Hot-hitting Abreu awaits phone call from Dodgers

Dodgers manager Grady Little already knows his name, and before long most Los Angeles fans may know it as well.

51s infielder Tony Abreu has risen rapidly through the Dodgers' system since being signed as a 17-year-old, and it appears only a matter of time before the Dominican prospect reaches the majors.

Abreu, 22, leads the 51s with a .352 average, 29 runs and 50 hits. The latter total also leads the Pacific Coast League.

"I'm preparing myself for a phone call, whenever it may come," Abreu said through a translator Friday. "My job is to keep playing well so if they need me, I'll be ready to go. I think I'm close, but I have to continue to work hard."

51s manager Lorenzo Bundy predicts a bright future for Abreu, whose 12-game hitting streak ended in a 19-5 loss to the RedHawks before a sellout crowd of 9,462 on fireworks night at Cashman Field.

"He has the potential to be an everyday player in the big leagues, probably at second base, which is his natural position," Bundy said. "He could probably be a super utility player, also. Tony's going to have a nice major league career."

Abreu leads off for the 51s (15-19) and has played mostly second base and shortstop, but he's been at third base since Andy LaRoche was called up to the Dodgers on Sunday.

"We're supposed to move (Abreu) around," Bundy said. "He's very comfortable at second and short, and he's getting a lot better at third. He's a natural middle infielder."

Abreu also appears to be a natural at the plate. This season he got eight straight hits in a two-game span at Colorado Springs and had hitting streaks of eight and six games.

Abreu, who had a career-best 16-game hitting streak in 2004, was 0-for-3 with two walks Friday. He said patience at the plate has been a virtue this season as he tries to overcome a habit of swinging at balls outside the strike zone.

Abreu's hot start comes on the heels of a sizzling spring training, during which he hit .340 and was named the top Dodgers rookie of camp. He also had a good spring last year, wowing Los Angeles general manager Ned Colletti.

"The impressions you leave in spring training can go a long way and Tony Abreu is a great example," Colletti said. "He had a great spring and opened people's eyes. Grady Little is always asking about him."

Abreu, ranked the Dodgers' fifth-best prospect by Baseball America, has improved at each level. In 2003 he led the Gulf Coast League Dodgers with a .294 average. In 2004 he hit .301 in 104 games at Class A Columbus, then .419 in 11 games at Class A Vero Beach of the Florida State League.

The 5-foot-9-inch, 185-pounder hit .327 at Vero Beach in 2005, then starred at Double-A Jacksonville last year, hitting .287 with six homers and 55 RBIs in 118 games before joining the 51s.

"He has been very impressive," Bundy said. "Everybody said he can play, but now he's showing all phases of the game."