PEORIA, Ariz. -- He is his mother Debby's son, which is why he is so smart that he skipped a grade growing up. And why most players his age would be college juniors this year, eligible for the June draft.

He is, of course, also his father Jeff's son, which means he's got MVP in his genes. "He raised, coached and taught me the right way," says Sean Burroughs, the San Diego Padres' precocious 21-year-old third baseman. "He taught me respect for my coaches and my teammates, to always listen. He was always a quiet person who kept his ears and eyes open around a major-league locker room. He told me to stay out of the trainer's room. I was raised well."

	Sean Burroughs has a good glove, but his bat will make him a star.

When the Padres made their big move toward what they hope will be a championship-caliber team for the 2004 opening of their ballpark in downtown San Diego, it was a complicated one that Kevin Towers says "took the right person, and Sean is the right person, as well as the right player." They had to ask two All-Stars to move positions, Phil Nevin, with his 41 homers and 126 RBI, from third to first and Ryan Klesko, with his 30 homers, 113 RBI and 23 steals, from first to right. Not only that, but in doing so convinced Nevin to a multi-year extension.

"I did it because I love San Diego, I trust this organization that gave me the chance and because they believe Sean is the right guy," Nevin says. Initially, Klesko wasn't as willing. "At first, I said, 'No way. Are you kidding me? Let the rookie move,' " Klesko says now. But they did it, and as the team's ballast, Trevor Hoffman, says, "Then Sean came into spring training, won everything in the team decathlon and a lot of guys figured he is special."

Indeed, the Padres' No. 1 pick in 1998, the ballyhooed future of the franchise, came into spring training already given the third-base job after the move of the two All-Stars, and won the club's mile and shuttle runs. "I guess those people who remember me as the pudgy-faced kid in the Little League World Series would be shocked," Burroughs says.

There is little doubt that Burroughs is going to hit. "He's going to be in the top 10 (in average) every year," Towers says. "And he's going to eventually hit for a lot of power. This spring, he's hit some balls you can't believe." As a pure hitter, Sean has just "let the power come when it's ready to come." In 340 minor-league games, Burroughs batted .327 with just 17 homers, but more importantly, 172 walks and only 161 strikeouts.

	Sean Burroughs Third Base San Diego Padres
	2001 SEASON STATISTICS -- AAA AB HR RBI BB SO AVG 394 9 55 37 54 .322

After an intense winter workout regime, that pudgy Little Leaguer who led his Long Beach, Calif., team to back-to-back World Series championships is in beastly shape. "It's easy to see how intense he is about work, and about being special," manager Bruce Bochy says. "His work habits are outstanding. He's going to be a very good defensive third baseman because of his drive."

"I know he's smart and all that," Towers says. "But, most of all, he's a baseball rat. He loves the game, and he doesn't just want to be a big-league player, he wants to be a great big-league player. And he fits in easily because he has no ego. That's what I really like. He has no ego. When you think about the fact that he's from the family he's from, was a Little League hero, got a nice bonus to sign, you'd think he'd be something else. But he's as good a kid as you could find."

Bochy agrees: "I never realized the passion he has for the game. He's out here early, he stays late. He's always trying to get better."

Burroughs says he learned a lot in the minors from his slumps. "I think the most difficult thing is to learn to keep your head up," he says. "I tend to put too much pressure on myself because I always think everyone's watching me. I got abilities and genes from my parents, and I have to trust them and make the best of them." So when he had knee and shoulder injuries, he upped his conditioning programs.

What could have been a touchy management decision on many teams is working because the prodigy is Sean Burroughs. But it also works because of the atmosphere around the Padres, an atmosphere created by Towers and Bochy. "Both Bochy and Towers are always honest," Nevin says. "You can approach either one at any time, and either one will only tell you the truth. When Boch sat down with me about this move, he made it clear that he believed that in the long run it was in the best interest of the team. I trust him. I trust Towers."

Says Hoffman, the team's closer since 1994: "That's the atmosphere they've created in this organization, and they deserve credit for it. Everything's open, there's a sense of respect that I think is unique. This move is working because Sean Burroughs is the player and the person he is, but it's also working because this organization is special.

"Rickey Henderson last season stood up and gave a speech in which he told everyone that this was as good as it would ever get in their careers, that no one will ever play for a better manager than Boch or a better general manager than KT. And when we win again -- and Sean will be a big part of it -- it will be because so many of us know this is the best place to play."