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DEL.ICIO.USKotsay won’t play in Andruw’s shadow
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Jeff Schultz
Vero Beach, Fla. — On the day Andruw Jones made his debut in another uniform, Mark Kotsay was given a day off. It’s the Braves’ sincere hope that this remains simple irony and not something more significant. Like, say, foreshadowing.
Kotsay is the Braves’ new center fielder. If he doesn’t have the most daunting task in professional sports, he is at least in that neighborhood.
What’s more difficult: Trying to make a full recovery from back surgery at 32, or replacing a 10-time Gold Glove center fielder and five-time All-Star who now plays for Los Angeles (Kotsay’s resume has neither gold nor stars)?
Actually, don’t answer. Kotsay has to do both. But his view on the situation is what you would expect from someone known for crashing into outfield walls.
“I like this situation,” he said. “For whatever reason, this is the kind of situation I thrive in. It’s true — I have a lot on the line. I have a lot riding on this year. But my attitude is, let’s play for something here.”
Braves manager Bobby Cox calls Kotsay “a dirt player.”
Kotsay puts it another way: “Andruw makes everything look so easy. I make everything look hard.”
Which is fine. As long as he’s making the catch look hard and standing easy, nobody will have a problem.
Jones is gone for economic reasons. Kotsay is here for economic reasons. That might be their only common denominator.
The Braves — following a self-imposed budget and determined to improve their starting pitching — didn’t want to take the payroll hit for what Jones’ one-year salary likely would have been after arbitration. So they let him go in free agency, where the Dodgers gave him over $36 million for two years.
Oakland was leery of Kotsay’s back issues and was going through another organizational churn: veterans out, prospects in. The A’s were so determined to get Kotsay out of their team, if not their books, that they agreed to pick up $5.35 million of his $7.35 million salary. The Braves traded away two young arms, though didn’t particularly value either that highly (Joey Devine and Jamie Richmond).
The team was just looking for a cheap and safe bridge in center field between Jones and prospect Jordan Schafer. Cheap, he got. Safe, not so much. Kotsay’s a gamble. If he can play 150 games, it pays off. If he’s closer to the career-low 56 he played last year, the Braves have a problem.
(Kotsay wasn’t injured Thursday. He reported early and played in Wednesday’s exhibition against Georgia. Long bus rides to Vero Beach tend to be bad for backs, so Cox rested him.)
Kotsay never had a back issue until 2003, when he crashed into the wall at Colorado while playing for San Diego, putting him on the disabled list with a sprain. The following year with the A’s, he played in 148 games and batted a career-high .314. But the back worsened the next two seasons. In 2006, he missed 25 of Oakland’s final 51 games.
He added yoga stretches to his conditioning program. But the herniated disc in his back wasn’t receptive. In March, Kotsay was forced to undergo surgery and spent over two months on the disabled list. He now admits he probably rushed it back in June, which explains why he played only 56 games before being shelved for the year.
And now?
“I feel great,” he said. If he didn’t say that, I’m guessing the Braves could void their $2 million contribution.
Openly, the team remains confident. Kotsay insists the memory of surgery won’t lessen his aggressive nature in the outfield. But the A’s clearly had doubts.
“The team had a long line of injuries last season,” Kotsay said. “It put a lot of stress on the organization. They made changes in the medical staff and the training staff. Whether it was anybody’s fault or just bad luck, nobody knows. But they just tried to get rid of guys with that cloud hanging over their heads.”
He expects some fans will have doubts. Vocally, also itchy trigger fingers. He knows that the, “Andruw would’ve gotten to that ball,” cries are on deck. If he cares, he’s hiding it well.
“The guy was here for 11 years,” Kotsay said. “He’s got [10] Gold Gloves. I don’t have any. The fans are spoiled and they’re going to want nothing but what Andruw was capable of doing. But I’m not here to please them. I’m here to do my job.”
If he stays upright, that will be a start.
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