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from Standing Small
Retiring Ray Knoblauch
Star Tribune (Minneapolis, MN)
Cheryl JohnsonChuck hit on by maleJim SouhanKnoblauch Anchors Twins InfiedKnob Stays Cool About StrikePatrick ReusseCrunch Time Is Time To ShineSean HorganKnoblauch Shines At Bat|
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| What's on second? Knoblauch, the anchor of the Twins' infield |
| By Jim Souhan |
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| March 1, 1993 Ten years from now, when that Fu Manchu-shaped stubble found so often on his chin has begun to gray, Chuck Knoblauch probably will be considered the veteran leader of the Twins' infield. Come to think of it, he already has a chance to become just that. First baseman Kent Hrbek is trying to recover from a shoulder injury for the second straight spring. Shortstop Scott Leius is reverting to his natural position after spending the last two years platooning at third. Third baseman Terry Jorgensen is trying to prove he has the moxie to translate his minor league success into major league stability. The only sure thing in the infield is Knoblauch. That is quite a change from two years ago, when the Twins entered the spring wondering whether a stubby little Class AA second baseman they had dubbed "Skippy" could beat out Nelson Liriano, who treated grounders as if they were soccer balls. "I guess when you break it down like that, it's weird," Knoblauch said. "I'm the old guy of two years." They have been an impressive two years. As a rookie, Knoblauch hit .281, drove in 50 runs, stole 25 bases and was named American League rookie of the year. He also hit .326 in the postseason as the Twins won the World Series. Last year, he improved himself in almost every way, raising his batting average to .297, his RBI total to 56, his stolen bases to 34 and reducing his errors from 18 to six. He also played in his first All-Star Game. Now no one calls him Skippy. But what can he do for an encore? How about prove himself all over again? "I always like to think that players need to establish themselves over three years," Twins manager Tom Kelly said. "If you put together three good seasons in a row, then I think you can say, 'Well, we've got something here.' That's when they become an established player. Right now, I think we've got to remember he's still a fairly young player." Knoblauch is 24, and skipped Class AAA on his way to the major leagues. He is talented and hard-working enough for Kelly to feel comfortable writing his name on the lineup card every night, but young enough to cause Kelly to keep a close eye on him. "He is a hard worker," said Hrbek. "I don't know if he's a leader yet. He's been yelled at a few times and sat down by the manager because of the things he's trying to do too much of. He's been straightened out. "But everybody makes mistakes. Well, I don't make any, but everybody else does." Knoblauch's rise may have changed the way the Twins are perceived. Once this was a team dominated by Kirby Puckett, Hrbek and a handful of other easy-going, proven veterans. But the feisty Knoblauch's fast start seems to have made him the second-most-popular Twin, behind Puckett, and the only Twin who is a goodbet to keep his starting position until the turn of the century. "That's kind of hard for me to realize, because I don't feel any different than I did two years ago," he said. "I still feel like a young guy who just showed up." In fact, Knoblauch said he only recently began to feel like a fixture in the clubhouse. "I think the clubhouse is the toughest thing to get adjusted to," he said. "I think once you get on the field, everything else takes care of itself. But in the clubhouse you really have to earn respect, or get that acceptance, from the other guys. That makes it easier to go down and perform on the field and know they believe you can do the job." There are few doubts remaining concerning Knoblauch. Now that he has done almost everything asked of him, can he do it all again, and again? That is the only remaining question. "I think once we get past this season and see how we do, what you're talking about is a guy you don't have to worry about," Kelly said. "You just write his name down. That would be nice." Notes/ Scott Erickson looked dominating while facing some of the Twins' best hitters - including Knoblauch and Shane Mack - in live batting practice Sunday. Few batters managed to hit a fair ball. "California kids are always a little ahead," Kelly said of Erickson. . . . Pitcher Alan Newman had great stuff, but was wild. Puckett took one look at a Newman pitch that almost decapitated Pedro Munoz and walked to another cage. "Not today, man," he said. . . . Hrbek continues to drive the ball well in batting practice and look comfortable in the field. |
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