Power in a flash

Sporting News, The, March 25, 2002

ELEMENTS OF HARDBALL A VICIOUS SWING

In baseball, there is quick--Randy Johnson's fastball, J.D. Drew from first to third, Larry Bowa's temper. And then there is quick--Gary Sheffield's swing.

In the time it takes you to read this sentence, Sheffield could have smoked a line drive off the fence in left-center. No matter what size bat he's swinging--and he uses a variety--he whips the bat through the zone at something approaching the speed of light. Well, it looks like that, anyway.

In real time, it's the quickest bat in the majors. "Without a doubt," Rockies lefthander Mike Hampton says.

Sheer bat speed is only part of the excitement Sheffield brings to the plate. When he bats, chances are good he's going to hit the ball. He is the rare power hitter who doesn't often strike out. He hit 36 homers and struck out only 67 times. His ratio of one strikeout per 7.7 at-bats was bettered only by the Pirates' Brian Giles (one per 8.6) among players who hit more than 35 homers.

After wrangling a trade to Atlanta, Sheffield will team with Chipper Jones to give the Braves perhaps the best 3-4 combo they've had in their 10-year run of division titles. You can count on this: Sheffield will make a quick adjustment in the batter's box.

HARDBALL QUESTION

WHAT'S THE MOST UNDERAPPRECIATED PART OF THE GAME?

Trevor Hoffman, Padres: National anthem. I don't think people take it as seriously as they should, fans and ballplayers in general. Hats off, address the flag, appreciate how fortunate we are to play in a free country.

Ivan Rodriguez, Rangers: Middle-inning relief. Those guys keep you in the game. They come in, pitch two or three innings and keep the game close. They don't get much recognition, but they're very important.

Rusty Greer, Rangers: Batting practice. That's when you have fun.

Alex Rodriguez, Rangers: Bunting. It's an art that's been lost. This is an era where everybody wants to slug and slug.

Doug Mientkiewicz, Twins: Pinch hitting. To me, it's the hardest thing to do in baseball. You're put in a crucial situation in every game. Every night, you have a chance to win the game for your team or tie it up. There's a reason why there are only so many of them. You have to have more confidence as a bench player than you do as a starter. You get one crack at it a night. You don't have a chance to get your timing down. And usually, it's late in the game against the best relievers in baseball.

Aaron Boone, Reds: Mental toughness. I'm talking about the guys that have a mental advantage in the everyday grind for 162 games. Those who are mentally strong have way more of an advantage than anyone can appreciate.

John Flaherty, Devil Rays: Baserunning. If a guy gets thrown out at the plate, everyone says what a great job the outfielder did or the catcher did in making the tag. But usually, the play at the plate is determined by the jump the runner gets off second base, his angles rounding the bases. All of those things can really eliminate the play at the plate. If a good baserunner gets a good jump, he's probably at home plate before the throw arrives.

Todd Jones, Rockies: The art of hitting eighth in the National League. You never know when you're getting pitched to.

Eric Chavez, A's: Bunting. We've talked about it this spring. It's one thing to talk about it, another to practice it. I'm talking about giving up an at-bat. Even if you're in the 3-4-5 hole, depending on who you're facing and what your numbers are like, there's got to be times when you have to sacrifice.

Curt Schilling, Diamondbacks: Defense. The problem is, fans as a whole want to rate their player on statistics. There is no defining statistic for defense. I played with the best first baseman that I've seen, Rico Brogna. He drove in a hundred a couple of consecutive years, but he saved half that, at least half that. But you can't put a stat to that. You can't add up the number of pitches or the hits or the walks that would have come after the error.