|
|
|
|
 |
| MLB |
|
Scores Schedules Standings Statistics Transactions Injuries: AL | NL Players Offseason moves Message Board Minor Leagues MLB Stat Search MLB en espaņol Clubhouses |
|
SportsMall
|
| Sport Sections |
|
|
| Monday, March 19 | |||||
| Astros' Berkman has dual personality at the plate | |||||
| KISSIMMEE, Fla.– When Lance Berkman was 6 years old, his
father turned him into a switch-hitter.
Nearly two decades later, Berkman sees no reason to consider a
single-minded approach to hitting. The Houston Astros made the
switch-hitter a No. 1 pick and a starting outfielder.
"Since my dad turned me around from right-handed to hit
left-handed, it's something I do mainly because I've only done it
that way for most of my life," Berkman said.
Berkman hit .385 with 67 home runs and 272 RBIs over three
seasons at Rice. During his final college season in 1997, right
before the hometown Astros made him their No. 1 pick, Berkman hit
41 homers with 134 RBIs.
While he was the 16th player taken overall, Houston considered
Berkman such a special player that he got a $1 million signing
bonus – an unprecedented amount at the time for a player drafted
outside the top 10.
So far, he has been worth every penny.
Even after the Astros converted him from first base to the
outfield and he had to adjust to a new position, Berkman hit .308
with 56 homers and 213 RBIs in three-plus minor league seasons.
When injuries to other players provided his first extended
opportunity with the Astros last season, Berkman responded by
hitting .297 with 21 homers and 67 RBIs in 114 games.
Now 25, he goes into the season as the starting left fielder in
Houston.
"Last year I got to play a lot and got a taste of what it takes
to be successful on the major league level day-in and day-out,"
Berkman said. "A lot of it has to do with your mental
preparation."
That means extra work for Berkman.
Berkman must prepare himself to play the outfield in different
parks, including the unconventional layout at Houston's Enron
Field. And he has to take batting practice from both sides of the
plate.
"It's very difficult because the baseball swing is something
that's so precise and if any little thing goes wrong with it,
you're out," Berkman said. "Having to deal with two swings on a
daily basis is difficult because there is always something wrong
with one of them."
Still, Berkman knows there are many advantages to being a
switch-hitter.
"If you can ever get to the point which happens during the
season sometimes where you're right on from both sides, it's a good
weapon to have in your corner," Berkman said. "Any time you can
put those kind of percentages in your favor, that's a good thing."
Berkman was a better left-handed hitter a year ago, hitting .320
with 19 of his homers and 56 RBIs against right-handed pitchers. He
batted just .218 as a right-handed hitter.
One of his goals this year is consistency on both sides of the
plate. He also wants to prove that he belongs in the major leagues.
"I'm in that in-between stage where they want to know if last
year was a fluke or if I can do it again," Berkman said. "I'm
setting out to establish myself as being able to handle an everyday
position in the major leagues."
|  | ||||