FLYING TIGERS; BIG-TIME ROOKIES KAPLER, WEAVER QUICKLY BECOMING TOAST OF DETROIT.

Byline: Joe Haakenson

If Jeff Weaver and Gabe Kapler believed those who evaluated their baseball talents, they might be pumping gas somewhere or flipping hamburgers.

But they didn't, and now Weaver, 22, and Kapler, 23, are two bright young stars playing for the Detroit Tigers.

Weaver, a 1994 graduate of Simi Valley High, is 3-2 with a 2.48 ERA in five starts. Kapler, a 1993 graduate of Taft High, is hitting .262 with three homers and nine RBI as the starting center fielder. But the fact Weaver and Kapler are in the big leagues at all says more than any numbers can.

Take Kapler, who admittedly needed a wake-up call to realize his potential. He earned a baseball scholarship to Cal State Fullerton after finishing up at Taft, but he didn't stay there long.

``I basically blew it,'' said Kapler, who stands 6-foot-2, weighs 209 pounds and is an avid body-builder. ``I didn't go to class, I didn't work hard and I partied way too much. They politely asked me to leave. It woke me up. It got me to change my life.''

Kapler ended up at Moorpark College. After one year there he was a 57th-round draft pick of the Tigers in 1995. Players drafted in the 57th round usually don't last long, but Kapler made an impression on Tigers manager Larry Parrish.

``I went to Jamestown, New York (the Tigers' short-season Single-A team), to look at some other players,'' Parrish said. ``I saw six games and I could tell he was a player. I don't know how he got missed (in the draft). I saw him play a week and he was the best player on the team.''

Kapler took it from there. After productive seasons in the minors in 1996 and '97, he put up huge numbers last season. He hit .322 with 28 homers and 146 RBI for Double-A Jacksonville and was named the Minor League Player of the Year by USA Today, Baseball Weekly and The Sporting News.

Meanwhile, Weaver had embarked on his own journey to the big time. He played on the junior varsity team at Simi Valley during his sophomore year but was discouraged enough to skip baseball altogether as a junior.

Then, it happened. Between his junior and senior years, Weaver grew from 5-foot-10 to 6-3. He played his senior season on the varsity but pitched only 19-2/3 innings, serving as the team's closer.

He received no college offers to play but had good enough grades to go to Fresno State, where he majored in physical therapy. He made Fresno State's club as a walk-on and manager Bob Bennett turned him into a pitcher - one good enough to make the 1996 Olympic team and strike out an NCAA-postseason record 21 against Texas A&M in 1997.

``I really was a late bloomer,'' said Weaver, who is now 6-5, 200 pounds. ``I started to grow into my body my senior year in high school, and in college I started gaining strength. . . . When I showed up at college I was really raw. I wasn't a pitcher, just a thrower. And coach Bennett is all about mechanics. He made me into a pitcher.''

Weaver was a first-round pick (14th selection overall) of the Tigers last June and made five starts at Single-A last summer. He began this season at Triple-A Toledo. After only one start, the Tigers called him up.

And that's where Weaver and Kapler's paths crossed. In order to make room for Weaver on the 25-man roster, the Tigers sent Kapler, who had made the team out of spring training, back to the minors.

``I'm still trying to recover from everything emotionally,'' Kapler said. ``It's going to take awhile to get comfortable.''

He can breathe a little easier now. On April 29, the Tigers traded center fielder Brian Hunter to the Mariners, opening the door for Kapler as the everyday starter in center.

Now, both are in the big leagues. And both, it seems, are there to stay.

``Obviously, they have the physical tools, but what we really like - and you could see it in the both of them in spring training - is they weren't intimidated when they walked on the field,'' Parrish said.

``And they still had respect for the game at the same time. A lot of guys are either too cocky or they don't feel they belong. These guys knew it wasn't going to be easy, but they also felt they could play here.''

How is it possible? How can a 57th-round pick and a mediocre high school player reach the big leagues? And do it so quickly?

``That's a good question,'' Kapler said. ``A lot of hard work. A lot of not believing what people were saying about you. I think I still have a lot of doubters, especially in the Valley. I have a lot of doubters, but now I think I have a lot of believers, too.''

``I keep in touch with a lot of my friends back home,'' Weaver said. ``We laugh about it, talking about where I was five years ago and where I am now.''

Weaver and Kapler never faced each other in high school, but they are impressed with each other now.

``I'm Weav's biggest fan,'' Kapler said. ``He's such a stud. He's going to be an incredible force in this game for years to come. He's such a tough competitor.''

``Everyone here has been awesome,'' Weaver said. ``They've made me feel comfortable, which has made it that much easier. I don't feel I have to prove myself.''

CAPTION(S):

3 Photos, Box

PHOTO (1--2--Color) Right-hander Jeff Weaver, left, and slugger Gabe Kapler are living large in Detroit, bringing a slice of the area to the Motor City.

Associated Press 

(3) After a short stint in Triple-A, Taft High's Gabe Kapler has become Detroit's everyday center fielder.

Duane Burleson/Associated Press

BOX: UNLIKELY PROS

Former area players Gabe Kapler (Taft High, Moorpark College) and Jeff Weaver (Simi Valley High) are both making significant contributions to the Detroit Tigers early on in the 1999 season.