Fred Lewis, the Giants' left fielder in 2008, knows where he wants to be when the 2009 season begins in San Francisco on April 7.
"I hope and plan and pray that I'm the starting left fielder this year," Lewis said. "That's the goal. I'm not taking anything less. I'm working my butt off every day, and that's my main goal."
Lewis was not answering a question about the longshot possibility that the Giants will sign Manny Ramirez to play left field. In a chat with reporters before participating in a "chalk talk" with season-ticket holders Wednesday night, Lewis was expressing hope that he will be recovered fully from a Sept. 12 operation to remove a bunion on his right foot.
The recovery is going well. Lewis and manager Bruce Bochy both said they expect the 28-year-old to be ready to participate in all drills when spring training begins in a month. Lewis is jogging on a treadmill, will accelerate his running on a track next week and is starting to swing in the batting cage.
"I have actually been swinging the heck out of the bat right now," he said. "I really have."
Still, until the Ramirez question is answered, Lewis' role will be somewhat in question.
Last week, team executive Bobby Evans phoned Lewis and told him not to worry about the Ramirez rumors, providing some relief. Moreover, Lewis might take comfort in how unlikely a Ramirez signing is.
Team officials acknowledge some interest, but only as a short-term solution to provide needed pop in the middle of the lineup and not at the expense of their long-range rebuilding plans. According to sources, agent Scott Boras is seeking a four-year deal with a fifth-year vesting option for Ramirez, while the Giants are not keen on anything more than a two-year guarantee, if that.
Lewis said he was not overly concerned by the rumors.
"It crossed my mind," he said, "but it's not that big of a deal to me because I know it's a business. I just have to worry about Fred, and that's it. I can't worry about anybody else's decision-making. I know what I'm capable of doing and I just have to prove it."
Lewis was in a terrific mood Wednesday. He laughed at his own third-person self-reference in the quote above, saying, "You know exactly what I thought about when I just said that? I thought about Rickey Henderson because Rickey Henderson was on the MLB channel and I was like, 'Man, how many times is he going to drop Rickey?' "
Saying how happy he was that he can wear a shoe on his right foot again after the surgery and lengthy rehab, the noted clothes horse said, "Now I get to match my wardrobe better. I was wearing black Air Force Ones with black socks trying to match my outfits."
Assuming he is the left fielder, Lewis no longer will be wearing a leadoff hitter's shoes. He will be batting fifth, behind Bengie Molina, with the Giants hoping he can provide some run production.
The lineup is tentative, of course, and would be even without the Ramirez possibility. The Giants continue to investigate corner infielders, with another Boras client, third baseman Joe Crede, seemingly a longshot as well. A source said the Giants are on the "fringes" of Crede talks.
Bochy understands the roster might change between now and spring training and said, "I can't say we're done or something else won't happen," but added he would be happy to start the season with Pablo Sandoval at third base and Travis Ishikawa at first.
Ishikawa, he said, "is intriguing for the fact that he can be a guy who supplies a little bit of power. If this is what we have, we're much better off than we were last year. The offense is better. Pitching-wise we're better, and Travis, going in as the first baseman, is an upgrade."
Bochy also said Kevin Frandsen, who appeared at Wednesday's chalk talk, will join Emmanuel Burriss and Eugenio Velez in a competition for second base, and that Buster Posey will be in major-league camp long enough to play in some Cactus League games.
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