PEREZ LOSES HIS PLACE DEFENSIVE DEFICIENCIES KEEP HIM OUT OF LINEUP.Byline: Tony Jackson
Anthony (Antonio) Jackson, best known as Tony Jackson Staff Writer WASHINGTON - He plays for a club whose offense is woefully woe·ful also wo·ful adj. 1. Affected by or full of woe; mournful. 2. Causing or involving woe. 3. Deplorably bad or wretched: inadequate, and he is hitting .335. He plays for a front office that places a premium on a player's on-base percentage, and his is a solid .398. His team routinely fails to capitalize on Cap´i`tal`ize on` v. t. 1. To turn (an opportunity) to one's advantage; to take advantage of (a situation); to profit from; as, to capitalize on an opponent's mistakes s>. what few scoring opportunities it creates, and he is hitting .371 with runners in scoring position In the sport of baseball, a baserunner is said to be in scoring position when he is on second or third base. The distinction between being on first base and second or third base is that a runner on first can usually only score if the batter hits an extra base hit, while a runner on . And yet the Dodgers' Antonio Perez has become a man without a position. And if you ask him what he thinks about that, he becomes a man without an answer. ``I'm not the manager,'' Perez said, without elaboration. He also isn't an outfielder. Or a third baseman third baseman n. Baseball The infielder stationed near third base. Noun 1. third baseman - (baseball) the person who plays third base third sacker . Or a shortstop. Or even much of a 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 , which isn't a good thing considering that is his ``natural'' position. It is for those reasons, as well as third baseman Oscar Robles Oscar M. Robles (b. April 9, 1976, in Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico) has spent much of this decade as a third baseman for the Mexico City Red Devils (Diablos Rojos del México), and briefly as an infielder for the Los Angeles Dodgers from May 2005 through 2006. having forced his way into the everyday lineup, that Perez has been forced to the bench - and into daily, one-on-one tutoring sessions with Dodgers outfield coach John Shelby John T. Shelby (born February 23, 1958, in Lexington, Kentucky) was a Major League Baseball player from 1981-1991. Over his 11 year career he played with three different teams: the Baltimore Orioles (1981-1987), Los Angeles Dodgers (1987-1990), and Detroit Tigers (1990-1991). in hopes that he can learn a new position that will enable manager Jim Tracy
Tracy won't do that until he hears the right words from Shelby. And those words don't appear to be forthcoming. ``I don't think so,'' Shelby said. ``I'm not saying I can see the potential there, and I'm not saying I can't see (it). If this were spring training, we could work with him a lot in the mornings, and he could get a better feel for it. But as it is, we're taking 10 minutes a day, plus I tell him to shag shag see cormorant. balls during batting practice, which he does. But that's not enough. ``I personally don't think I have seen enough that I'm comfortable going in and telling Tracy that he should put Antonio out there if the right situation occurs.'' Reading between Shelby's lines, his message comes across loud and clear: Perez as an outfielder is more project than prospect, and it will take more than a few minutes a day in the remaining two months of season to develop him beyond that. Not that Shelby's daily sessions with Perez are a waste of time. ``I think it's important that we continue to move forward with it,'' Tracy said. ``That way, we'll have a good enough idea to go on when we get to a point of asking ourselves whether there is enough potential there to keep moving forward. And if we do keep moving forward, then we will have established a starting point Noun 1. starting point - earliest limiting point terminus a quo commencement, get-go, offset, outset, showtime, starting time, beginning, start, kickoff, first - the time at which something is supposed to begin; "they got an early start"; "she knew from the well prior to that so we're not starting from scratch.'' That point of decision to which Tracy referred probably is sometime next winter, when club officials will determine if they want Perez to continue to hone his outfield skills in spring training. Tracy insists he hasn't abandoned the idea of Perez playing some outfield in 2005. Moreover, no one has abandoned the idea of Perez returning to the infield, on a regular basis, somewhere down the road. General manager Paul DePodesta Paul DePodesta (born December 16, 1972) is baseball front-office assistant for the San Diego Padres. He has also served as general manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers from February 16, 2004 to October 29, 2005. still considers Perez the Dodgers' second baseman of the future, saying he thinks Perez will be fine defensively if he plays there every day. But Jeff Kent is signed through next season, so until 2007, any extended time in the starting lineup for Perez probably means a weaker defensive alignment for the club. When that '07 season starts, Perez will be only 27, with what DePodesta believes will be several productive years in front of him. So for now, Perez will pinch-hit (he is 2 for 11), keep working with Shelby and console himself with one thought. ``The outfield is easier than the infield,'' said Perez, who makes the game an adventure no matter where he plays. Shelby is working with Perez on every aspect of outfield play, including such fundamentals as throwing to the right base and hitting the cutoff man. He says the mental aspects aren't a problem for Perez, but some of the physical parts are. ``To me, his biggest problem is judging flyballs,'' Shelby said. ``That's usually one of the hardest things. He does well when he comes in, but he has had a few problems going back. I don't want to give the OK until I feel like he can do both. A lot of times, guys struggle both with going in and coming back when they're first learning how to play the outfield.'' That gives Perez a leg up on most first-timers, but it doesn't put Shelby any closer to telling Tracy what he wants to hear. Meanwhile, Tracy forges ahead with one of his best hitters watching most games from the bench, a tough thing for a manager weary of seeing his injury-depleted, youth-laden club get shut down night after night. ``It's hard to hold him down,'' Tracy said. ``But the flip side Flip side In the context of general equities, opposite side to a proposition or position (buy, if sell is the proposition and vice versa). of the coin is how much defense can you afford to give up for the opportunity to get another bat in the lineup? That's the determining factor.'' Tony Jackson,(818) 713-3675 tony.jackson(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): photo, box Photo: The Dodgers' Antonio Perez his hitting .335, can't crack the everyday lineup because of poor defense. Stephen Dunn/Getty Images Box: DODGERS at WASHINGTON - Jill Painter |
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