Notes: Hinske adjusting to changes
03/10/2006ST. PETERSBURG -- Like everyone else, Eric Hinske is working hard to find a spot on the roster. Not everyone, however, has had to deal with a new position and a new batting stance.
Playing at first base last season, and third the three years prior to that, Hinske found himself out of a job this year when the Blue Jays traded for first baseman Lyle Overbay and three-time All-Star third baseman Troy Glaus. Add Shea Hillenbrand into the mix, and the corners are pretty crowded. For Hinske, it came down to making himself useful elsewhere.
The answer came not out of right field, but rather in a switch into it, where it's assumed he'll share time with Alex Rios.
"Everybody wants to play, but it's about winning games up here," said Hinske, who bats left-handed while Rios hits from the right side. "If it's a team role and switching off is going to make us go to the playoffs and win the World Series, I'll accept whatever role I have to."
It's admittedly not a completely new position, since Hinske says he patrolled the outfield in the Minor Leagues -- for all of about 30 games, anyway. Any change of duty at the Major League level takes more than a little getting used to, but Blue Jays general manager J.P. Ricciardi said Hinske's doing just fine.
"He's moving around pretty good out there, he's really comfortable," Ricciardi said. "The possibilities are great, he's just got to hit the cut-off man."
Hinske's getting plenty of opportunity to sharpen his right-field skills since his main competition, Rios, is currently in San Juan playing for Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic.
"It's great, I have to get as much time as I can out there," Hinske said. "The first game, I was a little nervous. I felt like I was so far away from everything, but it's getting better and better every day."
In addition to a new position, Hinske decided the offseason was the best time to tweak his batting stance, and he worked with hitting coach Mickey Brantley on simplifying his timing stride. Hinske seems to have adapted well to the change, hitting .385 this spring with two doubles, two home runs and two walks in six games. He went 1-for-2 in Friday's 3-2 win at Tampa Bay.
"He's having a good spring swinging the bat," Ricciardi said. "Everything right now is a process that leads to the season, so we'll see how it goes in the season.
"[Hinske] will face righties and Rios will face lefties; hopefully one of them will jump up and take the job."
No pain, all gain: Left-hander Ted Lilly scattered two hits and struck out three in three innings against the Devil Rays on Friday. With a Spring Training ERA of 1.80 in two starts, Lilly is showing the potential that was masked by injuries to his throwing arm during the previous two springs.
"I thought last year I would be able to catch up ... and I just was never as prepared as I needed to be," said Lilly. "I realize how important this time is, to use it. I'm glad that I get the chance to come in healthy and utilize Spring Training the way it's meant to be."
Blue Jays manager John Gibbons echoed Lilly's enthusiasm, and said it was nice to see the southpaw get started early.
"The last couple of years, he actually pitched pretty good for no spring training, but it caught up with him after a few starts," Gibbons said. "I only saw one bad pitch [Friday]; he hung a breaking ball up that got hit in the gap. This gives him a chance to start the season off in shape."
Classic update: Toronto Minor League right-hander Vince Perkins walked one during a scoreless ninth for Team Canada, which lost 9-1 to Mexico on Thursday. Canada was eliminated from pool play on Friday following Team USA's 17-0, five-inning victory over South Africa at Scottsdale Stadium in Arizona.
Jays southpaw Gustavo Chacin pitched a scoreless inning and struck out one for Venezuela in a 2-0 win over Australia on Thursday. Lefty Adrian Burnside gave up a hit and two walks while striking out one in 1 1/3 innings of work for the Australians. Rios and undefeated Puerto Rico take on undefeated Cuba at 7:30 p.m. ET on Friday at Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Source: http://toronto.bluejays.mlb.com/
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