Monday, March 22, 1999
Boone picks his spots
Infielder hits from anywhere in batting order
BY CHRIS HAFT
The Cincinnati Enquirer
SARASOTA, Fla. — Though Aaron Boone can occupy only one spot in the batting order at a time, he might tempt the Reds to bend the rules.
Boone began the spring as Cincinnati's No.8 hitter, but his offensive proficiency and versatility allow the Reds to use him elsewhere. This should make the third baseman handy through a 162-game season, when slumps and injuries shake up batting orders.
Boone hit eighth in Sunday's 5-3 loss to the Texas Rangers; this spring, he also has hit fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh. He can handle the shuffling, as shown by his .395 average, best among projected regulars.
“The thing I've been impressed with so far is that he's laying off some of those really tough pitches that he used to swing at,” hitting coach Denis Menke said. “He's becoming a little bit more in control of himself.”
Boone has spent most of his time in the sixth, seventh and eighth spots, suggesting that he'll settle into this area once the season starts.
“Actually, I've hit everywhere, from down in the order to three-four-five to first and second,” said Boone, whose 0-for-4 effort against Texas ended a seven-game hitting streak. “It doesn't really matter to me.”
Such calm is unusual for a 26-year-old with only 74 games of major-league experience. Of course, as a third-generation major-leaguer, Boone isn't an average young player. Menke noticed that maturity when Boone was promoted to Cincin nati in 1997.
“The very first time I saw him, he could hit the ball to the opposite field, and that's what I like,” Menke said.
Such discipline has equipped Boone for these switches.
“I kind of like something about hitting everywhere,” said Boone, who batted sixth 11 times last year, seventh 20 times and eighth 18 times. “There's a different challenge to each spot. If you're hitting up in the order, it's your job to get on base and make things happen. If you're in the middle, you try to drive in runs.”
Boone led off during his junior year at the University of Southern California and briefly last year during his three-month stay at Triple-A India napolis. His presence at the top of the order made sense, given the more subtle facets of his game. He recorded an on-base percentage of .350 in 58 games with the Reds last year, higher than alleged leadoff specialists such as Arizona's Tony Womack (.325 lifetime) or Detroit's Brian Hunter (.316 career). Boone also can steal bases, having stolen 21 in 1996 at Double-A and 23 last year with Indianapolis and the Reds.
Boone is unlikely to unseat anybody in the top four spots of the Reds' order, though he hit cleanup in a split-squad game this spring. His minor-league performance, including 68 extra-base hits in 1996 at Double-A and 22 homers the following year at Triple-A, indicates that he has the potential to develop enough power to bat fifth.
“I think he can drive in a lot of runs,” Menke said, “if he learns to relax, like when he takes batting practice and uses his hands to hit.
“He sprays the ball all over and the ball jumps off his bat. In a game, he still has a tendency to try to crank up and swing a little harder. But that (restraint) will come with time. This is the first spring that he's really understanding what he can do with his hands.”
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