Angels Focus on What Guerrero Can Still Do in the Cleanup Spot
ANAHEIM, Calif. — Vladimir Guerrero hobbles almost as much as he walks these days. He is still a stellar hitter for the Los Angeles Angels, but he is not as fearsome as he once was. Age and injuries have made Guerrero, the batter who will usually swing at anything, less intimidating.
When the Angels took batting practice Tuesday, Guerrero was the first player to take some swings. They were violent swings. Between rounds, he planted the top of his bat in the dirt and rested his body against it or leaned against the batting cage. He looked as if he needed a chair.
But even as the 34-year-old Guerrero’s abilities have deteriorated and doubts about whether he should be hitting cleanup increase, he has continued swinging and, sometimes, producing. Guerrero hit a two-run homer off Andy Pettitte on Monday to help the Angels rebound from a three-run deficit and defeat the Yankees, 5-4, in 11 innings in Game 3 of the American League Championship Series.
As Angels Manager Mike Scioscia analyzes Guerrero, he knows that Guerrero is no longer the hitter who is capable of hitting 40 home runs and driving in 120 runs. Still, Scioscia said he focused on what players can accomplish instead of their deficiencies. He says Guerrero, who had not homered in his previous 86 postseason at-bats, can still do a lot.
“Vladimir still brings a presence that is extremely important to our lineup,” Scioscia said. “And I think he showed it yesterday.”
Because Guerrero is such a free swinger, he is not the easiest hitter for pitchers to attack. The Yankees have instructed their pitchers to keep the ball away from him. Even if Guerrero hits outside pitches, he is not as likely to drive them. Pettitte strayed from that approach in the sixth inning Monday, and it cost him.
There were two outs and Bobby Abreu on first when Guerrero batted. Although Pettitte had done a superb job in controlling the Angels’ running game, he might have paid too much attention to Abreu with Guerrero up.
When Pettitte threw a 2-2 cut fastball to Guerrero, Abreu was moving back to first. But Pettitte’s pitch tailed inside, and Guerrero crushed it.
Was Pettitte too worried about Abreu? Maybe. He made three pickoff attempts during Guerrero’s at-bat. Pettitte’s hiccup ended up being huge as Guerrero’s homer tied the score, 3-3. Guerrero’s previous postseason homer had been a grand slam in Game 3 of a 2004 division series against the Boston Red Sox.
“We know he’s very dangerous,” Yankees Manager Joe Girardi said. “We pitch him very carefully. If you make a mistake, like we did yesterday, he can hurt you.”
Guerrero also hurt Jonathan Papelbon and the Red Sox during this year’s division series. After Papelbon intentionally walked Torii Hunter to load the bases in the ninth inning of Game 3, Guerrero stroked a two-run single that vaulted the Angels to a 7-6 win and enabled them to secure a three-game sweep.
Now Guerrero is trying to help the Angels overcome the Yankees, who began Tuesday with a two-games-to-one series lead. Guerrero was batting .320 with one homer and four runs batted in during the postseason. Alex Rodriguez, Guerrero’s counterpart as the Yankees’ cleanup hitter, was batting .348 with four homers and nine R.B.I.
The Angels cannot expect Guerrero to be their A-Rod. Scioscia explained how Guerrero can “carry a team,” but added that the Angels were “not expecting” him to do that. The Angels have more modest expectations for Guerrero, a .321 career hitter who batted .295 with 15 home runs and 50 R.B.I. this season. Scioscia said the Angels needed Guerrero to be a presence, not a savior.
“There’s been some real good signs that he’s getting more comfortable in the box,” Scioscia said. “If that happens, that’s very, very important to us.”
Guerrero can be a free agent after 2009, so he may be playing in his final games with the Angels. Guerrero had a strained knee and a torn chest muscle and was limited to 100 games this season. He also had knee surgery after the 2008 season and has had chronic back problems.
Though Guerrero may not know where he will play next year, he will not get anything close to the six-year, $85 million deal he is about to complete. Guerrero told The Los Angeles Times that his preference was to stay with the Angels.
“I’m going to be very honest — I love playing here,” Guerrero told The Times. “From my family’s comfort, to my teammates, to the way I’ve been treated here, to the winning ... I love it.”
After acknowledging that there is a business side to baseball, Guerrero was not much of a negotiator as he added, “I don’t want to move.” How Guerrero performs in the postseason could affect where he will be in 2010.
