azdad1978
Championship!!!!
By Dan Zeiger, Tribune
TUCSON - As the Diamondbacks’ starting center fielder, Jose Cruz Jr. is succeeding Steve Finley, who earned two Gold Gloves and made countless highlight-reel catches with Arizona.
It is quite an act to follow, but Cruz — who has a Gold Glove of his own, won as a right fielder with San Francisco in 2003 — said on Wednesday he is confident his abilities will stand on their own.
"(Finley) set a standard out there," said Cruz, who on Feb. 6 was traded to Arizona by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. "I figure if I can come close to him defensively, I’m doing a great job."
However, manager Bob Melvin said he knows comparisons will inevitably come. He went through a similar centerfield transition as skipper of the Seattle Mariners last year, when Randy Winn took over for Mike Cameron.
"I think it’s unfair for people to expect Jose to go out there and play like Steve Finley," Melvin said.
The center-field terrain at Bank One Ballpark is spacious, but Cruz called the stadium one of his favorites. And he won his Gold Glove while playing 81 games in SBC Park, which has one of the biggest right fields around.
"You have to cover as much ground in right field there as if you were in center field almost anywhere else," Melvin said.
STEP IN THE BOX
In today’s workout, Arizona is scheduled to have live batting practice.
In past years, the first day of live BP has been a sight to see, with hitters who have not seen real-deal pitching in more than four months stepping in against Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling.
"We gave the hitters two days to get their feet wet a little bit, and they’ll start breaking bats (today)," Melvin said. "The veteran guys will be smart enough to bring someone else’s bat out there."
‘PHENOM FIELD’
Melvin on Wednesday was especially impressed with a group of youngsters on what he dubbed "Phenom Field" at Kino Sports Complex. Arizona has an abundance of outfield prospects in camp, headed by first-round draft picks Conor Jackson and Carlos Quentin.
A standout on Wednesday, Melvin said, was Josh Kroeger, a left-handed batter who hit just .167 (9-for-54) in 22 games with the D-Backs last year.
"I know that his numbers weren’t too good at the bigleague level, but he’s got a great approach," Melvin said. "He lets the ball travel some and uses the whole field. . . .
EXTRA BASES
Pitcher Shawn Estes (right ankle sprain) is scheduled to throw off a mound for the first time this spring today. . . .
Tickets for all regular season games and the two BOB exhibition contests against the Boston Red Sox go on sale Saturday. For more information, call (602) 514-8400 or visit azdiamondbacks.com. . . .
Fox Sports Net Arizona will rebroadcast Game 7 of the 2001 World Series at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday.
http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/index.php?sty=36937
TUCSON - As the Diamondbacks’ starting center fielder, Jose Cruz Jr. is succeeding Steve Finley, who earned two Gold Gloves and made countless highlight-reel catches with Arizona.
It is quite an act to follow, but Cruz — who has a Gold Glove of his own, won as a right fielder with San Francisco in 2003 — said on Wednesday he is confident his abilities will stand on their own.
"(Finley) set a standard out there," said Cruz, who on Feb. 6 was traded to Arizona by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. "I figure if I can come close to him defensively, I’m doing a great job."
However, manager Bob Melvin said he knows comparisons will inevitably come. He went through a similar centerfield transition as skipper of the Seattle Mariners last year, when Randy Winn took over for Mike Cameron.
"I think it’s unfair for people to expect Jose to go out there and play like Steve Finley," Melvin said.
The center-field terrain at Bank One Ballpark is spacious, but Cruz called the stadium one of his favorites. And he won his Gold Glove while playing 81 games in SBC Park, which has one of the biggest right fields around.
"You have to cover as much ground in right field there as if you were in center field almost anywhere else," Melvin said.
STEP IN THE BOX
In today’s workout, Arizona is scheduled to have live batting practice.
In past years, the first day of live BP has been a sight to see, with hitters who have not seen real-deal pitching in more than four months stepping in against Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling.
"We gave the hitters two days to get their feet wet a little bit, and they’ll start breaking bats (today)," Melvin said. "The veteran guys will be smart enough to bring someone else’s bat out there."
‘PHENOM FIELD’
Melvin on Wednesday was especially impressed with a group of youngsters on what he dubbed "Phenom Field" at Kino Sports Complex. Arizona has an abundance of outfield prospects in camp, headed by first-round draft picks Conor Jackson and Carlos Quentin.
A standout on Wednesday, Melvin said, was Josh Kroeger, a left-handed batter who hit just .167 (9-for-54) in 22 games with the D-Backs last year.
"I know that his numbers weren’t too good at the bigleague level, but he’s got a great approach," Melvin said. "He lets the ball travel some and uses the whole field. . . .
EXTRA BASES
Pitcher Shawn Estes (right ankle sprain) is scheduled to throw off a mound for the first time this spring today. . . .
Tickets for all regular season games and the two BOB exhibition contests against the Boston Red Sox go on sale Saturday. For more information, call (602) 514-8400 or visit azdiamondbacks.com. . . .
Fox Sports Net Arizona will rebroadcast Game 7 of the 2001 World Series at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday.
http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/index.php?sty=36937
