Friday, February 25, 2000

Casey still has skeptics despite .332

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Average was 85 points lower after 'Star' game

BY CHRIS HAFT
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Sean Casey (Michael E. Keating photos) | ZOOM |

        SARASOTA, Fla. — One byproduct of the fascination with Ken Griffey Jr. left Barry Larkin incredulous.

        “Nobody's talking about Sean Casey right now!” the Reds shortstop told a handful of reporters. “What's wrong with y'all?”

        Nothing's wrong with Casey, which might explain why he's not a font of news.

        It's a baseball axiom that every young player must adapt to the varying challenges pitchers pose. Casey, 25, appears exempt from that rule. His compact stroke, unusual for a man of his stature (6-foot-4), prevents him from over-swinging. His natural tendency to hit to the opposite field reflects the discipline that prevents long slumps. Casey batted .332 in his first full season with the Reds last year.

| ZOOM |

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        Always pleasant with fans and reporters, Casey remained patient when asked recently about the adjustments he might consider. But a trace of exasperation crept into his response, knowing he batted .371 before last year's All-Star break and .286 after it — an 85-point drop. Was he a one-half wonder?

        “I think that becomes an excuse for people,” he said. “When I wasn't hitting a lot, (Fox Sports analyst) Steve Lyons asked me, "Are pitchers starting to figure you out now?' I said, "No, I'm just not getting hits.' It has nothing to do with that. You know what I mean? It just happens.

        “If pitchers were figuring me out, they would have figured me out two or three months earlier. They're not idiots. The scouts would have figured me out. If (pitchers) start figuring you out and you can't figure them out, then what are you doing playing in the big leagues? Find a way to get it done. That's my motto. I'm going to get it done somehow.”

        Casey made last year's National League All-Star team. He came one RBI short of being the first Red with at least 100 RBI and 100 runs since Ted Kluszewski in 1955. He also silenced questions about his power, hitting 25 homers after totaling 37 in his previous four professional seasons.

        Those who have analyzed Casey downplay his obligation to adjust, claiming he's doing just fine.

        “I think they tried to pitch him inside and keep it inside,” said Reds hitting coach Denis Menke, describing the second-half strategy pitchers used on Casey last year. “But even he said that he got himself out on some balls because he got over-anxious. ... I don't think that's uncommon for any hitter. They have one period where they're just not swinging the bat as well as they were another time.”

        “Sean's a bright guy,” said Reds first baseman Hal Morris, himself a .305 hitter in 10 seasons. “I wouldn't classify him as a guy who needs to make a lot of adjustments. He's going to pick up patterns in the way people are pitching him. If he gets into a little slump, he's going to realize it's part of the game because these guys are so good up here. There are going to be times when they're going to get you out for a week straight, and that's just part of it. In terms of his swing and his approach, he doesn't have to change anything.”

        Though Casey's production vaulted him toward the game's elite, he remains focused.

        “I have high expectations for myself. I can't see anyone exceeding my own,” he said.

        Batting fifth behind No.3 hitter Griffey and cleanup man Dante Bichette should help Casey. “He's not going to feel like he has to do it all himself,” Morris said. Even if manager Jack McKeon experiments by inserting Casey into the fourth spot, he'll be surrounded by accomplished hitters.

       

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