ANAHEIM, Calif. — Vladimir Guerrero hobbles almost as much as he walks these days. He is still a stellar hitter for the Los Angeles Angels, but he is not as fearsome as he once was. Age and injuries have made Guerrero, the batter who will usually swing at anything, less intimidating.
When the Angels took batting practice Tuesday, Guerrero was the first player to take some swings. They were violent swings. Between rounds, he planted the top of his bat in the dirt and rested his body against it or leaned against the batting cage. He looked as if he needed a chair.
But even as the 34-year-old Guerrero’s abilities have deteriorated and doubts about whether he should be hitting cleanup increase, he has continued swinging and, sometimes, producing. Guerrero hit a two-run homer off Andy Pettitte on Monday to help the Angels rebound from a three-run deficit and defeat the Yankees, 5-4, in 11 innings in Game 3 of the American League Championship Series.
As Angels Manager Mike Scioscia analyzes Guerrero, he knows that Guerrero is no longer the hitter who is capable of hitting 40 home runs and driving in 120 runs. Still, Scioscia said he focused on what players can accomplish instead of their deficiencies. He says Guerrero, who had not homered in his previous 86 postseason at-bats, can still do a lot.
“Vladimir still brings a presence that is extremely important to our lineup,” Scioscia said. “And I think he showed it yesterday.”
Because Guerrero is such a free swinger, he is not the easiest hitter for pitchers to attack. The Yankees have instructed their pitchers to keep the ball away from him. Even if Guerrero hits outside pitches, he is not as likely to drive them. Pettitte strayed from that approach in the sixth inning Monday, and it cost him.
There were two outs and Bobby Abreu on first when Guerrero batted. Although Pettitte had done a superb job in controlling the Angels’ running game, he might have paid too much attention to Abreu with Guerrero up.
When Pettitte threw a 2-2 cut fastball to Guerrero, Abreu was moving back to first. But Pettitte’s pitch tailed inside, and Guerrero crushed it.
Was Pettitte too worried about Abreu? Maybe. He made three pickoff attempts during Guerrero’s at-bat. Pettitte’s hiccup ended up being huge as Guerrero’s homer tied the score, 3-3. Guerrero’s previous postseason homer had been a grand slam in Game 3 of a 2004 division series against the Boston Red Sox.
“We know he’s very dangerous,” Yankees Manager Joe Girardi said. “We pitch him very carefully. If you make a mistake, like we did yesterday, he can hurt you.”
Guerrero also hurt Jonathan Papelbon and the Red Sox during this year’s division series. After Papelbon intentionally walked Torii Hunter to load the bases in the ninth inning of Game 3, Guerrero stroked a two-run single that vaulted the Angels to a 7-6 win and enabled them to secure a three-game sweep.
Now Guerrero is trying to help the Angels overcome the Yankees, who began Tuesday with a two-games-to-one series lead. Guerrero was batting .320 with one homer and four runs batted in during the postseason. Alex Rodriguez, Guerrero’s counterpart as the Yankees’ cleanup hitter, was batting .348 with four homers and nine R.B.I.
The Angels cannot expect Guerrero to be their A-Rod. Scioscia explained how Guerrero can “carry a team,” but added that the Angels were “not expecting” him to do that. The Angels have more modest expectations for Guerrero, a .321 career hitter who batted .295 with 15 home runs and 50 R.B.I. this season. Scioscia said the Angels needed Guerrero to be a presence, not a savior.
“There’s been some real good signs that he’s getting more comfortable in the box,” Scioscia said. “If that happens, that’s very, very important to us.”
Guerrero can be a free agent after 2009, so he may be playing in his final games with the Angels. Guerrero had a strained knee and a torn chest muscle and was limited to 100 games this season. He also had knee surgery after the 2008 season and has had chronic back problems.
Though Guerrero may not know where he will play next year, he will not get anything close to the six-year, $85 million deal he is about to complete. Guerrero told The Los Angeles Times that his preference was to stay with the Angels.
“I’m going to be very honest — I love playing here,” Guerrero told The Times. “From my family’s comfort, to my teammates, to the way I’ve been treated here, to the winning ... I love it.”
After acknowledging that there is a business side to baseball, Guerrero was not much of a negotiator as he added, “I don’t want to move.” How Guerrero performs in the postseason could affect where he will be in 2010.
Source: New York Times
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