yagsy
02-26-2005, 11:42 AM
http://sandiego.padres.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/sd/news/sd_news.jsp?ymd=20050224&content_id=950232&vkey=spt2005news&fext=.jsp
Roberts to provide fast start
New leadoff hitter hopes to get the offense in gear
By John Schlegel / MLB.com
http://sandiego.padres.mlb.com/images/2004/10/18/dVpQ8ydT.jpg
The Padres are confident Dave Roberts will get on base, spark the offense and score runs. (Elise Amendola/AP)
PEORIA, Ariz. -- From the moment he was acquired by his hometown team, Dave Roberts became "The Answer."
A speedy leadoff man and center fielder, Roberts was anointed by the Padres' brass as the cure for what ailed the club's ability to consistently score runs last year, particularly at their new PETCO Park home.
With the team in Spring Training beginning its quest to take its turnaround to the next level in 2005, that talk hasn't quieted down.
"I don't want to put it all on his shoulders," said Padres hitting coach Dave Magadan, "but what he brings to the table is something we haven't had in a long time."
Added general manager Kevin Towers: "The two times we've won the division since I've been here, we had a true leadoff hitter -- Rickey [Henderson] in '96 and Quilvio [Veras] in '98. We knew we needed a leadoff hitter this year, and we felt this guy was a perfect fit for our club."
That all sounds like one big compliment.
But it could sound like a bit of pressure, too.
"It might be pressure if the team wasn't already intact the way it is," Roberts said Thursday. "But you look at this team, and they were right in it down to the end last year. I think the only dimension they lacked was a speed factor."
Now that the Padres have that element at the top to go with an already solid core of hitters, pressure is actually what the 32-year-old Roberts intends to exert on others, not feel himself.
"I know once I get on base, I can make a lot of things happen by putting pressure on the pitcher and the defense," Roberts said.
That's certainly what the Padres hope for with the arrival of Roberts at the top of manager Bruce Bochy's lineup card.
Roberts brings with him the knowledge that doing whatever it takes to get the offense started ranks above all else.
"You've got to be unselfish," he said. "It starts with the mind-set of going deep in the counts, seeing pitches and getting on base any way you can get on base. Things like situational execution are what I take pride in, stuff that doesn't show up in the stats. Obviously, scoring runs is the bottom line."
Of course, you can't score if you don't get on base. To that end, Roberts is working this spring to become a more consistent threat, be it with a walk or a base hit.
"The great players in this game are more consistent, and that's what I'm trying to pride myself on this year," Roberts said.
That's music to Magadan's ears.
"That's good to hear," Magadan said. "What I remember about him is it seemed like every time we played him, he had a different approach, a different stance."
Knowing what he knows already about Roberts, Magadan is looking forward to seeing him work counts to get on base like a true leadoff hitter should. That wasn't the forte of last year's main leadoff hitter, Sean Burroughs, who now resides in more of a comfort zone lower in the order.
In Roberts, "I think we have a guy who's a lot more comfortable being in that leadoff spot," Magadan said. "He's going to be a guy who gets in a 2-0 count and he'll take a strike."
The other elements of batting leadoff, Roberts pretty much has down. He was successful in 38 of his 41 attempts to steal last year, and he wound up scoring about half the times he reached base in a season split between the Dodgers and the Red Sox, who traded him to San Diego on Dec. 20.
Roberts said he comes into camp this year a little lighter -- at 175 pounds, or 5 pounds lighter than last year -- but more flexible, having backed off on conventional weightlifting and turned to Pilates.
"My main focus was to make sure and stay on the field the whole season," Roberts said. "I think the numbers and the wins will come if I can just stay on the field."
With a .250 average and .335 on-base percentage for his career, Roberts' numbers might not suggest he's the prototypical leadoff hitter. But the Padres believe he'll get on base more often in an everyday role, and once he does his speed and his keen knowledge of what to do with it will make the difference.
"If you're going to look at statistics, you're not going to be that impressed with him," Bochy said. "That's why when you have somebody who runs like he does, the intangibles come into play. ... Those things add up. That's why he's the type of player that he is."
