rockin500
03-14-2003, 10:04 AM
MESA, Ariz. -- Dusty Baker is very protective of the young players on the Chicago Cubs. Ask about the potential shortcomings of Hee Seop Choi, Bobby Hill and Corey Patterson, and Baker chides the questioner.
"Personally, I think you guys expect too much out of these kids. That's my opinion," Baker said.
Whether the kids can play will be the big question for the Cubs and their new manager in 2003.
The Cubs will be counting on young pitchers Kerry Wood, 25; Mark Prior, 22; and Carlos Zambrano, 21. Sammy Sosa will hit his homers. But it's the three youngsters, Choi, Hill and Patterson, who could determine whether the Cubs can rebound from last season's 67-95 record.
"You guys expect Ferguson Jenkins right now," Baker said, continuing his rant. "You expect too much out of Wood, who is 25. Patterson's 23. I don't know what kind of players you've seen, but most places, these kids would be in Double-A right now or Triple-A.
"These kids are playing with upper classmen," Baker said. "That would be like you being in eighth grade playing with seniors. Wait until they're playing more with guys their own age.
"These kids are still kids. Can they all get it together? Maybe. Are they all going to get it at the same time? Probably not. Can we put them on a crash course? Hopefully."
Choi, Hill and Patterson are the ones to watch. Choi, a 24-year-old first baseman who is the first Korean position player to reach the big leagues, has batted .286 in four minor league seasons. He hit 26 homers last year at Triple-A Iowa.
Expected to share playing time with veteran Eric Karros, a right-handed hitter, Choi has shown lots of improvement this spring. If the rookie gets off to a slow start, it will be interesting to see how long Baker stays with him.
"I stick with all guys if they struggle, but I don't anticipate Big Choi struggling," Baker said, using his pet name for the 6-foot-5, 240-pound infielder. "Big Choi's got some skills, not only with the bat but he's a pretty good first baseman, too.
"Big Choi can hit that ball hard. For a left-handed hitter, he doesn't really have an upper cut, he has a very level swing. For a big man, he has a very good swing."
So does Patterson, 23, although the center fielder seemed to lose it in the second half of last season. He batted .275 in the first half, .228 in the second and only drew two walks after the All-Star break. Even he'll admit that's tough to do.
"Everybody wants Billy Williams at 23 years old. It doesn't work like that," Baker said of expectations placed on Patterson. "God gave this guy a lot of ability. We'll try to fine tune a few things and trim off the rough edges."
Williams, a Hall of Fame outfielder with the Cubs, sees the talent in Patterson.
"The one thing I've seen is that he's beginning to be himself at the plate," Williams said. "A lot of stuff, he'll do on his own. He's a good athlete."
Patterson seems more relaxed in camp. Baker has been supportive, not threatening to take his job away, which happened last spring. Maybe the super-hyped center fielder, the Cubs' first-round draft pick in 1998, is simply growing up.
"He'll figure it out. He'll get it," Baker said of Patterson. "There's that need to win right now that puts undo pressure on some of these kids, the need to be great now, today."
Baker remembers the old days when teams took time to develop young players. Not any more. Hill is on the fast track, too, and the second baseman may be the key of the three.
The 24-year-old infielder does not qualify as a rookie after playing in 59 games for the Cubs last season. He batted .253 with the Cubs, including a .284 average in the final month.
Hill got off to a slow start this spring, going 0-for-19. The Cubs have had to remind him that it's only March.
"I'm a competitor," Hill said. "I want to compete. That's how I play this game. I always want to do the best I can. I wish I was 19-for-19, but then again I probably still wouldn't be happy."
The last time the Cubs counted on youngsters was 1989 when rookies Jerome Walton and Dwight Smith were starters. Chicago won the Eastern Division that year. Last season, the Cubs offense ranked next-to-last in the National League and no significant bat was added this year. It could be up to the kids. Can Hill get on base to set up Sosa? Can Choi handle the fifth spot in the order? Can Patterson improve his on-base percentage? Time will tell.
"We have some young kids who can't be thinking about, 'If I don't hit they're going to send me down to Triple-A,'" Sosa said. "We have to make those kids feel very comfortable and very good around the team and let them play. That's how you get everything out of a young kid.
"Our manager knows how to deal with those type of players. He knows when the bell rings, who's going to be there."
Baker can relate. He once was a young, highly touted player.
"I was a young guy. I was in the big leagues at 22 years old batting behind Hank Aaron," he said. "You can't get much younger than that. You've got to be ready and you've got to be strong. You've got to give them opportunities."
