Donnie Hill Can Do It All . . . When A’s Let Him

There isn’t an infield position Donnie Hill of the Oakland A’s can’t play.

But lately, there has been a problem finding a position Hill can play.

In the past three years, the Edison High School and Orange Coast College graduate has played second base, shortstop and third base for the A’s.

Hill spent about half of the 1983 and 1984 seasons as Oakland’s starting shortstop and was the team’s regular second baseman last season.

But this year, his role has been reduced to that of a part-time third baseman, splitting time with Carney Lansford.

“It has to help being able to play more than one position,” Hill said Saturday night before the A’s played the Angels in Anaheim Stadium. “But I would like to have one position that was mine to play every day.”

Early in the season, Hill, 25, was apprehensive about joining the platoon squad. He wasn’t sure if he’d be playing every other day, once a week or once a month.

“But I’ve been playing three times a week, and sometimes four or five times,” he said. “That’s more than I expected.”

Against left-handed pitchers, Hill, a 5-foot 9-inch, 165-pound switch-hitter, plays third base and Lansford plays first. Against right-handers, Lansford moves to third and Bruce Bochte plays first.

Hill has been playing second against the Angels in place of the injured Tony Phillips, who strained his knee Wednesday and will probably be out for another 10 days.

Hill, who has appeared in 80 of 119 games, entered Saturday night’s game with a .291 average (72 for 247) and 21 RBIs. His third homer of the year was a three-run shot against the Angels in Friday night’s 6-4 Oakland loss.

“Donnie is one of those real good players in the major leagues that a lot of people don’t know about,” Oakland Manager Tony LaRussa said. “He’s a tough out from both sides of the plate, he’s very versatile in the infield, and he has an excellent arm. I’ve been very impressed with him.”

Defensively, Hill has made only five errors, which isn’t bad for a guy who hadn’t played third base since he was 8 in the Pomona Little League. But Hills says he hasn’t been comfortable at third.

“It’s just not the same game over there,” said Hill, who played shortstop on Orange Coast’s 1980 state championship team and on Arizona State’s 1981 College World Series championship team. “The grounders don’t come at you the same way they do at short, and the line drives hook toward you. It’s a lot tougher for me.”

He could have fooled LaRussa.

“To me, he’s a natural third baseman because he has such a strong arm,” the manager said. “He’s made a couple of outstanding plays coming in on the ball.”

With Alfredo Griffin at shortstop, Phillips at second and Lansford at third, Hill isn’t sure about his future with the A’s. But LaRussa believes he’ll play an important role on the team next year.

“It’s kind of neat when you have a guy as versatile as that because you can kind of wait and see where you need him,” LaRussa said.

Hill was even more versatile as an 11-year-old Little Leaguer after he separated his right elbow. Two doctors told him he would never throw again.

But Hill went home, began throwing rocks with his left arm and played the next season left-handed. He played that year at first base, in the outfield and even pitched a game.

“But now I just do that for laughs,” said Hill, who likes to impersonate left-handed pitchers when he has time before batting practice.

LaRussa, at least, likes what Hill can do with his right arm. And his glove, and his bat.

“From what I’ve seen, he just needs to play,” LaRussa said. “I don’t see him having any obvious weaknesses.”

Well . . .

“He probably could improve on that last haircut he had.”