kevin smith
08-10-2004, 05:18 PM
Cintron works to beat slump
By Jesse Sanchez / MLB.com
Alex Cintron hit .317, while knocking 23 doubles and 13 home runs, in 2003. (Dino Vournas/AP)
ARIZONA - At 6-foot-2, 200 pounds, Arizona shortstop Alex Cintron is built like a Major League infielder.
He can run, he has hitting ability, and has been known to make spectacular plays every now and then.
But looking at his mannerisms, his youthful face and the way he trails his veteran teammates, the 25-year-old man sometimes appears more like a 12-year-old boy looking to fit in with his older brothers than a big league ballplayer.
And to a degree, that's exactly what he is -- a young man going through the growing pains of trying to be a grown man. A less than stellar season for the Diamondbacks and for Cintron has revealed as much.
"This season has been a bad one for the entire team and a bad one for me," Cintron said. "It's a year that's been very difficult personally. We have not played good baseball and it's not the season that a lot of people expected from us. It's been hard."
This season, Cintron is hitting .249 with three home runs and 34 RBIs in 107 games for the last-place Diamondbacks. His on-base percentage is .292, and his slugging percentage is .363 in 394 at-bats. Last season, his first full season in the big leagues, he hit .317 with 13 home runs and 51 RBIs in 448 at-bats during 117 games.
"I had a good year in the past, but we live in the present," he said. "I'm trying to get better and do what I can. All I can control is that part, the work. I have struggled at home plate and have not had the same form that I have had in the past so I am trying to fix it. I work so hard to be consistent and it has not happened. I don't know why."
One of the reasons could be the pressure. Some in the Diamondbacks organization believe Cintron needs to learn how to relax and simply "let it flow." At times, he tries too hard and it shows in bad swings or poor judgment on defense. Other times, he psyches himself out of a good performance by overanalyzing and expecting too much.
Arizona manager Al Pedrique likes what he sees from Cintron, and he just wants to see more. That's part of the reason the manager intends on playing him everyday. The other reason could be that the organization wants to know if Cintron truly is the shortstop of the future.
"Alex is working hard and he is determined to get better," Pedrique said. "We know he can play everyday. He needs to relax and not put so much pressure on himself. We know he has it in him to be a good Major Leaguer."
To cope with the tumultuous year, Cintron has sought the advice and counseling of Roberto Alomar and Carlos Baerga, who are also from Puerto Rico. Before being traded to the White Sox, Alomar took Cintron under his wing on the field with coaching and off the field with lunches, dinner, and nights out.
Now that Alomar is gone, Baerga is Cintron's strongest supporter.
"Alex is a perfectionist and he gives maximum effort with everything he does," Baerga said. "He had a great year last year, but the whole world knows him now and he has to adjust. The important thing is to keep the same confidence always and keep going forward. If he stays positive, he will be OK."
Staying positive is not a problem for Cintron, yet he remains perplexed. In his words, he "practices, practices, and practices," and if he knew why he was not doing well he would have fixed it by now.
"I would be doing better, but I don't know why this season," he said. "It's something inexplicable. Even when I was in the minor leagues, I was a .300 hitter and as a kid, I was always doing well. I think it's something that happens to ballplayers sometimes and you snap out of it."
Cintron's solution is to work hard. That's what he did in the past and that's what got him to the big leagues in the first place. Drafted in the 37th round of the 1997 First-Year Player Draft out of Yabucoa, Puerto Rico, he had no other choice.
An average baseball player for most of his childhood, Cintron caught the eyes of several scouts as an agile infielder at the age of 17 while playing in the Connie Mack League. He said he has paid his dues to get to the big leagues and still is.
"I'm not a bonus baby and nothing was ever given to me," he said. "I loved baseball so I signed, but I was not expecting to be the next superstar from Puerto Rico. That comes with time. My job is to come here and take advantage of the opportunity."
Cintron's opportunity to this point has mostly left him on top, not feeling the woes of the low. Last year was the first season that his professional club did not qualify for postseason play. This season will be his second.
"I'm not going to believe that if you have one down year that you are a bad player," he said. "That's life sometimes and things do not go your way for a lot of reasons out of your control. I am in the big leagues and life is still marvelous, I am just not performing like I can. I have faith in God and I know everything that has happened has happened for a reason."