John Schlegel is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
Roberts to provide fast start
New leadoff hitter hopes to get the offense in gear
By John Schlegel / MLB.com
http://sandiego.padres.mlb.com/images/2004/10/18/dVpQ8ydT.jpg
The Padres are confident Dave Roberts will get on base, spark the offense and score runs. (Elise Amendola/AP)
PEORIA, Ariz. -- From the moment he was acquired by his hometown team, Dave Roberts became "The Answer."
A speedy leadoff man and center fielder, Roberts was anointed by the Padres' brass as the cure for what ailed the club's ability to consistently score runs last year, particularly at their new PETCO Park home.
With the team in Spring Training beginning its quest to take its turnaround to the next level in 2005, that talk hasn't quieted down.
"I don't want to put it all on his shoulders," said Padres hitting coach Dave Magadan, "but what he brings to the table is something we haven't had in a long time."
Added general manager Kevin Towers: "The two times we've won the division since I've been here, we had a true leadoff hitter -- Rickey [Henderson] in '96 and Quilvio [Veras] in '98. We knew we needed a leadoff hitter this year, and we felt this guy was a perfect fit for our club."
That all sounds like one big compliment.
But it could sound like a bit of pressure, too.
"It might be pressure if the team wasn't already intact the way it is," Roberts said Thursday. "But you look at this team, and they were right in it down to the end last year. I think the only dimension they lacked was a speed factor."
Now that the Padres have that element at the top to go with an already solid core of hitters, pressure is actually what the 32-year-old Roberts intends to exert on others, not feel himself.
"I know once I get on base, I can make a lot of things happen by putting pressure on the pitcher and the defense," Roberts said.
That's certainly what the Padres hope for with the arrival of Roberts at the top of manager Bruce Bochy's lineup card.
Roberts brings with him the knowledge that doing whatever it takes to get the offense started ranks above all else.
"You've got to be unselfish," he said. "It starts with the mind-set of going deep in the counts, seeing pitches and getting on base any way you can get on base. Things like situational execution are what I take pride in, stuff that doesn't show up in the stats. Obviously, scoring runs is the bottom line."
Of course, you can't score if you don't get on base. To that end, Roberts is working this spring to become a more consistent threat, be it with a walk or a base hit.
"The great players in this game are more consistent, and that's what I'm trying to pride myself on this year," Roberts said.
That's music to Magadan's ears.
"That's good to hear," Magadan said. "What I remember about him is it seemed like every time we played him, he had a different approach, a different stance."
Knowing what he knows already about Roberts, Magadan is looking forward to seeing him work counts to get on base like a true leadoff hitter should. That wasn't the forte of last year's main leadoff hitter, Sean Burroughs, who now resides in more of a comfort zone lower in the order.
In Roberts, "I think we have a guy who's a lot more comfortable being in that leadoff spot," Magadan said. "He's going to be a guy who gets in a 2-0 count and he'll take a strike."
The other elements of batting leadoff, Roberts pretty much has down. He was successful in 38 of his 41 attempts to steal last year, and he wound up scoring about half the times he reached base in a season split between the Dodgers and the Red Sox, who traded him to San Diego on Dec. 20.
Roberts said he comes into camp this year a little lighter -- at 175 pounds, or 5 pounds lighter than last year -- but more flexible, having backed off on conventional weightlifting and turned to Pilates.
"My main focus was to make sure and stay on the field the whole season," Roberts said. "I think the numbers and the wins will come if I can just stay on the field."
With a .250 average and .335 on-base percentage for his career, Roberts' numbers might not suggest he's the prototypical leadoff hitter. But the Padres believe he'll get on base more often in an everyday role, and once he does his speed and his keen knowledge of what to do with it will make the difference.
"If you're going to look at statistics, you're not going to be that impressed with him," Bochy said. "That's why when you have somebody who runs like he does, the intangibles come into play. ... Those things add up. That's why he's the type of player that he is."
John Schlegel is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.