M’S New Third Baseman Looks Like A Nice Addition
Not long after his finest minor league season in 1992, the New York Yankees rewarded their third baseman of the future, Russ Davis, with a three-year contract - and handed it to Wade Boggs.
“I knew that wasn’t a good thing,” Davis said, his Southern accent soft.
Indeed, it wasn’t. Not for a 22-year-old kid who had been drafted right out of high school and had spent the past five years of his life in the minors.
Last fall, after Davis had spent time in the minors yet again, the Yankees re-signed Boggs. The third baseman in the Yankees’ future was suddenly the third baseman of the Seattle Mariners - New York traded Davis and pitcher Sterling Hitchcock for Tino Martinez, Jeff Nelson and Jim Mecir.
“Once they re-signed Wade, I knew I was gone,” Davis said.
Now 26-years-old, Davis has come to camp with the look of a man who has traveled a long, long way to get here. Eight years after being drafted, he has 112 major league at-bats in 44 big-league games.
After 725 major league games, spread out over the past eight years, Davis walked into a spring camp knowing he was headed for the big leagues on Opening Day.
“I knew when I signed I had a lot to learn,” Davis said. “I was just 18, I was taken in the 29th round - I didn’t think I was going to be in New York too soon. But the last two, three years were frustrating. I got better each season, I think, and there was nowhere I hadn’t played except the big leagues.”
One of the problems might have been his size, and his team’s owner, George Steinbrenner. At 6-feet, 195 pounds, Davis isn’t the stereotypical third baseman with power. Steinbrenner liked his stats, wasn’t wild about his build.
What Steinbrenner overlooked were Davis’ hands and his bat speed.
“No one will ever consistently throw a fastball past Russ,” said former Yankees manager Buck Showalter. “He’s got a real quick bat, fast hands. His home runs don’t go 500 feet, but they don’t count for any more if they’re tape-measure jobs or just clear the fence. He’s got pop.
“He may not be as good right now as Mike Blowers was last year, but in the long run I think he’ll be a better player,” Showalter said. “He’s quiet, but don’t mistake quiet for laid-back. Russ Davis has the fire.”
And now, he has a place to let it burn. Asked if he were hungry to play in the majors, Davis laughed.
“No,” he said, “I’m starving. This is what I’ve waited for. I don’t think I’ll believe it’s real until I know I’ve won the job and I see the lineup card opening night.”
Last season, when the Yankees ran out of options with Davis - they had to keep him on the major league roster or risk losing him to minor league free agency - they kept him. He appeared in 40 games, got 98 at-bats, playing only when Boggs or Randy Velarde needed a break.
In his final 12 games, he went 3-for-25, dropping his average from .329 to .276. It may be a good sign for the Mariners.
“If you look at my minor league seasons, I got better my second year in every league,” he said. “It may take me a while to adjust, but I do adjust.”
Davis batted .218 his first season in Class AA with the Yankees, hitting six home runs in 135 games. A year later, same league, he batted .285, hit 22 home runs.
Same thing in Class AAA. First season: .255, 26 home runs. Next year: .276, 25 home runs.
“Davis has two things you can’t teach in a hitter,” manager Lou Piniella said. “Quick hands - the ability to get to the pitch - and bat speed. This kid is ready. He’s mature, he’s played a lot of minor league games, he’s hungry.”
Quote of the day
Ken Grifey Jr. and Lou Piniella were at each other again, and when Junior had trouble hitting reliever Bobby Ayala, he joked he was going to use, “My Lou Piniella swing.” “You’d better,” Piniella said, “‘cause yours ain’t working.”
Contract news
Salomon Torres agreed to a one-year contract, leaving five Mariners on the 40-man major league roster unsigned. One of those, catcher Dan Wilson, is talking with the team about a two-year deal.
Medical update
Still no true injuries, but Craig Griffey was limping after fouling a pitch off his right foot, and Desi Relaford, trying to bounce back from a finger broken in November, continues to struggle with the bat. “I can’t swing the way I want yet,” Relaford said.
Camp notes
Greg Hibbard continues to go through all the fielding drills and play long-toss, but his projected June return - Hibbard’s projection, not the Mariners’ - seems optimistic. “If he’s able to rejoin us in September, I’ll be pleased for him and for us,” Piniella said. “With expansion coming, if he can prove he’s healthy by the end of the year, he’ll have the chance to pitch for a few more seasons. Why risk that by pushing him?”
Hibbard has had two major shoulder surgeries since last pitching in the big leagues two years ago. … The Mariners began taping television ads Thursday, and as in the past they have aimed for humor. Griffey does one spot in which he recalls his steak-dinner bet last spring with Piniella - which he paid off with a live cow. For the ad, Junior wagers a lamb chop, loses and pays off again … Edgar Martinez on facing live pitching in early batting practice: “I’d rather just stand in there and not hit. You can get your timing just watching the pitches come in, then work on your swing against coaches. If you hit against pitchers before you’re ready, you try to catch up to their pitches and get in bad habits.” … Randy Johnson will be the coverboy on the boxed CD-ROM software ‘Front Page Sports: Baseball Pro ‘96 Season,’ which will go on sale this summer. … Add Johnson: The “Big Unit” accidentally brushed back outfielder Alex Diaz in batting practice, then called in from the mound: “You didn’t send me a Christmas card!”