Pawtucket skipper Buddy Bailey thinks he has the right mix of talent in place for the 2004 season, which opens tonight at McCoy Stadium.

01:00 AM EDT on Thursday, April 8, 2004

BY STEVEN KRASNER
Journal Sports Writer

Buddy Bailey has been managing in the minor leagues for a long time.

But tonight at McCoy Stadium, when Bailey enters his 17th season as a manager, leading the Pawtucket Red Sox in their first game of 2004, excitement will envelop him as if it were his first time at the helm.

"After we take batting practice there's the build-up, and when they do the introductions, you get fired up," said Bailey. "There's an adrenalin rush. It will be pumping pretty good. I don't know if it's excitement or a fear of failure. I don't know what it is, but you feel it."

Bailey, who won the International League's Manager of the Year award for leading the PawSox to the North Division title a year ago, said last night after a workout that he expects to have a solid team this season.

Getting the call to start tonight's opener (6 o'clock) against Buffalo is Phil Seibel, a left-hander who was a combined 7-8 in Double A and Triple A in the New York Mets' system last year.

Seibel impressed Bailey with more than just his stuff.

"He throws strikes, he's a four-pitch pitcher and he's a competitor," said Bailey.

"We had one game in spring where he might have given up a run, and he came back into the dugout and he wasn't happy with himself. He asks a lot of himself. It's good for players to ask a lot of themselves. That's what makes them competitors."

Not that Seibel is alone in that trait amongst Bailey's starters this year. Right-hander Jamie Brown, who was 4-1 for the PawSox after beginning the year in Buffalo, is cut from the same cloth. Josh Stevens, a right-hander making the move up from Portland (Double A), left-hander Ed Yarnall and veteran right-hander Frank Castillo all have strong competitive natures, not to mention incentives.

Obviously, all of them want to get to the majors. Castillo has been there before, most recently with Boston in 2002. Stevens is trying to climb the Red Sox' minor-league ladder and Yarnall is trying to bounce back from surgery.

The relievers, meanwhile, are going to get a chance to define their own roles, in a sense. Bailey said he'll be using his bullpen differently early in the season than he might later, trying to make sure they all get some work in, a task sometimes made more difficult this time of year because of bad weather in this region.

He has not yet named a closer, but Bailey is certain one of his pitchers will emerge to claim that role. He does have a bullpen luxury this year -- two left-handers in Mark Malaska and Tim Hamulak. Anastacio Martinez is a hard-throwing right-hander projected to be the closer. Right-handers Edwin Almonte, Matt Duff, Bryan Hebson and Tim Kester are in the bullpen mix as well.

As for the everyday lineup, Bailey said he would be doing a little mixing and matching there, too, at least in the early going.

The versatility of many players is a plus for the PawSox. With Triple A rookie Kelly Shoppach expected to do the bulk of the catching, backup catcher Andy Dominique (13 homers last year) will get some at-bats as a first baseman and as a designated hitter.

Veteran Earl Snyder (22 homes a year ago) plays first and third. Carlos Febles, a former starting second baseman for Kansas City, will be getting a lot of playing time at shortstop, with Jimmy Alvarez and Trace Coquillette able to play both middle infield positions as well. Kevin Youkilis plays third base.

Adam Hyzdu will lend some major league experience to the outfield, where Mike Curry, Jeremy Owens and Justin Sherrod will also see action.

The overall team speed won't be blinding, but there will a decent amount of power (Owens hit 21 homers in Portland last year) and the defense should be solid.

"I think this will be an exciting team," said Bailey. "We have a lot of unproven Triple A players and they want to prove themselves, so the energy level will be high. They will be hustling and running out balls. It will be a growing process, but if we can sustain that, with the veterans we do have, we should play with a high intensity level.

"One thing we'll do is bust our butts every night," said Bailey.

And this season, which will include the Triple A All-Star Game in Pawtucket on July 14, begins tonight at McCoy Stadium.