THIS IS not just about a streak of home runs. There was more to Kevin Maas’ Yankees career. It was about building something for the future, a foundation of success in baseball and business.
The journey took him to Yankee Stadium, around the major leagues, Japan, Venezuela and Germany. Maas is a VP financial consultant with Charles Schwab in the Bay Area in these most interesting financial times.
“I always said that I tried to aim to be part of the best, whether it was my high school [Bishop O’Dowd], considered one of the best of the best in Northern California, Berkeley Engineering School, New York Yankees, Charles Schwab, it kind of goes along the same vein,” he said.
Maas, 44, fondly looks back on his years with the Yankees.
There was that Halley’s Comet home-run streak when he burst on the scene in the summer of 1990. In that stretch, Maas blasted 10 home runs in his first 77 at bats — a major league record, according to Elias Sports Bureau, eclipsed in 1998 when Shane Spencer bashed 10 home runs in his first 66 at-bats.
Four years after his historic run, Maas was making one more go of it with the Yankees after brief stops in San Diego, Cincinnati and the Twins. The first baseman was at Triple-A Columbus along with a young shortstop named Derek Jeter.
“Derek and I were locker buddies and I remember everybody teasing him about his lack of power. He had two home runs that year, of course Columbus was 355 down the left-field line,” Maas recalled. He remembered Jeter getting teased about something else, too. “He had a crush on Mariah Carey,” Maas said. “He listened to her music all the time.
“The next year I was in Japan and Derek was in the big leagues and I think he had 10 home runs and a little while later was dating
Mariah Carey,” Maas said with a laugh. “Dreams do come true — playing shortstop for the Yankees, hitting homers and dating Mariah Carey.”
Maas’ dreams came true, too, during his time with the Yankees. Drafted by the club in 1986, two years later he hit 28 home runs in the minors. He was called up to the majors in 1990 and it all came together. He finished with 21 home runs that season and 23 the next.
“I’m proud of what I did,” said Maas, who also set the home run record at Cal. “I came up on a roll from the minor leagues. My bat was ringing pretty loud, and the Yankees put me in the lineup right away. That early success gave me confidence. It wasn’t any magic or pixie dust or anything like that, it was just a lot of hard work and it was almost a yearlong groove for me.
“I had some great hitting instructors, too, Deron Johnson in 1988 at Double-A and Darrell Evans was instrumental in helping me turn the corner at the big league level, he taught me how to turn on the ball.”
With his background in mechanical engineering, what does he make of the new Yankee Stadium and the way baseballs are flying out of the place?
“It would be exhilarating to be able to play in that Stadium,” he said.
Maas said the Yankees were beginning to put the pieces of a championship together in the early ’90s, though those teams struggled.
“I think we were building something that led to that [World Series] success,” he said. “I really appreciated how the Yankee fans responded to the success that we had even though we were not champions. There’s nothing like playing in New York.”
Maas will travel to Cooperstown with his 12-year old son to play in the inaugural Hall of Fame Classic on Father’s Day. His daughter is a sophomore in high school and a talented volleyball player.
Maas stays in touch with some former teammates. A’s manager Bob Geren’s two sons played on the same travel baseball team as Maas’ son last fall. Andy Stankiewicz, third base coach for Arizona State, is a close friend.
Maas said he loves to coach.
“It was the amazing coaching that I had my entire life that had a profound effect on my success,” he said.
So, when a player gets on a roll on his team, what does he say to him?
“Nothing,” Maas said with a chuckle. “Leave him alone.”