That's what the Cubs will do this season.
http://chicago.cubs.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/chc/news/chc_news.jsp?ymd=20030312&content_id=218562&vkey=spt2003news&fext=.jsp
"Personally, I think you guys expect too much out of these kids. That's my opinion," Baker said.
Whether the kids can play will be the big question for the Cubs and their new manager in 2003.
The Cubs will be counting on young pitchers Kerry Wood, 25; Mark Prior, 22; and Carlos Zambrano, 21. Sammy Sosa will hit his homers. But it's the three youngsters, Choi, Hill and Patterson, who could determine whether the Cubs can rebound from last season's 67-95 record.
"You guys expect Ferguson Jenkins right now," Baker said, continuing his rant. "You expect too much out of Wood, who is 25. Patterson's 23. I don't know what kind of players you've seen, but most places, these kids would be in Double-A right now or Triple-A.
"These kids are playing with upper classmen," Baker said. "That would be like you being in eighth grade playing with seniors. Wait until they're playing more with guys their own age.
"These kids are still kids. Can they all get it together? Maybe. Are they all going to get it at the same time? Probably not. Can we put them on a crash course? Hopefully."
Choi, Hill and Patterson are the ones to watch. Choi, a 24-year-old first baseman who is the first Korean position player to reach the big leagues, has batted .286 in four minor league seasons. He hit 26 homers last year at Triple-A Iowa.
Expected to share playing time with veteran Eric Karros, a right-handed hitter, Choi has shown lots of improvement this spring. If the rookie gets off to a slow start, it will be interesting to see how long Baker stays with him.
"I stick with all guys if they struggle, but I don't anticipate Big Choi struggling," Baker said, using his pet name for the 6-foot-5, 240-pound infielder. "Big Choi's got some skills, not only with the bat but he's a pretty good first baseman, too.
"Big Choi can hit that ball hard. For a left-handed hitter, he doesn't really have an upper cut, he has a very level swing. For a big man, he has a very good swing."
So does Patterson, 23, although the center fielder seemed to lose it in the second half of last season. He batted .275 in the first half, .228 in the second and only drew two walks after the All-Star break. Even he'll admit that's tough to do.
"Everybody wants Billy Williams at 23 years old. It doesn't work like that," Baker said of expectations placed on Patterson. "God gave this guy a lot of ability. We'll try to fine tune a few things and trim off the rough edges."
Williams, a Hall of Fame outfielder with the Cubs, sees the talent in Patterson.
"The one thing I've seen is that he's beginning to be himself at the plate," Williams said. "A lot of stuff, he'll do on his own. He's a good athlete."
Patterson seems more relaxed in camp. Baker has been supportive, not threatening to take his job away, which happened last spring. Maybe the super-hyped center fielder, the Cubs' first-round draft pick in 1998, is simply growing up.
"He'll figure it out. He'll get it," Baker said of Patterson. "There's that need to win right now that puts undo pressure on some of these kids, the need to be great now, today."
Baker remembers the old days when teams took time to develop young players. Not any more. Hill is on the fast track, too, and the second baseman may be the key of the three.
The 24-year-old infielder does not qualify as a rookie after playing in 59 games for the Cubs last season. He batted .253 with the Cubs, including a .284 average in the final month.
Hill got off to a slow start this spring, going 0-for-19. The Cubs have had to remind him that it's only March.
"I'm a competitor," Hill said. "I want to compete. That's how I play this game. I always want to do the best I can. I wish I was 19-for-19, but then again I probably still wouldn't be happy."
The last time the Cubs counted on youngsters was 1989 when rookies Jerome Walton and Dwight Smith were starters. Chicago won the Eastern Division that year. Last season, the Cubs offense ranked next-to-last in the National League and no significant bat was added this year. It could be up to the kids. Can Hill get on base to set up Sosa? Can Choi handle the fifth spot in the order? Can Patterson improve his on-base percentage? Time will tell.
"We have some young kids who can't be thinking about, 'If I don't hit they're going to send me down to Triple-A,'" Sosa said. "We have to make those kids feel very comfortable and very good around the team and let them play. That's how you get everything out of a young kid.
"Our manager knows how to deal with those type of players. He knows when the bell rings, who's going to be there."
Baker can relate. He once was a young, highly touted player.
"I was a young guy. I was in the big leagues at 22 years old batting behind Hank Aaron," he said. "You can't get much younger than that. You've got to be ready and you've got to be strong. You've got to give them opportunities."
That's what the Cubs will do this season.
http://chicago.cubs.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/chc/news/chc_news.jsp?ymd=20030312&content_id=218562&vkey=spt2003news&fext=.jsp