Randall Simon Feature Story

[3-2 Changeup]

Improved offense? It's simple ... Simon

By John Perrotto, Times Sports Staff 01/19/2003

BRADENTON, Fla. - Randall Simon was in Venezuela, trying to avoid the political turmoil and street violence that has gripped that country while looking to play a little baseball in the nation's winter league, when his cellular telephone rang on Nov. 25.

On the other end of the line was Simon's agent. He was calling to inform his client that he had been traded.

When Simon heard the destination, he almost dropped his phone.

"Pittsburgh," Simon recalled with a smile. "I couldn't believe it. Pittsburgh would have been the last team I would have thought would trade for me. I didn't think I was coming back to the National League and I definitely didn't think about Pittsburgh."

Simon then paused and smiled.

"But here I am and I'm happy," he said.

The Pirates acquired Simon from the Detroit Tigers in a trade for three minor-leaguers. The left-handed hitting first baseman has participated this week in the Pirates' minicamp, which concludes today at Pirate City.

Simon figures to platoon with incumbent first baseman Kevin Young and get the bulk of the playing time. He will probably start against right-handed pitchers. Although the Pirates haven't had a winning season since 1992, Simon is enthused about coming to his new team.

"It's a young organization and I'm still a young player," the 27-year-old native of Curacao said. "I think it is a good fit for me. They are trying to get things going in the right direction and want me to be a part of it. I have to feel good about that."

Simon was signed by Atlanta as an undrafted free agent in 1992 and began his major-league career with the Braves in 1997, but he figured his days in the NL were over primarily because he is considered a defensive liability.

Simon made 65 appearances at designated hitter and only 59 at first base for the Tigers last season. He hit .301 with 19 homers and 82 RBIs in 130 games and was named Tiger of the Year by the Detroit chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America.

The Pirates like Simon's offensive production potential enough to live with losing something in the defensive department with Young on the bench. In fact, they tried to trade for Simon during the course of last season.

"You're not always going to be to acquire the perfect player and Randall has some shortcomings," Pirates General Manager Dave Littlefield said. "But we feel his strength as a hitter outweighs the weaknesses he might have."

Simon does not profess to be a potential Gold Glove winner or a speed merchant as he has just two steals in 321 major-league games. Simon, though, does believe he is going to hit for the Pirates, particularly with PNC Park being favorable to left-handed hitters.

"I've never been to PNC Park but I'm really looking forward to it because everyone tells me it is going to be a good park for me," Simon said. "I hear it's beautiful and it's great for left-handed hitters, so I'm very excited to get there.

"I played in Comerica Park in Detroit the last two years and that's the toughest park to hit in. I was able to hit pretty well there. If I can hit in Comerica, I'm confident I can hit just about anywhere."

The Pirates feel Simon should help upgrade a feeble offense that finished last in the NL in batting average and next-to-last in runs scored last season.

Simon's one drawback as a hitter is his lack of plate discipline. Last season, he walked only 13 times in 506 at-bats and five of those were intentional. However, Simon also had just 30 strikeouts.

"I'm a hacker," Simon said with a laugh. "I had to leave an island (Curacao) to come to the United States to play pro ball. I couldn't walk across the water to get here. I had to swing my way off.

"I hit some balls that a lot of other guys wouldn't hit, in the dirt or over my head. I like pitches in and out, up and down, it really doesn't matter. I just like to swing the bat and I feel I can get my bat on every pitch and hit it hard somewhere."

While the Pirates would like to improve their on-base percentage after finishing last in the NL in that category last season, Pirates manager Lloyd McClendon won't overhaul Simon's approach.

"I don't think you can change him at this stage of his career and I'm not sure you really want to change him," McClendon said.

Simon didn't get the chance to swing much this winter as the Venezuelan season was cut short. He played just seven games.

"I wanted to play more but I just went home and practiced back in Curacao," Simon said. "It was a crazy situation in Venezuela. I saw people fighting in the airport there and on the streets. I had to get out."

Simon probably didn't need the extra work as he had the best season of his five-year major-league career in 2002. In all, he has hit .305 with 30 homers and 149 RBIs with Atlanta (1997-99) and Detroit (2001-02).

While he is a lifetime .300 hitter, Simon's road to the big leagues has been bumpy and he didn't spend his first full year in the majors until last year.

Simon was released by the Atlanta and Florida organizations in 2000 before becoming a free agent after finishing the year with the New York Yankees' Class AAA Columbus farm club. He played 59 games with Detroit's Class AAA Toledo in 2001 before re-emerging in the majors with the Tigers.

