February 21, 2006
Working on His Legs
Mike Cameron spent the winter conditioning himself for the big Padres ballpark:
"(Going to right field) was definitely a big transition," he said. "I don't care what anybody says, it's not easy. But I learned something playing there."
Cameron will be back in his comfort zone with the Padres, who acquired him in a Nov. 18 trade for Xavier Nady. To prepare his body for Petco's spacious outfield, the 33-year-old Cameron cut back on weightlifting and concentrated on core and leg exercises that emphasize speed and explosiveness.
"I feel lighter on my feet," said Cameron, who ran sprints with left fielder Dave Roberts after batting practice Monday. "Usually I feel sluggish this time of year."
Maybe Cameron recognizes in this park his legs are a more valuable asset. Mike was also asked about other centerfielders:
More than a great athlete, Cameron is an avid student of his position. Asked to name the best center fielder he has seen, he pondered the question before offering an unorthodox list that included Paul Blair, Devon White, Gary Pettis and Eric Davis.
"Baseball has been part of my life since I was 4 or 5 years old," he said. "I've always tried to model myself after certain players."
I don't quite see what's so unorthodox about that list. I'd probably include Andruw Jones, but all of those players could go get the ball.
Posted by David Pinto at
09:13 AM
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Defense
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Blair was the greatest defensive player I have ever seen play any position. He was the ultimate anti-sportscenter player. He rarely made spectacular plays because he rarely had to. You could only appreciate him at the game. I used to take innings that I would only watch him. He would routinely take off at a sprint BEFORE the bat hit the ball. I never once saw him be wrong about where the ball was going to be hit. If you watched on TV, it seemed like he was always standing wherever the ball would come down. By the time the camera cut over to him, he would have run 5, 6, 7 steps, just to be standing where the ball would come down. That era of O's may have been the greatest defensive team of all time.
I did not see Pettis nearly as often, but he struck me as the exact opposite. In the relatively few games I saw him play, I saw him make multiple highlight plays that were only required because he had taken a bad line on the ball. I have always used him as one of my examples of massively overrated defensive OFs.
Hey David, did you post a prob. model of range chart for first basemen on throws from other infielders?
If you did I apologize for missing it, but that would seem to be crucial when looking at first basemen's defensive ability.
I think they considered the list "unorthodox" because it contains nonactive players. That's crazy -- imagine a baseball player actually noticing players who preceded him.
I've only really seen Blair when he's played in Yankees Old'-Timers games. Even there, he covers ground pretty well.
i think we will see some PETCO Park sized highlights from Mike Cameron this season