IT SHOULD BE A HORSE RACE FOR ROOKIE OF THE YEAR.

Byline: TIM BROWN

The manager in Montreal said he'd probably vote for F.P. Santangelo, if indeed he had a vote. The guy in Miami said Edgar Renteria. The man in Pittsburgh said Jason Kendall, in a landslide. Here, beneath the deep blue guise, they see no one but Todd Hollandsworth.

There's something about watching a rookie every day, watching him grow into a major-leaguer, that stirs the heart of a manager, and his lineup.

Four, and maybe five, National League rookies could receive at least one first-place vote in a Rookie of the Year balloting whose field is as widespread and contested as any in recent memory.

Here, then, are the ROY boys, their chances of winning the thing, and their qualifications:

Todd Hollandsworth, Dodgers (5-1). Sure he'd be the fifth consecutive Dodger to win it, but if there was going to be a backlash it would have come last season, when voters had a reason to question Hideo Nomo's rookie qualifications. Hollandsworth leads a well-grouped band of rookies in hits, doubles, home runs, RBI and stolen bases. The knock on Hollandsworth is that he was a platoon player until this week, but only Rey Ordonez has more at-bats among rookies. He is batting .320 with runners in scoring position, second on the club to Mike Piazza. The fact is, he's doing all of this in a pennant race, with the walk of a veteran.

Jason Kendall, Pittsburgh Pirates (7-1). An All-Star catcher along with Piazza and Todd Hundley, Kendall gets as much credit for handling the Bucs' pitching staff as he does for his .303 average. What isn't often mentioned is that the Pirates rank 13th in the National League in team ERA, and their opponents are batting a sturdy .284. So, while Kendall is a catcher, he doesn't actually get to catch the ball very often. Offensively speaking, he could be the Brian Harper of the '90s and '00s.

F.P. Santangelo, Montreal Expos (12-1). Frank Payl has a .283 average, seven home runs and 55 RBI for a wild-card contender. Manager Felipe Alou called Santangelo, who has played all three outfield positions, as well as third base and second base, his team's MVP. He is second on the club in games played, leads with a .373 on-base percentage and has hit everywhere in the order but third, fourth and ninth. Said Alou, never one to Expos-e himself before: ``He's saved our ass three or four times because of injuries.''

Edgar Renteria, Florida Marlins (15-1). Some of his numbers stand with Hollandsworth's, his .307 batting average in particular, and he has solidified the Marlins at shortstop, where he has made only nine errors. Since the All-Star break, Renteria, an Ozzie Guillen personality, has batted .338. He took Kurt Abbott's job in May. Renteria is listed at 21 years old, but actually is 20, having doctored his birth certificate in Colombia five years ago so he could sign a professional contract. He and second baseman Luis Castillo, 21, make up the youngest everyday double-play combination in National League history.

Rey Ordonez, New York Mets (25-1). Only the New York style factor, and all of the early hype that went with it, allows him this much of a chance. He is slick, and his release certainly does approach that of Ozzie's, but he frequently bungles the routine plays in between the highlight-reel specials. He has 27 errors, despite some kind scoring in Flushing. His .262 batting average exceeds most expectations, but in 462 at-bats he has 15 extra-base hits and 25 RBI.

Alan Benes, St. Louis Cardinals (25-1). The little brother of Andy, who will grab a few runner-up Cy Young votes, Alan is 13-9 for a division contender. Nomo won it last year with 13 wins, though Benes doesn't have the flashy strikeout total or ERA. His 4.86 ERA speaks for some pretty fair run support. He has 12 wins as a starter, and the Cardinals have not won another game in which he started.

The land of 10,000 lakes and 3,000 hits: Apparently, the road to the Hall of Fame winds through Minneapolis, which is great if you need something at that big mall they have there.

Paul Molitor is approaching 3,000 hits, which means he got into a Minnesota Twins uniform just in time.

Eddie Murray, the last player to reach 3,000 hits, did it last season as a Cleveland Indian, against the Twins. Dave Winfield, two years before that, was a member of the Twins for his 3,000th. Eleven years ago, Rod Carew slapped his 3,000th hit against the Twins, for the Angels.

Between Carew and Winfield, George Brett and Robin Yount did not participate in the Twins factor. They were, however, in the same league at the time.

That's why they call him ``One-dog:'' Mets center fielder Lance Johnson is on the verge of becoming the first player to lead both leagues in hits over consecutive seasons.

He had 186 hits for the Chicago White Sox last season, signed as a free agent with the Mets during the winter, and his 204 hits through this week are burying the rest of the National League field.

Imagine what all those hits could do for a good team - like the White Sox.

Johnson, 33, is the first National Leaguer to have 200 hits since 1989, when Tony Gwynn had 203. He also has 19 triples and is among the best defensive center fielders in the game, and that means frequently running down the balls that deflect off Ordonez.

And he probably won't be back next season: Benito Santiago leads the Philadelphia Phillies with 25 home runs, which are 18 more than the next closest remaining guys. J.R. Phillips, a minor-leaguer for a lot of the season, and Mike Lieberthal, the backup catcher, each have seven.

The Phillies jettisoned home-run threats Pete Incaviglia and Todd Zeile to Baltimore, which led to . . .

A lot of big hitters for the Orioles: On Tuesday night, Baltimore's starting lineup was composed of nine players with 20-or-more home runs.

Gee whiz, G-man: Gary Gaetti, who had 2-1/2 very forgettable seasons in Southern California followed by a large check with a halo on it, is being given a lot of the credit for the St. Louis Cardinals' second-half rise in the National League Central.

Of his 72 RBI, 62 have come since June 1, and his 12 game-winning RBI - someone still keeps that statistic - lead the Cardinals. He also is batting .306 since July 1.

Once considered a temporary fix, Gaetti, 38, might have altered the Cardinals' grand plan, in which John Mabry would move from first to third and long-time prospect Dmitri Young would take over at first base.

Instead, the Cardinals have entered into preliminary talks to sign Gaetti beyond this season.

THE NINTH INNING

The Giants are 23-51 since June 21, and it couldn't have happened to a nicer left fielder.

Jose Canseco is expected to rejoin the Boston Red Sox lineup this week.

Kansas City Royals left-hander Jose Rosado, a rookie, has a 6-5 record and a 2.67 ERA.

In case you're worried about the Colorado Rockies: They play seven of their final 10 games on the road.

Dodgers hitting instructor Reggie Smith said that he will continue to work with Delino DeShields this winter, even if DeShields is no longer with the club, a very likely scenario. Smith feels that in some ways he failed DeShields, who needs an off-season overhaul.

Expansion brings parity: On Wednesday, there wasn't a team in either league with a .600 winning percentage.

If Jim Leyland really wants out of Pittsburgh - and who wouldn't - the Florida Marlins are plenty interested, at any price. The Marlins need a big name to sell tickets. The name, apparently, isn't Charo. Now in her 60s, she led Joe Robbie Stadium recently in a rousing rendition of the Macarena.

MEMO: Staff Writer Tim Brown's baseball column appears Sundays in the Daily News.

CAPTION(S):

Photo, Box

Photo: In the midst of a pennant race, Todd Hollandswo rth is batting .320 with runners in scoring position, second in the club to Mike Piazza.

Daily News File Photo

Box: THE NINTH INNING (see text)