Thursday, September 30, 1999

Pokey second to none?

---

Bowden thinks Gold Glove is his

BY JOHN FAY
The Cincinnati Enquirer

        HOUSTON — Pokey Reese has exceeded everyone's expectations this year but his own.

        “I expected to do well,” Reese said. “I had a good spring. If I stayed healthy and played every day, I thought I'd have a good year.”

        He has, and more. Reese, through Wednesday's game, is hitting .284 with 10 homers, 52 RBI and 34 stolen bases. He had two hits Wednesday and drove in the Reds' only run, and had two plays in the field that saved runs.

        Entering the season, the fielding part of the Reese equation was a given. The hitting part was not.

        “I thought he'd be a .230 to .250 hitter and play Gold Glove-caliber defense,” Reds General Manager Jim Bowden said. “Now I think he can be a .280 to .300 hitter and play Gold Glove-caliber defense.”

        Reese made himself a good hitter through hard work.

        “The biggest thing is his practice habits,” Reds hitting instructor Denis Menke said. “Before, he tried to pull everything. Now, he goes up the middle more and the opposite way.”

        The one adjustment Menke made with Reese was that he spread his feet further apart.

        “That's enabled him to use his legs more,” Menke said.

        Reese has battled through slumps, but he has been hot in the stretch where the Reds moved into first place in the National League Central. Through Wednesday, he is hitting .326 over the last 11 games and has had two hits in four straight games.

        But it's his defense in his first year at second base that has earned Reese a reputation around baseball. Bowden thinks it will earn him the Gold Glove.

        “Every manager in the league has seen him,” Bowden said. “He's special.”

        Reese sets himself apart by playing incredibly deep.

        He saw the advantage of playing deep by watching former teammate Bret Boone. As the season has gone on, Reese has drifted further and further back.

        “That lets the right fielder play deeper,” he said. “I can go back and catch those loopers.”

        Astros 4, Reds 1
Three games to chew your nails Paul Daugherty column
Astros: 'It was a big win'
REDS NOTEBOOK
Box, runs
Mets 9, Braves 2
Playoff seats still for sale
Postseason possibilities abound
How Reds, Astros, Mets finish

Reds page