By Jesse Sanchez / MLB.com
Alex Cintron hit .317, while knocking 23 doubles and 13 home runs, in 2003. (Dino Vournas/AP)
ARIZONA - At 6-foot-2, 200 pounds, Arizona shortstop Alex Cintron is built like a Major League infielder.
He can run, he has hitting ability, and has been known to make spectacular plays every now and then.
But looking at his mannerisms, his youthful face and the way he trails his veteran teammates, the 25-year-old man sometimes appears more like a 12-year-old boy looking to fit in with his older brothers than a big league ballplayer.
And to a degree, that's exactly what he is -- a young man going through the growing pains of trying to be a grown man. A less than stellar season for the Diamondbacks and for Cintron has revealed as much.
"This season has been a bad one for the entire team and a bad one for me," Cintron said. "It's a year that's been very difficult personally. We have not played good baseball and it's not the season that a lot of people expected from us. It's been hard."
This season, Cintron is hitting .249 with three home runs and 34 RBIs in 107 games for the last-place Diamondbacks. His on-base percentage is .292, and his slugging percentage is .363 in 394 at-bats. Last season, his first full season in the big leagues, he hit .317 with 13 home runs and 51 RBIs in 448 at-bats during 117 games.
"I had a good year in the past, but we live in the present," he said. "I'm trying to get better and do what I can. All I can control is that part, the work. I have struggled at home plate and have not had the same form that I have had in the past so I am trying to fix it. I work so hard to be consistent and it has not happened. I don't know why."
One of the reasons could be the pressure. Some in the Diamondbacks organization believe Cintron needs to learn how to relax and simply "let it flow." At times, he tries too hard and it shows in bad swings or poor judgment on defense. Other times, he psyches himself out of a good performance by overanalyzing and expecting too much.
Arizona manager Al Pedrique likes what he sees from Cintron, and he just wants to see more. That's part of the reason the manager intends on playing him everyday. The other reason could be that the organization wants to know if Cintron truly is the shortstop of the future.
"Alex is working hard and he is determined to get better," Pedrique said. "We know he can play everyday. He needs to relax and not put so much pressure on himself. We know he has it in him to be a good Major Leaguer."
To cope with the tumultuous year, Cintron has sought the advice and counseling of Roberto Alomar and Carlos Baerga, who are also from Puerto Rico. Before being traded to the White Sox, Alomar took Cintron under his wing on the field with coaching and off the field with lunches, dinner, and nights out.
Now that Alomar is gone, Baerga is Cintron's strongest supporter.
"Alex is a perfectionist and he gives maximum effort with everything he does," Baerga said. "He had a great year last year, but the whole world knows him now and he has to adjust. The important thing is to keep the same confidence always and keep going forward. If he stays positive, he will be OK."
Staying positive is not a problem for Cintron, yet he remains perplexed. In his words, he "practices, practices, and practices," and if he knew why he was not doing well he would have fixed it by now.
"I would be doing better, but I don't know why this season," he said. "It's something inexplicable. Even when I was in the minor leagues, I was a .300 hitter and as a kid, I was always doing well. I think it's something that happens to ballplayers sometimes and you snap out of it."
Cintron's solution is to work hard. That's what he did in the past and that's what got him to the big leagues in the first place. Drafted in the 37th round of the 1997 First-Year Player Draft out of Yabucoa, Puerto Rico, he had no other choice.
An average baseball player for most of his childhood, Cintron caught the eyes of several scouts as an agile infielder at the age of 17 while playing in the Connie Mack League. He said he has paid his dues to get to the big leagues and still is.
"I'm not a bonus baby and nothing was ever given to me," he said. "I loved baseball so I signed, but I was not expecting to be the next superstar from Puerto Rico. That comes with time. My job is to come here and take advantage of the opportunity."
Cintron's opportunity to this point has mostly left him on top, not feeling the woes of the low. Last year was the first season that his professional club did not qualify for postseason play. This season will be his second.
"I'm not going to believe that if you have one down year that you are a bad player," he said. "That's life sometimes and things do not go your way for a lot of reasons out of your control. I am in the big leagues and life is still marvelous, I am just not performing like I can. I have faith in God and I know everything that has happened has happened for a reason."