51s’ Repko sees glass as more than half full

While in spring training with the Los Angeles Dodgers, outfielder Jason Repko got the call he was expecting.

His wife, Traci, was about to give birth to their first child, Tyler. Repko left camp in late February to be with his wife.

When he returned to camp, he never got the other call he hoped for, the one about making the team's major league roster. But a meeting with Dodgers manager Joe Torre softened the blow for Repko.

"Joe called me into the office the last day of camp, and he basically told me, 'Hey, there's 29 other teams, and if you're on any of those, you'd probably be on the 25-man roster right now,' " Repko said. "But realistically it was a numbers thing."

Repko, 27, has no problem keeping everything in perspective. He says life off the field -- his wife and son live with him in Las Vegas -- could not be any better.

And that helps him stay positive about getting his baseball career back on track during his fourth tour with the 51s.

Repko missed all of last season after suffering a torn left hamstring. But what might have been a bigger setback was an injury in May 2006, when he severely sprained his left ankle after crashing into the center field wall at Dodger Stadium.

He was a blossoming starter for the Dodgers and batting .304 with three home runs through 25 games. He missed 21/2 months and a great opportunity.

"My career was just starting to take off," he said. "The injuries came at bad times."

While he was fading from the picture, former 51s Andre Ethier and Matt Kemp established themselves in Los Angeles, and veterans Juan Pierre and Andruw Jones were signed as high-priced free agents.

Repko, a first-round draft pick by the Dodgers in 1999, was relegated to being the fifth outfielder -- or, the odd man out.

"Before you know it, Kemp and Ethier stepped right in, and so when I came back, there was really no spot for me," Repko said. "I haven't been an everyday player for four years. Now, I'm kind of at a point where I have to prove my health.

"I think that's the biggest question mark in everyone's eyes. Can he last? If he's here, are we going to have to worry about him being hurt again?"

Repko, who has played in 20 of 22 games for Las Vegas (12-10) this season, is batting .229 with two homers and has scored 17 runs -- second on the team to Terry Tiffee's 21. Repko was given a rare rest Saturday night by 51s manager Lorenzo Bundy, who said he's confident Repko's offense will catch up to his defense.

"Repko is a well above-average major league outfielder," Bundy said. "Being away from a game like baseball, where it's a continuous grind, and to be away from it for almost two years, it's tough to get back and take off right away."

• NOTES -- Kevin Howard hit a grand slam, and John Lindsey followed with a two-run homer as Las Vegas scored eight runs in the sixth inning Saturday in a 18-2 victory over Portland. ... The announced crowd of 9,005 at Cashman Field was the 51s' season high.