In the first inning against Seattle on Saturday, Mariners leadoff hitter Endy Chavez bunted past pitcher Barry Zito.It looked like a sure hit until second baseman Eugenio Velez charged the ball, barehanded it and threw off-balance to first.
Three days later, Velez was playing left field when his lunging catch saved a victory against Arizona.
Was this the same Velez who made fans cringe with his play at second base last season? Yes, with one subtle difference. Last year Velez looked like he played scared. This spring, he plays as though he believes in himself.
He certainly has made a believer out of general manager Brian Sabean, who said Velez's chances of making the team were enhanced by Thursday's decision to release 36-year-outfielder Dave Roberts. In fact, Velez's emergence as a switch-hitter who can play the infield and outfield hastened the Roberts move.
One root of Velez's improvement might be confidence, a word so overused in sports it borders on cliche, but an undeniable necessity for a professional athlete.
Asked why he seems more comfortable this spring, Velez said he had an epiphany while playing winter ball in the Dominican. He was competing with and against some of the same players he saw in the majors last season and hanging with them.
"It's the same game," Velez said. "I said to myself, 'Why didn't I do that in the big leagues?' I saw the same guys. It was the same plays.
"In the season, I tried to do too much. I learned from last year. You have to take it easy, like in spring training, like in the Dominican."
That is only part of the equation, of course. Velez did not continually get picked off by left-handed pitchers last season because he lacked confidence. He could not read their moves. The same went for his sometimes maddening unwillingness to hit the ball on the ground and use his rabbit's speed to reach base.
If Velez can do these things in 2009, the 26-year-old could become a valuable role player for the Giants, and yes, self-confidence will factor into his success or lack thereof.
"I could see how fans would think that's a bunch of baloney, but a lot of success stems from confidence at the big-league level," right fielder Randy Winn, pointing toward Velez's play on Chavez's bunt.
"With that guy's speed and abilities," Winn said of Velez, "he should make plays like that. That was an example where confidence lets you be who you are and lets your true abilities come out. That's a play he makes in winter ball."
Winn learned the value of confidence by observing the struggles of a former Santa Clara basketball teammate.
It was Phoenix Suns point guard Steve Nash, a two-time NBA Most Valuable Player. Nash was drafted by the Suns and traded to Dallas after his first two seasons. The Mavericks awarded him a six-year, $33 million contract and he was anointed the next John Stockton.
Nash shot a career-worst 37 percent and averaged 5.5 assists a game that year. Winn saw a friend and athlete bowed by the fear of not fulfilling expectations.
"That season, he was very timid," Winn said. "He was afraid to make passes. He was passing up shots he used to make in his sleep. He tried to be somebody he wasn't. The next year, he goes on to be an All-Star. Once he got a little success, he got his confidence. It kind of went hand-in-hand. He was not afraid."
From MLB.com
Three days later, Velez was playing left field when his lunging catch saved a victory against Arizona.
Was this the same Velez who made fans cringe with his play at second base last season? Yes, with one subtle difference. Last year Velez looked like he played scared. This spring, he plays as though he believes in himself.
He certainly has made a believer out of general manager Brian Sabean, who said Velez's chances of making the team were enhanced by Thursday's decision to release 36-year-outfielder Dave Roberts. In fact, Velez's emergence as a switch-hitter who can play the infield and outfield hastened the Roberts move.
One root of Velez's improvement might be confidence, a word so overused in sports it borders on cliche, but an undeniable necessity for a professional athlete.
Asked why he seems more comfortable this spring, Velez said he had an epiphany while playing winter ball in the Dominican. He was competing with and against some of the same players he saw in the majors last season and hanging with them.
"It's the same game," Velez said. "I said to myself, 'Why didn't I do that in the big leagues?' I saw the same guys. It was the same plays.
"In the season, I tried to do too much. I learned from last year. You have to take it easy, like in spring training, like in the Dominican."
That is only part of the equation, of course. Velez did not continually get picked off by left-handed pitchers last season because he lacked confidence. He could not read their moves. The same went for his sometimes maddening unwillingness to hit the ball on the ground and use his rabbit's speed to reach base.
If Velez can do these things in 2009, the 26-year-old could become a valuable role player for the Giants, and yes, self-confidence will factor into his success or lack thereof.
"I could see how fans would think that's a bunch of baloney, but a lot of success stems from confidence at the big-league level," right fielder Randy Winn, pointing toward Velez's play on Chavez's bunt.
"With that guy's speed and abilities," Winn said of Velez, "he should make plays like that. That was an example where confidence lets you be who you are and lets your true abilities come out. That's a play he makes in winter ball."
Winn learned the value of confidence by observing the struggles of a former Santa Clara basketball teammate.
It was Phoenix Suns point guard Steve Nash, a two-time NBA Most Valuable Player. Nash was drafted by the Suns and traded to Dallas after his first two seasons. The Mavericks awarded him a six-year, $33 million contract and he was anointed the next John Stockton.
Nash shot a career-worst 37 percent and averaged 5.5 assists a game that year. Winn saw a friend and athlete bowed by the fear of not fulfilling expectations.
"That season, he was very timid," Winn said. "He was afraid to make passes. He was passing up shots he used to make in his sleep. He tried to be somebody he wasn't. The next year, he goes on to be an All-Star. Once he got a little success, he got his confidence. It kind of went hand-in-hand. He was not afraid."
From MLB.com
 Oakland | Oakland 4, San Francisco 2 |  San Francisco | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Standings | Recap: OAK | SF |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
No comments:
Post a Comment