FOUR HOPEFULS OUT TO MAKE CAREERS SPRING FORWARD DODGERS' NON-ROSTER INVITEES HAVE DIFFERENT PATHS, SAME GOAL.

Byline: Rich Hammond Staff Writer

VERO BEACH, Fla. - When every at-bat or inning pitched could mean the difference between a $300,000 salary or long bus rides in the minor leagues, there isn't much time for relaxation.

For most of the Dodgers players, the six-plus weeks they spend in spring training is necessary only to stretch out their arms and legs and get ready for the real games. But for others, these are the real games, a chance to impress and get a first - or perhaps final - opportunity to play in the major leagues.

The Dodgers invited 25 non-roster players to spring training this year. Some of them, such as Franklin Gutierrez, James Loney and Greg Miller, are presumed future stars who are here simply to get experience. But many others are in search of their dreams, hoping the Dodgers' coaching staff will take notice.

Providing hope for these players are pitchers Wilson Alvarez and Tom Martin, both of whom were believed to be washed up when they arrived as non-roster players last spring.

But both pitchers made the team and made substantial contributions for the Dodgers in 2003.

Here are the stories of four players whose major-league dreams hang in the balance this spring:

The overlooked

John Barnes said he didn't think too much of it at the time - that day when his father, Daryl, offered to write letters to major-league teams and try to get his son a job.

Barnes, 27, already had been through five organizations since 1996 and hadn't stuck anywhere. He figured it couldn't hurt if his father mailed his resume to major-league teams.

``He read me the letter he wanted to send, and I said, 'Sure, why not? Go for it,' '' Barnes said. ``My dad thought I had been overlooked, and at the time I figured it couldn't hurt anything.''

What started with a shrug turned into a boon for Barnes, because before long, several teams had responded to his father's letter.

Of course, it also didn't hurt that Barnes hit .323 with 13 home runs, 69 RBI and 15 stoles bases in 120 Triple-A games last year, but the letter made Barnes stand out.

``I was just overwhelmed that teams would respond to a loving father,'' Barnes said.

``My dad told me that if I didn't have the talent, there was nothing he could have done. He was just trying to get teams to take a look at me.''

Barnes had several offers but chose the Dodgers. He's a utility player, with 20 games of major-league experience with Minnesota in 2000 and 2001 and he's likely to start the season with the Dodgers' Triple-A team in Las Vegas.

The hot hand

Luis Garcia hit what could be known as this century's ``Shot Heard 'Round the World.''

Garcia, 25, hit a solo home run for the Mexican national team in the ninth inning, the winning run in a game that knocked the United States out of the Olympic qualifying tournament last November.

Until that point, Garcia was little more than a middling minor leaguer who played for three organizations in three seasons and hit .215 in 122 games with Cleveland's Triple-A affiliate last season.

After the home run, however, Garcia became something of an international sensation.

``Right afterward, I had no idea it would be a big deal,'' Garcia said. ``I was happy and my teammates were happy, but then after the game we realized what a big deal it was for our country and for baseball.

``I guess that kind of thing doesn't happen every day.''

Mexico didn't qualify for the Olympics either, because it lost two days later to Canada, but Garcia turned in a great performance in a Mexican winter league and earned a spring invitation from the Dodgers.

``That (home run) helped me,'' Garcia said. ``I got my confidence back, and I started hitting again.''

The comeback

By early 2003, Jose Lima's only job was driving his 4-year-old son, Jose Jr., to school every day.

Lima, four years removed from a 21-win season and only 30 years old, was out of baseball after three miserable seasons and questions about his raucous personality in the clubhouse.

``One day my son says, 'Daddy, do you play baseball anymore?' '' Lima said. ``I said, 'No, nobody wants your daddy's services. Daddy's no good anymore.' He said, 'Daddy, you're the best.' From that day, I said, 'No matter what, I'm not quitting.' ''

Lima's renewed passion took him to the independent-league Newark Bears, where he was a teammate of Rickey Henderson and made $3,000 per month - ``My phone bill is higher than that,'' Lima said, jokingly.

A strong stint in Newark earned Lima a minor-league contract with Kansas City, and he won his first seven decisions with the Royals and finished 8-3 in 14 starts.

That still wasn't good enough to earn Lima a major-league contract, so now he's here with the Dodgers, a team he has little chance of making because of their pitching depth.

Lima said that even if things don't work out with the Dodgers, he's prepared to keep his dream alive, even if it means playing in ``Mexico, Japan, wherever.''

``It's still 'Lima Time,' '' Lima said. ``There's a lot of 'Lima Time' left.''

The journeyman

Tanyon Sturtze walked to his locker, sat down and dropped his head. Sturtze had just completed a poor spring-training outing, one he knew he couldn't afford.

Sturtze, an 11-game winner for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in 2001, is with his fifth organization and fighting to stay in the majors.

At age 33, he has almost zero chance of breaking camp with the Dodgers, and is trying to attract the attention of at least one of the scouts watching the Dodgers' exhibition games.

A bad outing like the one Sturtze had Friday, when he allowed four runs on six hits in 2 1/3 innings, is reason for despair, but Sturtze said he remains focused on his goal.

``In this position, you have to think, 'major leagues or bust,' '' Sturtze said. ``If you don't think that way, you're already defeated. You have to keep a positive attitude, even when things don't go well.''

Sturtze went 11-12 for the Devil Rays in 2001 and was their opening-day starter in 2002, but finished that season 4-18 with a 5.18 ERA and was jettisoned to Toronto, where he made 40 appearances (including eight starts) and had a 5.94 ERA.

``It's tough being a non-roster guy, because you have to be that much better than the guys who already have jobs,'' Sturtze said. ``There's some pressure to show that you can still play.

``I still think it's fun though. Once the fun is gone, it's time to go home.''

Rich Hammond, [phone]

rich.hammond(at)dailynews.com

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(color) John Barnes' story as a Dodgers non-roster invitee is unique in that his father's letter-mailing campaign got him noticed.

Jon Soohoo/L.A. Dodgers