Saturday, March 06, 1999

Lewis aims for elusive stardom

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Back with Reds as utilityman

BY CHRIS HAFT
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Mark Lewis (Craig Ruttle photo) | ZOOM |

        SARASOTA, Fla. — Mark Lewis admitted that he hasn't done enough in his career. One thing he hasn't done is give up.

        The stardom once predicted for Lewis has eluded him since the Cleveland Indians made him the second overall choice in the 1988 amateur draft out of Hamilton High School. Many people, including some athletes, would have abandoned the pursuit of excellence after a decade of trying.

        Yet Lewis continues his crusade as passionately as ever as a candidate for a utility infield role with the Reds. Friday against the Texas Rangers, his effort prevailed.

        Lewis' third hit, a one-out single to right-center field off reliever Ryan Glynn, drove in Rod Myers to snap a tie and lift Cincinnati to a 5-4, 10-inning victory in a split-squad exhibition game at Ed Smith Stadium. Another group of Reds lost to Minnesota 6-2, in Ft. Myers, Fla.

        Fittingly, Lewis delivered his game-winning shot on an 0-2 pitch.

        “Mark is not going to lay down at all,” said Reds utilityman Jeff Branson, Lewis' best friend on the team, who furthered his bid to make the Opening Day roster with a 3-for-3 afternoon. “Look at that situation he was in right there. A lot of guys fall behind 0-and-2 and they get disgusted a little. He didn't.”

        Disgust was absent from Lewis' quiet voice as he examined himself. So was satisfaction.

        “I expect a lot out of myself and to be honest with you, I thought I'd be a better player than what I am,” said Lewis, a .266 hitter in seven big-league seasons. “So I have to keep working hard. I feel I'm capable of doing more than what I've done. It's not going to be for a lack of trying.”

        On a team full of industrious players, Lewis stands out. He arrived in camp on Feb. 15, six days before position players had to report. He was toiling in the batting cages less than two hours after his plane landed.

        “If you don't work hard, eventually somebody's going to pass you by and take your position,” said Lewis, 29.

        Nobody unseated Lewis last year, when he played 142 games as Philadelphia's everyday second baseman. But he finished with a .249 average, his second-lowest, after hitting .189 through May.

        “Last year was a great opportunity for me, and the first month and a half killed me,” said Lewis, who complained that he lacked balance at the plate. “It's just getting away from your basics. I took some swings last year where I almost fell down in the box and you can't do that.”

        With Aaron Boone destined to play third base and Pokey Reese projected to start at second, Lewis appears bound for reserve duty. He excelled in that role in 1995, when he platooned with Branson at third base and hit a career-best .339, garnishing his season with a pinch-hit grand slam in Game 3 of the Division Series against Los Angeles.

        “In my opinion, you get the best results (from him) when you don't throw him out there every day,” Reds manager Jack McKeon said.

        Lewis maintains an ideal backup's approach.

        “I want to help this team win. I'll do whatever it takes,” he said. “If that means I have to be a utility player, then that's the way it is. I've done it before and I've had no problems with it.”

        But Lewis won't let up.

        “When you get a chance to play, you want to take advantage of it. That's the whole idea,” he said. “You can't get to the point where you're satisfied with being a utility player.”

        That won't happen with Lewis, Branson assured.

        “He's never going to be satisfied, even if he hits .320 with 20 jacks (home runs),” he said.

       

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