Jack Cashman’s a baseball fan, so he’ll appreciate this analogy: Like a mid-season acquisition, his nomination to the Public Utilities Commission changes the status of the regulator from also-ran into front-runner.

By an 11-2 vote Monday, the Legislature’s Utilities and Energy Committee endorsed Cashman’s candidacy for the vacant commissioner’s seat. A confirmation vote is scheduled for the Maine Senate on Aug. 20.

Make no mistake, Cashman wasn’t nominated by Gov. John Baldacci because he’s an expert, well-versed in utility regulations, or takes great pleasure (as predecessors have) in the complicated minutia of all things wired and wireless.

He is the nominee because, as a team, the PUC’s future in Maine policymaking is about to take a quantum leap forward, and the agency needs an experienced, steady, savvy political power-hitter to guide its efforts.

A monstrous job is ahead. Massive transmission projects, significant renewable energy investments, challenges from the Verizon-FairPoint sale and the political delicacy of Maine’s place in the regional electricity grid are pending.

Intertwined with these issues are Maine’s way-too-high rates for electricity, a problem which must be answered, partly at the source, but also by re-examining the somewhat Byzantine regulations that impact its delivery.

The ideal for Maine is maximizing its copious natural energy resources, such as wind and water, to become an exporter of clean, reliable power, while also reducing costs for residents, business and industry.

Last week, the PUC approved electricity rate hikes of between 20 and 32 percent for large users, due to increased costs of generation. For a state with a challenging business climate, this trend simply cannot continue.

All of these problems will be routed through the PUC. Cashman’s nomination is recognition that the mission of the PUC and the interests of the State and Blaine houses are aligning – and that energy, its generation, transmission, delivery and cost are taking center stage in Augusta.

Sen. Peter Mills, speaking Monday, probably said it best. Tax reform has gone nowhere, while health care reform is dictated by factors beyond Maine’s control. Energy, however, is where the state can carve its path.

Cashman, if he’s confirmed by the Senate, will and must change the PUC. With the challenges it faces, the agency can no longer serve as an effective, if overlooked, regulator over a small segment of the Maine bureaucracy.

There is too much at stake now. This is an energy pennant race, and the PUC has been running middle-of-the-pack. The agency needed a splash to let the team and its fans know it’s going for it. That’s why Cashman was nominated.

And why the PUC now finds itself a contender.