"It was tough to go back to the minor leagues after I had been in the majors," Simon said. "But I prayed for a second chance to be in the big leagues and promised myself I'd take advantage of it."

Now that Simon has his career turned around, he is in position to help turn around the Pirates.

"It's good to be a Pirate," Simon said. "I have a feeling this is going to work out very well."

[GiveHyzduashot]

I have a feeling this will work out well, too.

He will be some nice, solid protection for Ramirez. Maybe now, teams will have to pitch to him sometimes instead of walking him to face Wilson, Young, Hyzdu, Mackowiak, Kendall, and anyone else that hit fifth for the Bucs this past season.

He's only 27, so he should hit his peak with the Pirates. And for Adrian Burnside and someone else, he's worth the chance. Burnside is very expendable.

He certainly won't make us glad we didn't go after Thome, but I do think he'll be a solid .300/25/80 for us.

[3-2 Changeup]

He covers the same subjects, only two days later and not as in-depth.

Simon says he feels free to swing freely

Sunday, January 19, 2003

By Robert Dvorchak, Post-Gazette Sports Writer

BRADENTON, Fla. -- Randall Simon speaks four languages -- English, Spanish, Dutch and the Pampiamento dialect of his native Curacao -- but he does his loudest talking with his bat.

Although batting practice was a rather informal affair at Pirates minicamp, it was obvious just watching Simon, the team's new first baseman, that he loves to take his cuts, even at pitches out of the strike zone. And he's the first to admit that he's a free swinger.

"I've always been aggressive. Like I always said, I didn't come across the water to walk. I came across the water to swing the bat," Simon said with a laugh. "I'm a hacker. I'm not afraid to swing -- at all. I let it go. If I see the pitch, and I think I can hit that pitch hard, I'm going after it. I'm not going to cheat myself. Just go up there, look for my pitch and hit it hard."

How much of a hacker?

Felipe Alou, the bench coach last year at Detroit, witnessed Simon's willingness to offer at just about anything near the plate. Alou joked with Simon that he would swing at -- and hit -- a ball that bounced in the dirt.

"To tell you the truth, I think I can do it," Simon said. "I hit a lot of pitches a lot of people never thought I could hit -- or that anybody could hit. I'm a guy who can hit balls that are up, down and away off the plate."

Asked if he ever swung at a pitch that was over his head, Simon grinned: "Yeah, I did."

The Pirates recently have had their share of undisciplined hitters.

Simon doesn't take many walks (13 last season), but he was the toughest batter in the American League to strike out last season. So for all of his free swinging, he makes contact.

Simon, 27, had a career year last season, hitting .301 with 19 home runs and 82 RBIs while batting mostly cleanup in Detroit.

"He can hit," said Manager Lloyd McClendon. "He's got a beautiful swing. He has great balance and stays inside the ball. I think you can tell right away there's not a pitch that comes up there that he doesn't think he can hit. He's a big-league player, and we need big-league players."

Simon was acquired for three minor-leaguers to add a much-needed left-handed power hitter to the lineup. He's what is called an instinctive hitter. He doesn't waste much time fiddling with mechanics. Just see the ball and hit the ball -- hard.

"People say I have no selection on pitches," Simon said. "My focus is to hit the ball hard some place. When you put the ball in play, good things are going to happen. I don't think much when I'm at the plate. Sure, with two strikes, you shorten up the stroke and put the ball in play. But I don't go up there thinking about pulling the ball. A good hitter is one who uses the opposite field."

Simon hit well enough to be Detroit's MVP last season, but the Tigers had a surplus at first base and weren't all that keen about having to pay him what he was worth. In the arbitration process, the Pirates reportedly offered $1.3 million, and Simon is asking for $1.85 million. He made $290,000 last year.

When his agent told him he was on the trading block, Simon figured that he would be wooed by an American League club that would use him as a designated hitter, given the fact that last year he didn't start a game at first base after July 5.

"The last team I thought I'd be traded to was Pittsburgh," Simon said. "But I'm excited to be here. It's a young organization, and I'm still young. I'm just going to keep doing the same things."

He's thrilled about the prospect of playing in PNC Park with its short porch in right field. It's a lot more inviting place for a hitter than Comerica Park, where the fences were recently moved in.

"I've never been to PNC Park. But I hear it's a good ballpark for lefties," Simon said.

He sees the trade to the Pirates the same as when the Tigers gave him a chance after he played with the Braves.

"When you have a chance, you have to take advantage of it. That's the way I set my mind," Simon said. "I'm a big-league player and I can play."