Milledge keeps moving toward big-city lights

PHOENIX -- When it comes to playing in New York, there will always be questions about whether or not a player has the mental makeup to handle that unique cauldron. Talent alone isn't enough, not when every move you make is scrutinized to the umpteenth degree as it is in the Big Apple.

So when Team USA manager Davey Johnson doesn't hesitate to say that Lastings Milledge can handle the bright lights in the big city, it's worth noting. Johnson, after all, spent seven years as a skipper in New York, watching the rise and fall of Dwight Gooden and Darryl Strawberry. He speaks from experience when discussing what he believes the future can hold for Milledge, who is currently playing for Johnson in the CONCEBE Regional Olympic Qualifier.

"Lastings is a smart, tough kid," Johnson said. "He'll be able to handle it. Talent only goes so far. I haven't had any conversations with him about Doc or Darryl, but I'd be more than happy to. He's tough, though, and he gives it as much as he takes it. He was giving it to me about my watch [a Rolex] the other day, and I told him he needs to get some time in the big leagues before he gets on my back.

"You just don't want to rush him and push him too fast, though. I think he had, what, a cup of coffee at Double-A this year? If he had a full year at Double-A, or whatever, I think he'd probably be able to make that jump. In an ideal world, I'd like to see him put up solid numbers over a full year. He's close, though. He's a smart player, and he knows how to make adjustments."

Milledge, whom the Mets drafted with the 12th overall pick in 2003, split this season between Class A Advanced St. Lucie and Double-A Binghamton, and performed better at the higher level. He hit .337 in 48 games in the Eastern League with four homers and 24 RBIs after hitting .302 with four homers and 22 RBIs in 62 games in the Florida State League. He added 94 at-bats for Grand Canyon in the Arizona Fall League, batting .330 with five homers and 23 RBIs.

Yet, like Johnson, Milledge sees no need to rush. He says he has no plans on being in New York in 2006 and that he expects to spend a full season in the Minor Leagues, whether that means splitting time at Binghamton and Triple-A Norfolk or spending the whole year in the International League. Either way, he's says he's comfortable.

"I've resigned myself to the fact that I'll be there the whole year," Milledge said Wednesday morning before Team USA took on Mexico. "I won't get my shot until '07, maybe '08. I think everyone is ready to play in the big leagues. But putting up numbers and succeeding in the big leagues is different. And I don't want to just go up there for a cup of coffee. I want to go up there and stay. So I can go up and stay there in '07."

There's little doubt that Milledge will make it to the Major Leagues. There are still some questions, though, about whether it will actually be in New York. Milledge's name has been tossed into several trade rumors, most notably the deal that would have brought Manny Ramirez to the Big Apple back in July.

Milledge shrugs off such talk. Reaching the Major Leagues is his goal and if that means playing in Boston or Tampa Bay or someplace other than New York, he's fine with that. He'd prefer to play for the Mets but knows it's out of his control.

"People get all caught up in that, but I don't pay attention," Milledge said. "It's not like I'd be getting released. I'd just be in another uniform. It's not a big deal. I can't say having me makes a team better than having Manny Ramirez. It's hard to say I'd make the Mets better because I'm still in the Minor Leagues. I can say, though, that I'd be playing longer."

Johnson said he isn't necessarily in favor of trading young players, such as Milledge, who turned 20 in April. He pointed to New York having traded Scott Kazmir and said he believes that will ultimately come back to haunt his former club.

"They traded him for a right-hander (Victor Zambrano) who was established," Johnson said. "But Kazmir has a chance to go past Zambrano. Zambrano is a good pitcher, but the question is, will the left-hander be better when he hits his potential, and I think he will. That's the danger of trading a young prospect, whether it's a fleet-footed outfielder or a hard-throwing left-hander."

While the Mets don't seem inclined to include Milledge in a deal for anyone other than Ramirez, one Major League executive said that he wouldn't be surprised if he were dealt for someone else.

"It depends on what they would get back, but I wouldn't be surprised," he said. "That's the history of what they do. But he has a chance to be a very good player in the Major Leagues for a lot of years, so if they do trade him, they'd better get someone very productive at the Major League level. You can think about Ramirez long and hard, but those deals always have to be tempered.

"Would trading Milledge be a mistake? You'd have to wait and see. If he becomes a good player it might be."

For now, though, Milledge is on course to remain a Met. And that's an idea that appeals to Johnson, who likened Milledge to his former center fielder, Mookie Wilson.

"Lastings isn't your prototypical on-base guy, and he has more power than your normal leadoff guy," Johnson said. "For me, it's just a question of his maturity with the bat and where you hit him in the lineup. Defensively, he can run and go get them and he has a pretty strong arm. Like Mookie, though, he isn't really a table-setter or an RBI guy. But like Mookie, when he's going good, he can make things happen. He's electrifying."

And there are many who believe there's enough electricity in Milledge to light up Shea Stadium for many a summer night.