MINOR LEAGUE NOTEBOOK / SEAN WATERS : Seefried’s Hitting Guru Is Carew

When he played for El Segundo High, Tate Seefried took batting lessons every other Monday night at a baseball school more than 40 miles from his home.

A pitching machine would deliver a 70- to 80-m.p.h. fastball every 15 seconds and Seefried would swing until his arms ached.

But Seefried didn’t mind the pain if the reward was a future in the major leagues. He fervently wanted to be drafted and his instructor, future Hall of Famer Rod Carew, helped make it a short ride from El Segundo to the minor leagues.

For more than three years, former Angel infielder Carew worked to fine-tune Seefried’s swing at the Rod Carew Baseball School in Placentia.

The extra work paid off for Seefried, who was selected by the New York Yankees in the third round of this month’s free-agent draft. He was assigned to their rookie affiliate in Tampa, Fla.

“I wasn’t much of a Yankees fan when I was growing up, but I was happy to get drafted,” Seefried said. “This (playing baseball) is what I wanted to do all my life.”

Carew knew he had a talented player and used to show off his prized pupil to Angel outfielders Devon White and Chili Davis.

“The kid can hit, don’t you think?” Carew asked his friends when they stopped to watch Seefried hit a few line drives.

White and Davis agreed. After all, who would argue with a seven-time American League batting champion?

“I’ve taught some talented kids, but Tate (is far more impressive) than anyone else I’ve worked with,” Carew said.

Seefried not only impressed other players by hitting crisp line drives, he also has carved out a friendship with the taciturn Carew.

“Tate and I have become real good friends,” Carew said. “We have a relationship that has become special. It’s very special and it improves day after day.”

When he played in the major leagues, Carew abhorred reporters’ questions. But it was Seefried’s inquisitiveness about hitting that drew him close to Carew.

“I liked him because he always asked questions and that made things easier for me as a teacher,” Carew said. “I want to get feedback from kids so I can work around those feelings of insecurity.”

Seefried comes from a baseball family. His father, Gary, played six seasons in the Boston Red Sox organization.

But the elder Seefried preferred that his son not pursue a team sport.

“When Tate was a little boy, I was hoping he would become a tennis player,” said Gary Seefried, who paid for his son’s private lessons at the Rolling Hills Plaza. “I wanted him to be able to control his own destiny and not have to rely on anyone but himself.

“When he got a little older, he saw his friends put on their Little League uniforms and he wanted to become a baseball player.”

Seefried began taking lessons from Carew when he was a freshman at Rolling Hills High. Before his junior year, his family moved to Spokane, Wash., but Seefried continued to take lessons during his summer vacation.

When his family returned to the South Bay area in 1989, Seefried transferred to El Segundo High for his senior year and resumed his bi-monthly trips to Anaheim where Carew worked on his minor flaws.

“As far as driving the ball to all fields with authority, he can do that,” said Carew, who taught Seefried to be a switch-hitter. “If anything, he needs to work on hitting breaking balls from the left side.”

Seefried, who pitched and played first base, was often compared to former Eagles shortstop George Brett since both were left-handed hitters. This season, Seefried set school records for home runs (13), runs batted in (50), hits (55) and runs scored (44). He also had an 8-1 pitching record and was selected the Southern Section 2-A Division Player of the Year.

Bypassing a chance to play for the U.S. Junior Olympic team and attending his school’s graduation ceremonies, Seefried joined his new team in Tampa June 15, two days after school concluded.

“When you put him on that plane and he gives you that long look, it’s hard to see him go,” Gary Seefried said.

When told his favorite uniform number was not available, Seefried honored his hitting coach by selecting No. 29, Carew’s old number.

“That’s what his father told me,” Carew said. “I think it’s quite an honor. The kid is a good player. He’s going to the big leagues.”

Add Seefried: In his first four games, Seefried struggled at the plate, getting three hits in 19 at-bats.

“It’s been a major adjustment for me,” Seefried said. “I’ve been hitting hard, but right at people.”

Carew said Seefried shouldn’t worry about an early slump.

“I didn’t get a chance to talk to Tate before he left for the minors,” Carew said. “My advice to him would be not to put too much pressure on himself. A lot of kids that get bonuses try to do too much and get into slumps and mental ruts.”

Wednesday, Seefried went 2 for 5 with an RBI.

Rude welcoming: Harbor College pitcher John Ingram, who was the first community college player selected from the South Bay, gave up a three-run home run to the first batter he faced in the minors.

“I’m glad it happened,” said Ingram, who was selected in the fourth round by the Philadelphia Phillies. “It was my first outing and I was really nervous. My stomach was shaky.

“That home run welcomed me to the minor leagues. Now, I’m no longer nervous. I’ve got it out of my system.”

Ingram, a graduate of Leuzinger High, had signed a letter of intent to pitch at Cal State Fullerton, but gave up his scholarship when the Phillies gave him a five-figure signing bonus.

In two relief appearances, Ingram has given up four runs on four hits and a walk as the left-handed closer for the Batavia Clippers of the New York-Penn League. His earned-run average is 8.31, the highest in his career.

Last season at Harbor, Ingram was 9-0 with a 1.20 ERA. He was the starting pitcher in Harbor’s 5-2 victory over Chabot for the state championship.

Back in the majors--Outfielder Eric Bullock, a former Harbor College standout, earned the distinction of being the first minor leaguer from the South Bay area to be called up to the major leagues this year.

The Montreal Expos purchased Bullock’s contract from Indianapolis of the American Assn. Tuesday. He replaced veteran outfielder Tim Raines, who was placed on the 15-day disabled list because of a twisted right ankle.

Bullock, who made his major league debut with Houston in 1986, was batting .296 at the triple-A level.

In his first game, Bullock, the son of former minor league outfielder Eddie Bullock, had a pinch-hit single in the top of the seventh against the Chicago Cubs Wednesday.