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Great escape Hillenbrand finding power stroke away from FenwayPosted: Friday July 11, 2003 11:25 AM
When Arizona acquired the third baseman from Boston for Byung-Hyun Kim on May 29, there was a general consensus on what it was getting: a line-drive, contact hitter who provides an empty .290-.300 average. They weren't getting a power hitter. We had seen all he was capable of, and the stars had to align just right for him to even hit the paltry 18 home runs he had last year. You think it might be time to start rethinking that assesment? With apologies to Ichiro, Hillenbrand is hotter than two rats mating in a wool sock. He's batting .447 (17-for-38) with four home runs and 12 RBIs in July, including three home runs in three consecutive innings Monday against the Rockies. Of course, he's not going to keep this up all season. Not even close. But a detailed look at Hillenbrand's career shows that his newfound power stroke might not be a complete fluke. More than anything, it most likely has to do with him getting away from Fenway Park. In three-plus seasons with Boston, Hillenbrand batted .259 with 10 home runs at home. On the road, he was a .308 hitter with 23 home runs. (This is using a good sample size of 1,200-plus at-bats.) None of his nine home runs this season came in his 86 at-bats at Fenway Park.Hillenbrand's line-drive swing simply isn't suited for big power numbers in Boston. He said as much after his three-homer explosion Monday, telling reporters "at least two of those homers would have been singles at Fenway Park." Boston's David Ortiz made a similar comment last week after hitting five home runs in three road games last week. "I have to enjoy it when I'm not at Fenway. The Wall is killing me out there at Fenway," Ortiz said. It makes you wonder if there any other players who are being "killed" by their home parks because of their particular hitting styles. A name that immediately to mind is Florida first baseman Derrek Lee. For all of the interest teams have in acquiring Mike Lowell, general managers may be better off giving up less in return for Lee, who routinely hits rockets to the deepest parts of cavernous Pro Player Stadium. Lee has hit 82 of his 116 career home runs on the road, including 13 of his 17 blasts this season. Look at what a trade away from the Marlins did for Preston Wilson. In five seasons with Florida, Wilson hit 66 home runs on the road compared to 38 at home. Now he's at the opposite end of the spectrum with Colorado, where he is enjoying a legitimate All-Star campaign with 22 home runs and 89 RBIs. Virtually the entire Mariners lineup would benefit from leaving Safeco Field. The club is 12th in the AL in slugging percentage at home (.384) but third on the road (.463). The only place the Dodgers might be able to hit is the moon, because they weren't putting wood on the ball in any of the 30 major league parks until sweeping a two-game series at St. Louis this week.
Jacob Luft covers baseball for SI.com. |
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