Bringing major wisdom to minors

LOWELL -- If any members of this year's Lowell Spinners team have a bad day on the field or begin to doubt their ability to adjust to professional baseball, they will have somebody turn to for some advice.

Luis Alicea is stepping into the manager's office this season for the Spinners, a short-season Class A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox. Unlike many of the young men who will be making their professional debut as the Spinners open their New York-Pennsylvania League season this weekend at Lowell's LeLacheur Park, Alicea has been there and done that.

''They don't know what to expect, but I was the same way when I first signed," said Alicea, who was selected in the first round of the 1986 Major League Baseball draft by the St. Louis Cardinals. He went on to play 13 years in the big leagues, including one season with the Red Sox in 1995. ''Then again, once the games start they will be able to see that baseball is the same way; it hasn't changed. It might be a little bit faster for them, but I think they will catch up to it."

The Spinners kicked off another season Friday night against the Tri-City ValleyCats, and, like all the lineups that have come before, this year's team consists of many players who are fresh out of college or already have a year or two of Minor League experience.

And what better way to learn than from a manager who played for six big league teams before calling it quits after the 2002 season.

''That's so much experience right there," said pitcher Scott Shoemaker, who recently finished his fifth year at San Diego State University and was signed by the Red Sox before the draft as a free agent. ''It's really cool to have a guy at this level that has been through all that."

Alicea hit .260, his career average, for the Sox in 1995 and played in all three playoff games against Cleveland. He had his best season in 2000 as a member of the Texas Rangers when he hit .294 in 139 games. He has never managed a team before.

''I had some offers to play [last year] at the Minor League level, but I didn't want to do that," he said. ''So I just decided to stay home for a year, get it out of my system, and spend time with my kids and my wife."

Now he's ready to help a new generation of players reach their dreams of playing in the big leagues.

''The first year is very important for them," Alicea said. ''They don't know what to expect right now. They were good players in college, obviously -- we drafted them -- but now they are going to find out that they are just another player on the team and they have a long way to go.

''Hopefully they'll be able to learn and make the adjustments they need to make to get out of this league and make it to the big leagues."

The players are in for a long summer. The Spinners play 76 games in 79 days, and almost every day they are on the field well before game time, working hard under a blazing sun.

''We have to teach them the Boston way, the Red Sox way," Alicea said. ''We have to get that college system out of them. They played there for two or three years and they were in a different mode. Now we have to teach them a different way. There are going to be some long days, but it will all be worth it."

Along with a new manager and many new players, the Spinners have a new general manager, Tim Bawmann. Bawmann moved his young family to Nashua last fall and has been working all off-season to make sure this season at LeLacheur is once again an enjoyable season for the fans.

''I grew up in the Midwest and was a Cub fan," he said. Bawmann also added there are still 6,000 to 7,000 tickets available for this season. ''The thing I like the most about out here is the passion. As a Cub fan, I think the fans have accepted losing and know tomorrow is going to be another day. People out here really like to win. It's been fun to be a part of Red Sox Nation."

Andy Nesbitt can be reached at anesbitt@globe.com.