Oh, Doctor! June 6
- ON ROOKIE SEASONS
- By Jerry Coleman, San Diego Hall of Champions
We’re seeing signs Padres rookie third baseman Kevin Kouzmanoff can be a fan favorite in San Diego. When he displays his power, fans love to chant, “Ko-o-o-z!”
There was his two-run home run to beat the Chicago Cubs on May 24 and grand slam two nights later to beat the Milwaukee Brewers. After struggling in April, batting .113 with 22 strikeouts in 71 at bats, he hit .303 with three home runs and 18 RBI in May.
But as the season moves into June, he’s hitting .204 overall and it’s still early to know how his rookie season or his career will turn out. He’s still hitting balls to right field, so that tells me he needs to get quicker with his bat.
Everybody is different when it comes to handling pressure in your rookie season. Some guys start out like a house of fire, but they drop off. Other guys start slowly and then find their swing.
My first game as a rookie was a little of both. The first ball hit to me went right between my legs into right field.
I said to myself, “That’s not the way you play this game,” and Hank Bauer came up behind me and yelled, “Catch the damn ball!”
But the next batter hits a line drive to me and I threw to first base to beat the runner back to the base for a double play.
I also got a hit that first game and then I went 4-for-4. Everything was beautiful. That fast start helped propel me through the season. I got my confidence going strong.
When you’re walking through a clubhouse with guys like Joe DiMaggio, Tommy Henrich and Charlie Keller in it and you’ve had four hits in a game, you start thinking, “Hey, I can do this” and you gain confidence. Any player should get nervous, but the confidence helps you control your nerves.
Kevin hasn’t been as productive as the Padres hoped when they traded for him in the offseason. But he hasn’t let that affect his play in the field. I think he’s playing a marvelous third base, even though the word was he couldn’t play defense. He has to get his bat around quick and continue to fight the monster.
By the monster, I mean the mental part of the game. People don’t realize how important the mental part of the game is. I tell kids all the time the most important part of their body is their brain.
It’s important veteran players help young players adapt to the big leagues. That’s one of the things that made the Yankees special. The older guys who came before you taught how to be a professional, how to fight through slumps and how we did things on the Yankees.
I remember one time I went back for a pop up and didn’t call for the ball. I made the catch, but Tommy Henrich said sharply, “There are no secrets on this team.” I remembered to always call for the ball after that.
I don’t know if the veterans in baseball today spend as much time bringing the young players along. With the Yankees, the older players let you know if you weren’t helping win games you were costing them money. Without winning the American League pennant, there would be no World Series checks.
Pitcher Al Lopat used to say to guys, “Don’t screw around with my money.”
There was no second place for the Yankees. We either won the American League or we lost. We won 103 games in 1954, but since the Cleveland Indians won the pennant with 111 wins, we thought we lost.
I think the Yankees lost some of that tradition of the veterans bringing along the younger players in the 1960s when Mickey Mantle and his era of players came along in the 1950s to replace Joe DiMaggio and teammates like Henrich.
We’ll have to continue to watch Kevin’s season develop. I think he was probably pretty close to being sent down to Triple AAA Portland, but he broke through in May.
The thing about him is he can change a game with one swing and he’s not hurting you with the glove. He has a chance to be outstanding if he can raise his batting average.
And if he does, fans will be chanting “Ko-o-oz” for a long time at Petco Park.
Editor's note: Jerry Coleman was the American League Rookie of the Year in 1949 when the Yankees won the American League pennant, winning 97 games to finish one game ahead of the Boston Red Sox. He batted .275 and teamed with shortstop Phil Ruzzito to turn 102 double plays (Rizzuto was in on 118 double plays).
