NEWHALL PITCHER DREAMS OF SHOT AT MAJOR LEAGUE; VETERAN PLAYER SEEKS NEW START.

Byline: Stacy Brown Daily News Staff Writer

Dennis Moeller remembers the first time he donned the blue-and-white uniform of the Kansas City Royals.

It was the spring of 1990 and the left-handed pitcher had finally been called up to the major leagues after struggling for four years on the Royals' farm team. But a strike by the players union and subsequent lockout by the owners cut short the hopes of Moeller and many other aspiring major-leaguers.

``They told us to leave after about 10 minutes,'' said Moeller, a Newhall resident who was a star pitcher at Valley College.

Moeller saw the 1990 opportunity as his best shot at the majors because the organization had no other southpaws. And while he was disappointed by his abridged stint with the Royals, the experience didn't sour him on America's favorite pastime.

``I just want another shot,'' Moeller, now 30, said as he prepared for an outing on his personal comeback tour with the Oxnard Suns, a local semi-pro league filled with those who aspire to just a small taste of glory.

``I know I can get back because I'm smarter and more mature now,'' he said.

Moeller - who closely watches the career of another Valley College star, Boston Red Sox pitcher Brett Saberhagen - knows what it would take to get back to the big time.

After the 1990 disappointment, Moeller continued a minor league career, being called up a day or two here and there with the Royals, and later the Pittsburgh Pirates.

His cup of coffee in 1992 with the Pirates and spring stint in '95 with the Dodgers has left Moeller hungering for another shot. ``I am anxious to get back in pro ball, and I know I can do it.''

An average pitcher at Cleveland High School and a hanger-on at the minor league level for eight years, Moeller said he knows the only reason why teams may take an interest in his services is because he throws from the left side.

``I'd definitely be in another business if I was right handed,'' said Moeller, who has never known any employment outside of the sport he loves.

In the majors, where managers bring in relief specialists specifically to face a Barry Bonds or Ken Griffey and a set-up man to issue an intentional walk to a Mark McGwire, left-handed throwers remain a tough find.

``That's the thing, if I can add another 2 or 3 miles (per hour) on my fastball, I know people are going to want me,'' Moeller said.

With the Suns, Moeller has won six straight starts and has added a curve, slider and change-up to his repertoire.

``I'm a lot smarter and much more confident than ever. I'm just about ready,'' he said.

Moeller said he has kept his major league contacts, which include Atlanta Braves AAA manager Jeff Cox, former Dodger great Burt Hooten and Guy Hansen, the man who selected him with the 500th pick in the 1986 amateur draft for the Royals.

``He's a very poised guy, a (former St. Louis Cardinal pitcher) John Tudor type who has some deception, and when he's on he's got a (good) fastball,'' Hansen said.

In his eight-year stint in the minors, Moeller played for the Royals and Pittsburgh Pirate farm systems, compiling a decent 50-32 record with a 3.40 ERA. He appeared to finally catch a break in 1995 when he signed a free-agent contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

``It was great. I was having a decent spring and was hoping for perhaps a late season call-up, but I blew my arm out,'' Moeller said.

After reconstructive shoulder surgery, performed by the renowned Dr. Frank Jobe, Moeller was cut by the Dodgers and returned to Newhall looking for another line of work.

However, with major league memories following his every step, Moeller began an extensive rehabilitation stint in South America in 1996. He returned to Southern California last year, joining the Suns with the hope of returning to the pros.

``I've been keeping in shape, doing a lot of exercises, and now I think I'm about six starts from being ready to go back to the big time,'' he said.

Moeller knows he's a long way from the day his name was called in the 17th round of the amateur draft. He said he understands that semi-pro ball and even minor league baseball are very different as far as the competition.

However, Moeller also knows that he has an advantage given to him at birth: He's left-handed.

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PHOTO Dennis Moeller

Career disrupted by '90 strike