JEFF CIRILLO Colorado's Mr. Consistency.(Colorado Rockies third baseman)(Brief Article)

Rockies' third baseman has been a steady producer at the plate over the last five seasons in the majors

IT'S STRANGE HOW IN A WORLD where superb athletes are glorified as gods, consistent players are taken for granted. As the Colorado Rockies prepared to open the 2001 season, it wasn't known what Larry Walker would do this year because of health, what Todd Helton would do for an encore or how Mike Hampton and Denny Neagle would fare at Coors Field.

But Cirillo? Get a pen with indelible ink and write it down. In his past five big league seasons, the third baseman has played in 158, 154, 156, 157 and 157 games. In four of those past five seasons, he has batted .325, .321, .326 and .326. For the 2001 season, expect Cirillo to play in 157 games and hit .326, give or take a game and a percentage point.

And then forget about him.

"It's all about the home runs these days," Cirillo said. "You need home run hitters, but I think you also need baseball players. I don't have the best tools in the world, but I think I'm a good baseball players.

It can be argued that Cirillo is the most unheralded prolific hitter in the game today. Only one player has more hits than the 938 Cirillo has compiled in the past five years. That one player, Derek Jeter, is the biggest star on baseball's most famous team, the New York Yankees.

Include the new Rockies pitchers, and Cirillo is considered the fifth- or sixth-best player on a team that is mostly known for its atmosphere and home ballpark. He rides to work in a BMW. Come to think of it, who's complaining?