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04-05-2004, 02:09 AM
St. Louis - Milwaukee Brewers right-hander Ben Sheets capped a lackluster spring training camp with a lackluster outing against the Chicago Cubs last week at Maryvale Baseball Park in Phoenix.
After giving up five hits (two homers), three walks and six runs during five shaky innings against a division rival, Sheets called his effort "embarrassing" and admitted that "a little confidence wouldn't hurt."
Twenty-four hours before his third consecutive opening day assignment, Sheets found a measure of confidence in the strangest place imaginable: the batters box at Busch Stadium.
As the Brewers took batting practice in preparation for the season opener this afternoon against St. Louis, Sheets stepped into the cage at the start of the session and went deep.
That's right - Ben Sheets hit a home run. The same Ben Sheets who carries a .080 career batting average and .085 slugging percentage. The guy who has just 14 hits and 103 strikeouts in 176 big-league at-bats went deep against bullpen catcher Marcus Hanel.
"I couldn't believe it," Hanel said. "I had to stop throwing and watch. He crushed it. The ball hit the facade. I still can't believe it."
Sheets, whose happy-go-lucky nature doesn't go into hiatus even when his performance slips, reveled in the moment.
"There's more where that came from," he said, his chest puffing with pride.
The Brewers aren't expecting much offense from Sheets this season. But they are expecting him to make strides on the mound. In each of his first three big-league seasons, the former Olympic hero has been stuck on 11 victories and has been unable to avoid lengthy stretches where his focus wanes and results suffer.
"It's about time to put together a full year rather than just pieces and parts of seasons," he said. "(It's time to) really get after it for one full year in its entirety."
Although his spring numbers were disappointing (five starts, 181/3 innings, 19 hits, 16 earned runs), Sheets was pleased with his overall health, the progress he made on mechanical adjustments, including a change in his arm angle, and - perhaps most important - the progress he made with his changeup.
For much of Sheets' first three seasons, scouts would say, "If only he had a changeup to go with that fastball and curve."
"I always threw a changeup, regardless of what people want to say," said Sheets, who was 11-13 with a 4.45 ERA last season. "I've actually had really good success in spring training. It's probably been my most consistent pitch here. I've gotten a lot of outs. Hopefully, I can transfer that into the season and get more outs with it."
Like many of his predecessors, pitching coach Mike Maddux thinks that harnessing a changeup will allow Sheets to take his place among the league's elite pitchers.
"It's another bullet in the chamber," Maddux said. "Any time you can add a weapon like that, it's got to help. He's had a good apprenticeship with that pitch this spring. He's spent time on it and thrown some very good ones. The key now is getting his other pitches back to that level."
Because Sheets has been the Brewers' ace virtually since the moment he walked through the clubhouse door in 2001, it's easy to forget that he is still just 25 years old.
"My back feels like a veteran sometimes," he said, referring to the sporadic pain / spasms that have prompted him to seek regular treatment and to take up pilates.
"I'm still learning the ins and outs of the game. I'm still going out there every day, learning something new about myself and the competition.
"I don't feel like I've been here that long."
<a href=http://graphics.jsonline.com/graphics/sports/brew/img/apr02/ben402.jpg><img src=http://graphics.jsonline.com/graphics/sports/brew/img/apr02/ben402.jpg border=0></a>
Ben Sheets will be starting his third consecutive season opener. His first was April 2, 2002 against Houston.
After giving up five hits (two homers), three walks and six runs during five shaky innings against a division rival, Sheets called his effort "embarrassing" and admitted that "a little confidence wouldn't hurt."
Twenty-four hours before his third consecutive opening day assignment, Sheets found a measure of confidence in the strangest place imaginable: the batters box at Busch Stadium.
As the Brewers took batting practice in preparation for the season opener this afternoon against St. Louis, Sheets stepped into the cage at the start of the session and went deep.
That's right - Ben Sheets hit a home run. The same Ben Sheets who carries a .080 career batting average and .085 slugging percentage. The guy who has just 14 hits and 103 strikeouts in 176 big-league at-bats went deep against bullpen catcher Marcus Hanel.
"I couldn't believe it," Hanel said. "I had to stop throwing and watch. He crushed it. The ball hit the facade. I still can't believe it."
Sheets, whose happy-go-lucky nature doesn't go into hiatus even when his performance slips, reveled in the moment.
"There's more where that came from," he said, his chest puffing with pride.
The Brewers aren't expecting much offense from Sheets this season. But they are expecting him to make strides on the mound. In each of his first three big-league seasons, the former Olympic hero has been stuck on 11 victories and has been unable to avoid lengthy stretches where his focus wanes and results suffer.
"It's about time to put together a full year rather than just pieces and parts of seasons," he said. "(It's time to) really get after it for one full year in its entirety."
Although his spring numbers were disappointing (five starts, 181/3 innings, 19 hits, 16 earned runs), Sheets was pleased with his overall health, the progress he made on mechanical adjustments, including a change in his arm angle, and - perhaps most important - the progress he made with his changeup.
For much of Sheets' first three seasons, scouts would say, "If only he had a changeup to go with that fastball and curve."
"I always threw a changeup, regardless of what people want to say," said Sheets, who was 11-13 with a 4.45 ERA last season. "I've actually had really good success in spring training. It's probably been my most consistent pitch here. I've gotten a lot of outs. Hopefully, I can transfer that into the season and get more outs with it."
Like many of his predecessors, pitching coach Mike Maddux thinks that harnessing a changeup will allow Sheets to take his place among the league's elite pitchers.
"It's another bullet in the chamber," Maddux said. "Any time you can add a weapon like that, it's got to help. He's had a good apprenticeship with that pitch this spring. He's spent time on it and thrown some very good ones. The key now is getting his other pitches back to that level."
Because Sheets has been the Brewers' ace virtually since the moment he walked through the clubhouse door in 2001, it's easy to forget that he is still just 25 years old.
"My back feels like a veteran sometimes," he said, referring to the sporadic pain / spasms that have prompted him to seek regular treatment and to take up pilates.
"I'm still learning the ins and outs of the game. I'm still going out there every day, learning something new about myself and the competition.
"I don't feel like I've been here that long."
<a href=http://graphics.jsonline.com/graphics/sports/brew/img/apr02/ben402.jpg><img src=http://graphics.jsonline.com/graphics/sports/brew/img/apr02/ben402.jpg border=0></a>
Ben Sheets will be starting his third consecutive season opener. His first was April 2, 2002 against Houston.