Maza provides plenty of laughs, hits for 51s

Whether he's dancing around and singing a song or imitating a teammate's mannerisms, Luis Maza keeps everyone loose in the 51s' clubhouse.

Maza, 27, a 5-foot-9-inch, 180-pound utilityman from Venezuela, had Las Vegas slugger John Lindsey in stitches before Friday's 4-3 comeback win over Memphis at Cashman Field as he sang along to The Scorpions' "Gorky Park."

"That's why we play this song. He knows this song word for word," Lindsey said. "He's the life of the party on the team. He's always doing something funny. He imitates everybody on the team. He's an awesome guy."

Maza also has been an awesome hitter this season for Las Vegas.

He compiled a team-best 19-game hitting streak from April 11 to May 3, hit .400 in April and entered Friday with the fourth-best batting average (.389) and on-base percentage (.457) in the Pacific Coast League.

Maza, who has a home run, two triples, seven doubles and 15 RBIs, drilled a double off the wall in right-center field in the third inning to extend his current hit streak to four games, and he has hit safely in 23 of 24 contests.

He went 1-for-3 with a walk and sacrifice bunt Friday as his average dipped a point to .388.

Maza, who hit .330 in 68 games last season for the 51s, led off and started at shortstop Friday before moving to second base in the eighth inning. A versatile fielder, Maza also has played third base, right field and left field this year.

"He's a very interesting player. You don't see many guys that can do that," Las Vegas manager Lorenzo Bundy said. "When you find guys like that, they stick around for a long time."

Maza originally signed with the Minnesota Twins in 1997 as an undrafted free agent and spent the first nine years of his career in their organization.

He entered this season with a .273 average in 911 career games but had struggled at the plate for over a year before getting promoted to the 51s.

He hit only .207 in 2006 for Triple-A Rochester and .237 in 26 games for Double-A Jacksonville last season.

"It's easier to hit in Triple A than Double A," Maza said with teammate Angel Chavez serving as an interpreter. "You see more strikes from pitchers here. In Double A, they want to throw harder."

Maza said "he wants to keep working hard so he can get to the big leagues."

One area he needs to improve is his speed.

"He doesn't run that well, but he knows how to play," Bundy said. "He's a good baserunner, but his raw running speed is just not there."

Still, Bundy said Maza has the potential to play in the majors.

"He may not be the answer right now, but he may be some time later on in the summer," Bundy said. "He does all the things for him to have success."

Including keeping a positive attitude.

"You always have to be happy playing ball and have fun," he said.

Contact reporter Todd Dewey at (702) 383-0354 or tdewey@reviewjournal.com.