JETHAWKS NOTEBOOK: BONIFACIO IS THE SPARK THAT IGNITES JETHAWKS.Byline: GIDEON RUBIN Special to the Daily News LANCASTER -- As second baseman second baseman n. Baseball The infielder who is positioned near and to the first-base side of second base. Noun 1. second baseman - (baseball) the person who plays second base second sacker Emilio Bonifacio Emilio Jose Bonifacio (born April 23, 1985 in Dominican Republic) is a Major League Baseball play for the Arizona Diamondbacks. He was called up on September 1, 2007. goes, so go the JetHawks. Bonifacio, an unpolished prospect at the start of the season, has emerged as one of the California League's most exciting players. Going into Friday's game against Rancho Cucamonga Rancho Cucamonga (răn`chō k  'kəmäng`gə), city (1990 pop. 101,409), San Bernardino co., S Calif. , the JetHawks catalyst led the league with 42 stolen bases, was second in runs scored with 85, and ranked fourth in the league with a .327 batting average batting averagen. Baseball A measure of a batter's performance obtained by dividing the total of base hits by the number of times at bat, not including walks. Noun 1. (129 for 395.) In games in which Bonifacio has multiple hits, the JetHawks are 24-16. They are 24-38 when he has one hit or less. In the second half, the JetHawks are 14-6 when Bonifacio has multiple- hit games. They are 2-10 in all other games. The stunning statistical correlation is no coincidence, JetHawks manager Brett Butler Brett Butler can refer to different people:
``He's the guy who turns the key to the car and ignites the engine,'' Butler said. Bonifacio's surge has catapulted the JetHawks into contention for a second-half title. Going into play Friday, the JetHawks (48-54, 16-16 second half) were in third place, trailing first-place Lake Elsinore (19-14) by 2 1/2 games. Bonifacio batted .447 (59 for 132) in a 30-game home hitting streak In baseball, a hitting streak refers to the consecutive number of official games in which a player gets at least one base hit. Games in which a player does not have any official at bats due to walks, or sacrifice bunts, or being hit by a pitch, are ignored (neither break the streak that ended in Thursday's 16-5 loss to Inland Empire In·land Empire A region of the northwest United States between the Cascade Range and the Rocky Mountains, comprising eastern Washington, eastern Oregon, northern Idaho, and western Montana. Farming, lumbering, and mining are important to the area. . The JetHawks were 21-9 over that stretch. Bonifacio, ranked 27th among the JetHawks parent Arizona Diamondbacks organizational prospects at the start of the season, batted .266 (248 for 933) in two years at low-A South Bend (Ind.) in the Midwest League. His exceptional speed has produced wildly exciting results. In Tuesday's 10-7 victory over Inland Empire, Bonifacio scored all the way from second on Chris Rahl's sixth inning infield hit. ``He's shown that he's an incredible athlete,'' Butler said. The 21-year-old Dominican Republic native's rapid development is especially timely for the Diamondbacks, who lack depth at his position. More importantly, he is the organization's only pure leadoff hitter. In a private meeting two months ago, Butler told Bonifacio that he would never realize his potential if he didn't improve his small-ball skills. ``I told him, `Your swing's way too big if you're going to be a leadoff guy,' '' Butler said. Butler has worked with Bonifacio on bunting and working the count in his favor. ``Right now, look at the (Diamondbacks). They're looking for Looking for In the context of general equities, this describing a buy interest in which a dealer is asked to offer stock, often involving a capital commitment. Antithesis of in touch with. a prototypical leadoff hitter,'' Butler said. ``That's his ticket to the big leagues.'' gideon.rubin(at)dailynews.com (818) 713-3607 CAPTION(S): photo Photo: BONIFACIO |
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