Inside Baseball

Rebuilding Jays' Hot Cornerstone  

By Stephen Cannella

When the season began, Toronto's Eric Hinske was low on the list of rookie third basemen trying to break into a major league lineup. Sean Burroughs of the Padres and Hank Blalock of the Rangers were projected as the next big stars at the position; even Morgan Ensberg of the Astros got more hype. Hinske, 24, was just another prospect looking for a chance to play every day on a rebuilding team. "No one really knew about him," says Blue Jays general manager J.P. Ricciardi. "Not that we minded. We didn't want to put all that pressure on him."

Hinske has killed the ball -- and the occasional bat -- in a bid for Rookie of the Year honors. Aaron Harris/AP

Burroughs, Blalock and Ensberg wilted under the spotlight, and all three were gone from the majors by the end of May. Hinske, meanwhile, is putting together one of the most productive rookie seasons in Toronto history. Through Sunday he was hitting .286 and leading all AL rookies with 13 home runs and 40 RBIs. With 33 extra-base hits he was on his way to breaking the franchise rookie record of 50 set by Shawn Green in 1995. Hinske's .538 slugging percentage was 29 points better than Green's mark that season, which was also a team record for rookies.

Hinske's development may have been enhanced by his relative anonymity as he climbed through the minors, getting more seasoning than many blue-chip prospects do. He was drafted in the 17th round by the Cubs in 1998 and played 2 1/2 seasons in their system before a trade to the A's led to a breakout year in 2001. He batted .282 with 25 homers and 79 RBIs for Oakland's Triple A Sacramento River Cats. "He played at every level and honed his craft the right way, which is unusual," says Ricciardi. "Most young kids are rushed."

Ricciardi, a former assistant to Oakland general manager Billy Beane, was impressed by Hinske's discipline at the plate and knowledge of the strike zone. When Ricciardi was hired by Toronto last November, one of his first moves was to deal closer Billy Koch to acquire the third baseman, whose path to the big leagues was blocked by Oakland's rising star Eric Chavez. Hinske needs to work on his defense (he's already made 15 errors), but the rebuilding Blue Jays are pleased with what they've seen so far.

"He fits a lot of things we're trying to create here," says Ricciardi. "He's a cornerstone we're trying to build around."

Issue date: July 1, 2002

For more Inside Baseball see this week's issue of Sports Illustrated, on newsstands Wednesday, June 26. Click here to subscribe to SI.

 

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