Pough surprises Indians By HOLLY CAIN Tribune Staff Writer AVON PARK Clyde "Pork Chop" Pough's nickname is a little bizarre. FortuDOWN ON nately for the Avon Park naTHE FARM tive, his hitting also is anything but ordinary. When you're flirting with .300, being mentioned in Baseball Weekly and starting in the Double-A All-Star game, you can go by any name you want. Even the national statistics compiled by Howe Sportsdata list him only as Pork Chop Pough, a name given to him as a youngster. "It's a long story," Pough Pough says. Now in his fifth professional season, Pough finally is developing into the player Cleveland projected him to be when it selected him third in the 1988 amateur draft out of Avon Park High. The timing couldn't be better, since Pough, a right-handed-hitting first baseman for the Canton-Akron Indians, is a free agent at the end of this season. "Chop has had a good year and I think kind of surprisingly so within MINOR-LEAGUE STATISTICS HOMETOWN/SCHOOL PLAYER Lake Wales Barnhardt, Chad Lakeland Cuyler, Milt Polk CC Dillingham, Daniel Winter Haven Gibson, Derrick Lakeland Hare, Shawn Lake Wales Irvis, Damon Polk CC Kimsey, Keith Avon Park Pough, Pork Chop Florida Southern Scolaro, Donald Florida Southern Sobolewski, Mark HOMETOWN/SCHOOL PITCHER Florida Southern Bottalico, Ricky Polk CC Cafaro, Rocco Florida Southern Dalton, Brian Lakeland Dolson, Andy Florida Southern Gaillard, Eddie Polk CC Gordon, Anthony Polk CC Hardwick, Bubba Florida Southern Hurst, James Frostproof Manley, Kevin Florida Southern Szimanski, Tom Florida Southern Townsend, Richard Sebring White, Gabe the organization," Canton-Akron manager Ted Kubiak said. "They were looking for him to do something this year and he's really been the most consistent hitter on this team, really taken to this league. "We always knew he had the power. The problem in the past has been the breaking ball, but he's really been working on that. Now every approach to every at-bat is the same, day-to-day. "It's a case of him growing up. Some players do and some don't; the ones that don't, don't make it." Pough went 1-for-2 and scored a run in the Double-A All-Star game Monday. At the midpoint of the season, he's batting .295 with a teamhigh .540 slugging percentage. Two games back from his allstar appearance, Pough notched his team-leading 15th home run and © 1994 Howe (Through POS TEAM C Red Sox OF Toledo OF Eugene OF Bend OF Norfolk OF Twins OF Lakeland 1B Canton-Akrn SS Auburn 2B Huntsville TEAM CL Reading AA Albany A Helena R Dunedin Lakeland El Paso AA El Paso AA Tulsa AA Mets c Bellingham Salem Ottawa AAA Sportsdata International Wednesday ) CL ORG AVG G AB R H 28 3B HR RBI SB R Red Sox .000 3 0 0 0 0 AAA Tigers .313 16 2 5 0 0 - Royals .270 18 63 14 17 3 3 13 3 A Rockies .305 25 105 20 32 10 5 5 26 3 AAA Mets .299 52 187 30 56 12 25 R Twins .200 10 30 2 6 0 2 - A Tigers .196 74 285 25 56 12 3 29 AA Indians .290 75 276 45 80 19 2 15 50 3 Astros .290 18 62 12 18 03 2 8 2 AA Athletics .273 88 330 65 90 25 4 5 37 2 ORG W-L Era G GS SV IP H BB SO Phillies 1-1 3.32 20 0 11 21.2 16 7 27 Orioles 2-4 5.18 20 0 41.2 43 19 35 Blue Brewers 0-0 0-0 2.61 .00 0 10.1 3.0 6 2 4 00 Jays N Tigers 3-1 3.14 16 9 -00000000 66.0 63 19 39 Brewers 1-0 5.29 15 17.0 14 26 11 Brewers 0-0 .00 2 2.2 3 2 Rangers 3-1 3.70 4 24.1 26 9 Mets 0-1 5.40 5 10.0 16 6 Expos 3-2 4.28 6 6 33.2 29 16 Pirates 4-3 6.53 34 41.1 42 19 Mariners 2-0 4.09 9 11.0 13 10 PEONS 50th RBI. Every year since 1991, Pough has recorded at least 11 home runs and had at least 50 RBIs. Pough's numbers might be more impressive this season except for missing 10 games in May after spraining his elbow in a collision at the plate. When Pough returned, he went on a 17-game hitting streak from June 1-18. Pough hits between third and fifth in the order - the foundation of the Canton-Akron lineup - so he doesn't see many fastballs. His ability to hit off-speed pitches has made success more satisfying. It's something Pough concentrated on in the off-season with the help of his pitching cousins, Tom "Flash" Gordon, a starter for Kansas City, and Anthony Gordon, a reliever for Milwaukee's Double-A El Paso team. "I think everything's just coming together now," Pough said. "I worked real hard during the offseason and one of my goals was to make the All-Star team. "I knew a lot of scouts would be there and it would b be a great opportunity. The first person I called was Flash. "This is by far the best season for me, with the power, for sure. My main goal is to be consistent. That's what I'm most proud of." It's not the first time Pough has turned heads within the Cleveland organization. In 1991, he started the season in Class A and finished in Triple-A, going 0-for-2 in two games. "Cleveland's going to have to make a decision and Chop has definitely given them food for thought," Kubiak said.