ARMED & READY? DODGERS HOPE HUNDLEY'S ELBOW WILL PASS THE TEST.

Byline: Brian Dohn Daily News Staff Writer

The incision starts a few inches below Todd Hundley's elbow and ends with two prongs, each about half-an-inch long, a few inches above the inside of his elbow, at the bottom of his bicep.

When Hundley raises his arm, the jagged four-inch scar looks like a divining rod. But there is nothing divine about it.

Hundley's been looking at that scar for 18 months. The Dodgers, and the rest of baseball, will look at it for the next six months. They'll monitor it closely, because much of the team's chances this season are tied to that elbow. So much of what the Dodgers want to accomplish hinges on Hundley, including how the batting order shapes up and how the pitching staff is handled.

The league will watch because catchers don't come back from reconstructive elbow surgery, mainly because they don't attempt the improbable.

Hundley is testing the theory, hoping to set a precedent for catchers, as Tommy John did for pitchers. But there are risks.

``I think (catchers) are more likely to throw off balance, so you're concerned about that,'' said Dodgers team physician Dr. Frank Jobe. ``I don't think we're worried about Todd. I think he's going to be all right.''

So did the Mets. Or at least that's what they're saying now.

``He had finished (last) season healthy, had caught a couple games and was fine,'' Mets general manager Steve Phillips said. ``Our plan was if we didn't sign Mike (Piazza) we would have gone with Todd. He would have been our everyday catcher.''

Instead, the Mets signed Piazza, the former Dodgers icon, to a $91 million contract, then traded Hundley to the Dodgers. Hundley said the elbow was fine in December, and everyone else agreed.

Those statements reverberated around Dodgertown this spring, even when Hundley wasn't catching during the first week of Grapefruit League games. The Dodgers elected to err on the side of extreme caution when it came to Hundley's elbow.

That pattern continued after Hundley whacked the ball in the batting cage for more than 30 minutes on March 9, aggravating his forearm muscle and causing inflammation in his elbow. It pushed his spring catching debut back two weeks.

When Hundley caught Wednesday against the Houston Astros, it marked the first time he caught back-to-back games this spring. To him, it demonstrated his readiness to be in the lineup opening day.

``I think I could go four or five days (a week),'' Hundley said. ``Whatever they want to do.''

Pitchers are listening

The Dodgers are eager for Hundley to be healthy and at the same time, eager not to rush him. At his best, he offers so much that general manager Kevin Malone has staked a large portion of his reputation on acquiring Hundley.

Malone traded Charles Johnson, the premier defensive catcher in the National League, for Hundley, a guy whose value can't be measured by mere numbers.

Players gravitate to Hundley. They believe him, and in him.

Hundley has caught four games this spring. Twice he caught Kevin Brown, once Ismael Valdes and once Darren Dreifort. None before last Tuesday, but that didn't matter. They still listened to him.

Hundley caught bullpen sessions with each of the Dodgers starters, and after receiving a handful of pitches he was ready and able to talk about release points and mechanics.

In Valdes' last outing, he gave up a 430-foot, two-run homer to Atlanta's Chipper Jones in the first inning. Before the ball landed, Hundley was making his way to the mound. Valdes pitched 6-2/3 scoreless innings after that.

``He came over and said, `Throw inside. Let's go,' '' Valdes said. ``He communicated. He's a great catcher. He gives you a good location to throw the ball. He's a good communicator.''

Mets closer John Franco gave Hundley the ultimate catching compliment, saying he had complete trust in the pitches Hundley called.

``He takes charge on the field and the pitcher responds to him,'' Franco said. ``He's a stand-up guy. He's not one of those guys you have to worry about. I knew when Todd called a pitch, I could throw it and not worry.''

`He's mechanically pure'

There is pressure on Hundley to perform well. After all, he's replacing one of the greatest, most dynamic, offensive catchers in Piazza. He is also replacing Johnson, one of the top defensive catchers in the game.

``I'm not Mike Piazza, and Mike Piazza's not me. I'm not here to fill his shoes,'' Hundley said. ``I didn't even realize, until people started to point it out to me, that we were trading teams. I didn't even think about that. I was thinking of Charles Johnson. Charles Johnson is a quality catcher.''

The blend Hundley brings behind the plate is alluring. He's more than a shade behind both Johnson and Piazza in their specialties, but his overall package surpasses both of them easily.

Privately, Dodgers officials said Piazza's deficiencies behind the plate cost the team, on average, three-fourths of a run per game. And Johnson's offense was weak. He hit .217 and struck out 99 times in 102 games with the Dodgers last season. In a Dodgers lineup dominated by righties, Hundley's power and switch-hitting ability is welcomed.

``For this team to be successful, you hope that Todd comes in and he can hit .260, .270,'' Dodgers first baseman Eric Karros said. ``You hope that he can hit 20 home runs, drive in 70 runs and play 130 games. He does that, that's a successful year.''

In the two seasons before the elbow surgery, Hundley hit a combined .265 with 71 homers, 53 doubles and 198 RBI. In 1996, Hundley set the major-league record for homers by a catcher with 41.

But the Dodgers need Hundley behind the plate more than they need his offense. His possible backups - Angel Pena, Paul Lo Duca and Rick Wilkins - are competent but don't possess his leadership qualities.

