rockin500
02-21-2003, 10:12 AM
MESA, Ariz. -- Chicago Cubs manager Dusty Baker is looking for a No. 2 hitter. He wants a versatile guy who is unselfish, who can hit for power and do the little things.
Alex Gonzalez will do it.
The shortstop batted second for about three seasons with the Toronto Blue Jays but hit there just twice last year in his first season for the Cubs. Gonzalez primarily hit in the bottom of the order. Hitting No. 2 would be a switch.
"If it's me, I'm all for it," Gonzalez said Thursday. "I've always been excited to be there. I've got powerful hitters behind me and usually you have good pitches to hit. You can also make things happen in the game without hitting a home run -- you can do a lot of little things, bunting, getting guys over, hit and run, which makes it all exciting."
Baker wouldn't tip his hand.
"I've got a pretty good idea right now in my head," Baker said Thursday. "You want a clutch man who can handle the bat, hit an occasional home run, not afraid to take a pitch. With Sammy (Sosa) in the third spot, you don't want him to take the bat out of Sammy's hands, too.
"I had Rich Aurilla who was in the second hole in front of Barry (Bonds at San Francisco)," Baker said. "It could be somebody who has some power, relative speed, but not a base-stealer necessarily. Somebody who can handle the bat, drive in some key runs, maybe even hit some home runs because Sammy's a threat behind him."
Does Baker have anyone set in his lineup?
"The one position I know for sure is the eighth hitter," he said.
That would most likely be catcher Damian Miller. Sosa will probably bat third. That leaves the rest of the Cubs lineup up for grabs.
Bill Mueller batted second in 61 games last season for the Cubs, followed by Corey Patterson (40). Mark Bellhorn made 16 starts in the No. 2 spot but he's not in contention this year.
"He's not the guy I had in mind," Baker said of Bellhorn. "I had him in mind down in the order some."
Could Gonzalez be the guy? He's batted second in 1,202 games, the most of any spot in the order in his career. Baker wouldn't commit.
"They're things I'm thinking about," Baker said of his lineup. "Things that wake me up in the middle of the night. It was actually 3:44 this morning. I looked at that clock over there and thought 'I have two hours to go.'"
"He has mentioned that he's throwing some ideas around," Gonzalez said. "He hasn't come up to me and said I'm hitting No. 2 at all."
But for Gonzalez to be successful there, he'll have to cut down on his strikeouts. He whiffed 136 times last year.
"I know he should be and will be better," Baker said of the 29-year-old shortstop. "Last year was his first year in the National League, right? He had to learn the hitters, he had to learn the pitchers. He had to learn how to play on grass every day versus Astroturf. He's going to be a better, more prosperous player."
And if he's hitting second, Gonzalez says he'll have to adapt a slightly different approach.
"You have situations where you have to give yourself up and work on hitting and running if that's (Baker's) plan," Gonzalez said. "The bunt comes into play a lot more often in the No. 2 hole. You can drag for a hit. I'll take into account all of that if I'm there."
He'll probably see better pitchers. Pitchers tend to throw more strikes because they don't want to get behind the No. 2 guy and let him get on base. That No. 3 guy -- Sammy Sosa for example -- likes having guys on base.
Could being at the top of the order help Gonzalez's concentration at the plate and cut down on his strikeouts?
"Let's hope so," Gonzalez said. "There's a lot of things about the No. 2 hole -- you're getting up to the plate more often and you're seeing the starting pitcher more than you are at the bottom of the order.
"That first time at bat is important, too, because now the pitcher is just trying to get in his rhythm and trying to establish a strike zone," he said. "That first at-bat, you know they're going to try to throw a lot more strikes."
Gonzalez has one year in the National League under his belt. He's got a notebook with tips on opposing pitchers. He knows what to expect from Wrigley Field's thick infield grass, which took him nearly two months to adjust to.
