Tuesday, April 06, 1999
Cameron makes good 1st impression
Outfielder shows speed and power
BY SCOTT MacGREGOR
The Cincinnati Enquirer
This is why Mike Cameron can be a star:
• He displayed the impressive pop in his bat by cracking a two-run homer in the second inning Monday, a line drive to left that brought the Reds within one of the Giants in Cincinnati's 11-8 Opening Day loss.
• Later, he nearly single-handedly manufactured a run in the Reds' six-run sixth inning rally, reaching base when he was hit by a Julian Tavarez pitch, stealing second, taking third on a wild pitch and scoring on Barry Larkin's infield drib bler. Cameron beat the throw to the plate, but, just in case, knocked the ball out of catcher Brent Mayne's glove as he slid.
“We can't send a guy, except a guy like him or Pokey (Reese) or (Barry) Larkin,” said manager Jack McKeon.
Two flashes of offensive brilliance from a 26-year-old with All-Star potential.
And this is the guy who won the center field job because of his defense. He didn't have a chance to make any spectacular plays in the field Monday, but he's already well-proven in that area.
It's Cameron's offense that has been suspect; he hit just .210 last year with the Chicago White Sox in his second big-league season after hitting .259 as a rookie.
Cameron was just 1-for-4 at the plate but scored two runs and was on base twice — just what the Reds want from their leadoff hitter. But Cameron didn't see it as the type of game he'd like to produce every day. He said he'd like to be on base more, popping fewer balls up the air, making more contact.
“My job is to reach base as many times as I can, whether it's a hit, hit-by-pitch, a walk or a home run,” he said. “I know I'm going to hit some home runs, but that's not my main concern. I want to put the ball in play. The main thing is that I want to go out and play my game, whatever it is that day, whether it's hit home runs, lay down a bunt, whatever.”
Cameron's power has not been questioned; two years ago he hit 14. But he has struck out 206 times the last two seasons combined, which may be why Monday's home run was all the more impressive.
He worked the count to 3-2 on Giants starter Mark Gardner, then waited for the right pitch and drove it over the wall in the left field power alley.
“I have to make contact. I know if I make more contact than I did last year, I have a chance to hit the ball out of the park,” Cameron said. “I'm not going to be one of those Punch-and-Judy-type leadoff guys.”
Though Cameron's power adds an extra dimension to the Reds' offense, his speed adds an even bigger boost to the top of a lineup with some slow-footed runners in the middle of the order.
His sprint home to score on Larkin's infield tap was upstaged only by his slide.
“I was already in there,” Cameron said. “I felt if he would have caught it, I still was in there. But by getting a good jump, I had the opportunity to knock the ball out of his hand. ... I did a half-slide, but I ran into him a little bit. That's one of those things everybody gets excited about.”
Defense will still be Cameron's strong suit, and the reason McKeon says the center field job was, in the end, really not a tough decision despite Jeffrey Hammonds' hot end to the spring.
“He's going to have some bad days once in awhile,” McKeon said. “He can track balls down, throw guys out that we never saw from center field. Overall, he's done a helluva job.”
Excitement is back, say Reds fans
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Cameron makes good 1st impression
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