Before the surgery, Hundley was throwing out approximately 30 percent of would-be base stealers. Dodgers third-base coach Rick Dempsey, who managed Hundley last season at Triple-A Norfolk in the Mets organization, said that number should rise to 40 percent this season.

``When he first came in the game, he was considered more of a defensive player,'' said Dempsey, a former Dodgers catcher. ``I think the offense took over for a while, but you can see Todd putting the concentration back into his defense. He's about as mechanically pure as you can get. I watched him throw. His release point is pure. His footwork is good. His set-up is OK. That's something he's working on all the time. The set-up is getting back to where it used to be.''

Surgery means changes

There is so much more to Hundley's game than his throwing, but throwing is the only concern. The elbow is fine. Anyone linked to the Dodgers will assure you of that.

No one, however, goes through the surgery and rehab unchanged. The injury forced Hundley to alter his baseball personality. In the two seasons before his injury, he caught 285 games. The Dodgers would love him to catch 120 this season.

It's called scaling back, and Hundley isn't used to that. Even if he's banging dirt from his cleats, he does it with purpose and passion, and he does it with full energy and force.

That comes from his upbringing, from being around baseball for so long. His father, Randy, was a big-league catcher from 1964 to 1978 with the Giants, Cubs, Twins and Padres. It's an attitude Dodgers manager Davey Johnson said was prevalent when Hundley was in the minor leagues with the Mets.

``He was feisty, a tough kid,'' Johnson said. ``A lot like his father, only a better hitter. His father taught him well. He takes pride in both aspects of the game.''

If he wants to throw the ball around the backyard with one of his four children, he has to make sure he's doing it with proper mechanics. Some days he'll soak his elbow in a whirlpool before throwing. Other days the elbow will be massaged.

Afterward, the protocol is 15 minutes of icing. Every day.

``You have to be smart, which I'm learning. On the days you feel great, those are the days to take it easy,'' Hundley, 29, said. ``I have to make sure this isn't something that bothers me later in life. I don't want to wake up one day after I'm done playing and not be able to straighten my arm.''

It's more than numbers

Hundley is everything you want in a catcher - strong defensively, tough, smart, a leader. And he can hit.

That is why Malone traded for him. He weighed the risk of Hundley's elbow not lasting for baseball's marathon season against Hundley playing 120-or-so games. He liked his chances.

``I think with what he's accomplished in his career, I think his reputation precedes him as far as people knowing how much he loves the game,'' Malone said. ``They know about his passion, about his commitment, his work habits and his dedication. He's all about winning.

``When you meet him you recognize how genuine he is. There are no facades to him. His personality and his reputation and his work habits put him in a leadership position. It's more than numbers with him. That's what I liked.''

HITS AND . . .

1992: Set a Mets record for a catcher with a .996 fielding percentage.

1993: Set a Mets record for catchers with a 113-game errorless streak.

1994: Threw out 21 of 64 baserunners, sixth-best percentage in National League. Had first career multihomer game, against the Dodgers.

1996: Passed Roy Campanella's major-league mark for home runs by a catcher with 41. Caught 150 games, more than any catcher in the majors.

MISSES

1995: Went on DL in late July with a sprained wrist. Missed a month and had surgery Oct. 9 to remove bone spur.

1996: Had second surgery to remove bone spur from left wrist.

1998: Played in just 53 games, including 32 in left field, while rehabbing from offseason elbow surgery.

HUNDLEY's CAREER STATS

Yr. G AB R H HR RBI Avg.

1990 36 67 8 14 0 2 .209

1991 21 60 5 8 1 7 .133

1992 123 358 32 75 7 32 .209

1993 130 417 40 95 11 53 .228

1994 91 291 45 69 16 42 .237

1995 90 275 39 77 15 51 .280

1996 153 540 85 140 41 112 .259

1997 132 417 78 114 30 86 .273

1998 53 124 820 3 12 .161

A CLOSER LOOK

Who: Todd Hundley, Dodgers catcher

Age: 29

Resume: Acquired with minor-league pitcher Arnold Gooch from the Mets in trade for Charles Johnson and Roger Cedeno on Dec. 1, 1998. . . . Spent most of the 1998 season on the disabled list, recovering from reconstructive elbow surgery performed Sept. 26, 1997, by Mets team physician Dr. David Altcheck. Played in 53 games for the Mets, mostly during an ill-fated left- field experiment. Caught two games for the Mets. . . . Hit 30 homers in 1997, becoming the third Mets player to hit 30 homers or more in back-to-back seasons. Hit homers from both sides of the plate against Colorado and Cincinnati, the fourth and fifth times he accomplished that. . . . Established a major-league record for catchers with 41 homers in 1996, surpassing Roy Campanella's mark. The record was also a National League mark for switch hitters. Caught 150 games, most in the majors, making him the 18th catcher all-time to catch 150 games in a season. Also drove in 112 runs. . . . In 1995 hit a career-high .280. . . . In 1992 had a .996 fielding percentage to establish a Mets record. Made three errors in 751 chances.

CAPTION(S):

2 Photos, 2 Boxes

PHOTO (1--Color) Dodgers catcher Todd Hundley is attempting an improbable comeback from elbow surgery.

Richard Drew/Associated Press

(2) TODD HUNDLEY

BOX: (1) HITS AND . . . MISSES (see text)

(2) HUNDLEY`s CAREER STATS (see text)