All that's left now is finding a spot for him in the lineup.
http://chicago.cubs.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/chc/news/chc_news.jsp?ymd=20030220&content_id=202499&vkey=spt2003news&fext=.jsp
Alex Gonzalez will do it.
The shortstop batted second for about three seasons with the Toronto Blue Jays but hit there just twice last year in his first season for the Cubs. Gonzalez primarily hit in the bottom of the order. Hitting No. 2 would be a switch.
"If it's me, I'm all for it," Gonzalez said Thursday. "I've always been excited to be there. I've got powerful hitters behind me and usually you have good pitches to hit. You can also make things happen in the game without hitting a home run -- you can do a lot of little things, bunting, getting guys over, hit and run, which makes it all exciting."
Baker wouldn't tip his hand.
"I've got a pretty good idea right now in my head," Baker said Thursday. "You want a clutch man who can handle the bat, hit an occasional home run, not afraid to take a pitch. With Sammy (Sosa) in the third spot, you don't want him to take the bat out of Sammy's hands, too.
"I had Rich Aurilla who was in the second hole in front of Barry (Bonds at San Francisco)," Baker said. "It could be somebody who has some power, relative speed, but not a base-stealer necessarily. Somebody who can handle the bat, drive in some key runs, maybe even hit some home runs because Sammy's a threat behind him."
Does Baker have anyone set in his lineup?
"The one position I know for sure is the eighth hitter," he said.
That would most likely be catcher Damian Miller. Sosa will probably bat third. That leaves the rest of the Cubs lineup up for grabs.
Bill Mueller batted second in 61 games last season for the Cubs, followed by Corey Patterson (40). Mark Bellhorn made 16 starts in the No. 2 spot but he's not in contention this year.
"He's not the guy I had in mind," Baker said of Bellhorn. "I had him in mind down in the order some."
Could Gonzalez be the guy? He's batted second in 1,202 games, the most of any spot in the order in his career. Baker wouldn't commit.
"They're things I'm thinking about," Baker said of his lineup. "Things that wake me up in the middle of the night. It was actually 3:44 this morning. I looked at that clock over there and thought 'I have two hours to go.'"
"He has mentioned that he's throwing some ideas around," Gonzalez said. "He hasn't come up to me and said I'm hitting No. 2 at all."
But for Gonzalez to be successful there, he'll have to cut down on his strikeouts. He whiffed 136 times last year.
"I know he should be and will be better," Baker said of the 29-year-old shortstop. "Last year was his first year in the National League, right? He had to learn the hitters, he had to learn the pitchers. He had to learn how to play on grass every day versus Astroturf. He's going to be a better, more prosperous player."
And if he's hitting second, Gonzalez says he'll have to adapt a slightly different approach.
"You have situations where you have to give yourself up and work on hitting and running if that's (Baker's) plan," Gonzalez said. "The bunt comes into play a lot more often in the No. 2 hole. You can drag for a hit. I'll take into account all of that if I'm there."
He'll probably see better pitchers. Pitchers tend to throw more strikes because they don't want to get behind the No. 2 guy and let him get on base. That No. 3 guy -- Sammy Sosa for example -- likes having guys on base.
Could being at the top of the order help Gonzalez's concentration at the plate and cut down on his strikeouts?
"Let's hope so," Gonzalez said. "There's a lot of things about the No. 2 hole -- you're getting up to the plate more often and you're seeing the starting pitcher more than you are at the bottom of the order.
"That first time at bat is important, too, because now the pitcher is just trying to get in his rhythm and trying to establish a strike zone," he said. "That first at-bat, you know they're going to try to throw a lot more strikes."
Gonzalez has one year in the National League under his belt. He's got a notebook with tips on opposing pitchers. He knows what to expect from Wrigley Field's thick infield grass, which took him nearly two months to adjust to.
All that's left now is finding a spot for him in the lineup.
http://chicago.cubs.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/chc/news/chc_news.jsp?ymd=20030220&content_id=202499&vkey=spt2003news&fext=.jsp