DODGERS' SECOND CHOICES : FIVE BATTLE FOR KEYSTONE START.

Byline: Kevin Acee Daily News Staff Writer

The battle for the final spot on the pitching staff is between two guys, and one of them isn't expected to be wearing a Dodgers uniform in April.

The only question in the outfield is whether or not Brett Butler is going to play. If he doesn't, there might be a competition for the center-field spot.

There are recent Rookies of the Year in left and right fields, behind the plate and at first base. Veterans have locked up the left side of the infield.

Only at second base is there a battle of any intrigue. There, a kid with a lightning-quick bat and Rookie of the Year potential and a confident utility man who struggled last season are the leading candidates.

A nomadic veteran, a steady kid more likely to spend his summer in Albuquerque and a potential Golden Glove who has trouble at the plate also are competing for the job.

It's a little early - and far-fetched - to be thinking of right now, but the situation the Dodgers find themselves in at second base reminds Fred Claire just a little bit of those in the Dodgers outfield in previous years. The National League's top rookie emerged from there in 1994 and '96.

``I think it's great for us to have four young guys who get a chance to compete, who have the type of talent to win a major-league job,'' said Claire, the club's executive vice president.

What's important to remember is the Dodgers need a potential leadoff hitter in case Butler retires.

Following is a look at the five men who are competing to be the Dodgers' starting second baseman:

Wilton Guerrero: The fastest player in the organization is the leading candidate.

Said pitcher Pedro Astacio: ``Every year he hits .300, so . . .''

Guerrero, who was timed at 4.51 seconds in the 40-yard dash, hit .344 last season at Triple-A Albuquerque. The switch-hitter won the Dominican Winter League batting title with a single in his last at-bat, finishing with a .342 average.

Guerrero gained 15 pounds over the winter. And his feet aren't his only fast appendages. His quick hands allow him to do some things with the bat that excite coaches.

``Opponents can't defend the way he hits,'' said Ron Roenicke, the hitting instructor at Albuquerque last season. ``He'll hit the opposite way his first time at bat. The next time he'll pull it down the first-base line. The third baseman has to be way in, because he can bunt any time. You want to play him in shallow, because he hits those shallow line drives. Then he'll hit it over your head.''

The thing is, the 22-year-old Guerrero is just learning the second-base position. He moved there from shortstop for the first time at the end of last season and played there in the winter.

``It feels good,'' he said. ``I feel a little bit (more) natural.''

If Butler can't play, and even if he can, Guerrero's potential at the plate might be too much to pass on.

``He can make enough plays (in the field) that his bat will carry him,'' said catcher Ken Huckaby, who played with Guerrero over the winter.

Chad Fonville: Had he hit better than .204 last season he might not be fighting for a job.

After batting .278 with 20 stolen bases and starting almost the entire second half of the season in 1995, Fonville was relegated to a utility role last year. It was of his own doing as much as opposing pitchers.

``I could have made a lot of adjustments,'' he said. ``The pitchers knew me and they were better than I was.''

Fonville, who will be 27 on Wednesday, arrived in camp this year with a renewed drive, a no-nonsense attitude and an air of cockiness. Fonville played all over the field last season and should be kept as a utility player if he doesn't win the job outright.

``I feel like this is my job to be taken away,'' said Fonville, who at 5-foot-6 is the shortest Dodger. ``I've got more experience than these guys. I have a great chance to be the guy. . . . I can't say I lost my position, because I wasn't an everyday player. I have a better chance this year. It's my position to be taken.''

Juan Castro: The idea of this guy playing next to him on the right side excites Eric Karros.

``Castro has the best hands in the organization,'' Karros said.

But in 70 games with the Dodgers last season Castro hit .197 (26 for 132).

``I know I've got some hands,'' said the 24-year-old Castro. ``But I also have to do my job hitting. I've got to work hard, especially on hitting.''

Roenicke believes the hitting can come around if Castro wills it.

``I think Juan is a pretty good hitter,'' Roenicke said. ``He just has to realize it.''

Jeff Berblinger: He's the nondescript candidate. He works hard. He hits OK. He fields OK.

``There's nothing I can do great,'' said the 26-year-old, who played last year at Arkansas, St. Louis' Double-A affiliate. He hit .288 with 11 home runs and 32 steals.

``We've heard a lot of good things about him,'' said manager Bill Russell.

Nelson Liriano: Claimed on waivers from Pittsburgh in November, he is the veteran.

``We know what he can do,'' Russell has said many times of Liriano, who has played parts of 10 seasons with five clubs.

Liriano's most distinguished season was 1989, when he batted .263 in 143 games for Toronto. In a five-day span in April of that year he hit a triple in the ninth inning to ruin Nolan Ryan's no-hit bid and a double to take away Kirk McCaskill's no-hitter.

He appeared in 112 games and hit .267 for Pittsburgh last season. He had 24 starts at second base, seven at third and three at shortstop.

SECOND SEASONING

Major-league experience for the Dodgers' second-base candidates:

Player Years Days

Nelson Liriano 6 125

Chad Fonville 1 154

Juan Castro 1 12

Wilton Guerrero 0 29

Jeff Berblinger 0 0

CAPTION(S):

Photo, Box

Photo: (color) Chad Fonville considers the second-base position his to lose, but he hit only .204 last year for the Dodgers.

Daily News File Photo