Wednesday, February 23, 2000

Pitchers welcome Griffey's defense

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BY JOHN FAY
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Ken Griffey Jr. and Barry Larkin talk inside the batting cage Tuesday. (AP photos) | ZOOM |

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        SARASOTA, Fla. — When you go from good to great, it's a good thing. That's what the Reds did defensively when they acquired Ken Griffey Jr. from the Seattle Mariners in a four-for-one trade Feb.10.

        Out was last year's center fielder, Mike Cameron; in was Griffey. Cameron was good, a huge upgrade over the year before, but Griffey is great. That's a major boon to a defense that ranked fifth in the National League last year, percentage points out of second.

        “It's a huge upgrade,” Reds General Manager Jim Bowden said. “Junior's a 10-time Gold Glove winner. He has a very accurate throwing arm. Cameron was in the top five or six center fielders in the league. Junior's in the top two. He and Andruw Jones will be the top two in the league.

        “That's elite.”

        Griffey may have averaged 50.5 homers the last four years, but he'd be playing center somewhere if he averaged 5.5 homers. Pitchers like his offense but love his defense.

        “"I'm looking forward to having him flag down some of those fly balls I give up,” Denny Neagle said. “Not that Mike Cameron was shaky. But (Griffey) set the standard for center fielders.”

        “If he hits his 50 homers, that's OK too.”

Griffey hits off the tee Tuesday. | ZOOM |

        Cameron has more pure speed than Griffey, but Griffey is more polished and adept at running down balls. Cameron would make spectacular plays but sometimes blew routine ones. He had eight errors last year.

        Griffey has had as many as eight errors only once in his career. He once went 573 straight chances without an error, setting a record for American League outfielders. His career fielding percentage is .986 to Cameron's .984.

        “Cameron was a very good outfielder,” shortstop Barry Larkin said. “I hate to compare. (Griffey) has the Gold Gloves. I haven't seen him enough to judge. I've heard about his defense. I'm looking forward to seeing him play. If he's better than Cameron, that's really saying something.”

        The addition of Griffey and right fielder Dante Bichette means that no one will be in the same position in the outfield as on Opening Day a year ago. Last year, it was Greg Vaughn in left, Cameron in center and Dmitri Young in right.

        This year, it probably will be Young in left, Griffey in center and Bichette in right.

        Reds outfielders will begin getting used to each other today when workouts begin for the position players. Griffey doesn't anticipate any great adjustment period, because he's used to adjusting. “I had 60 different left fielders in Seattle,” he said. “We'll get used to each other. That's what spring training is for. Hopefully, I'll play a lot of innings.”

        Young and Bichette are not known for their defense. But Bichette, who came over in a trade from Colorado, is more comfortable in right than in left, where the Rockies played him.

        Young said he feels he's well ahead of the game already. He spent last spring training learning right field. He goes back to left, where he has played more games.

        “I feel confident,” he said. “I'll keep working on it.”

        Now, it's a matter of clicking as an unit.

        “You have to learn how the other guys play,” Young said, “You read off the center fielder. You have to know what he can't get to, which isn't much.”

        Griffey generally controls who takes what in the outfield.

        “But if they call it first, it's theirs,” he said.

        Learning the outfield at Cinergy Field will not be a problem because of its symmetric design.

        “It's not like going to Boston,” he said.

        “If they hit the ball up the middle,” Bowden said. “We're going to catch it.”

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