwin Park High.

*

Released by the Seattle Mariners, Dennis Martinez said he is ready for the next phase of his life, establishing a foundation for underprivileged youngsters, providing the support he failed to receive from an alcoholic father while growing up amid poverty in Nicaragua. Martinez ultimately overcame his own addiction to alcohol and won 241 games in the majors, second among Latin American pitchers to Juan Marichal’s 243.

So close to that record, but no regrets.

“I hope the people will remember my perseverance,” he said in a career-closing interview with Kevin Baxter of The Times. “The love for this game that I showed through the years, the competitiveness, the determination. I was never afraid of anything. I don’t want to be remembered for the perfect game or the World Series. To me, the most important thing was the way I approached the game.”