Joe Morgan在ESPN談到leadoff hitter http://espn.go.com/mlb/columns/morgan_joe/1369981.html Speed kills at leadoff spot ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - By Joe Morgan Special to ESPN.com There has never been a better leadoff hitter than Rickey Henderson. Even though he is now 43 and a bench player for the Red Sox, during his career he embodied everything one looks for in a great player at the top of the order. Today's game has no one who comes close to Rickey. And there are fewer solid leadoff hitters than ever before. Teams are more likely to get runners on base and try for the three-run homer than they are to play "small ball" -- stealing bases, bunting a runner over or executing the hit-and-run. Despite what some may think, Rickey's greatest quality as a leadoff man was not his high on-base percentage. In fact, for those who consider Jeremy Giambi to be the right choice as Oakland's leadoff hitter, the ability to get on base is not even the second most important quality. Just like baseball has its five-tool players -- those who can hit for average, hit for power, run, field and throw -- there are also five tools for leadoff men. With Rickey as the perfect example,here are the five that comprise a great leadoff hitter, in order of importance. 1. Speed Speed is No. 1 because it puts pressure on the defense. It doesn't necessarily mean the leadoff man has to steal bases. But he can get down the line and break up a double play. The infield knows it has to hurry on a ground ball to force him at second base. The outfield knows the leadoff man can go from first to third on a single. The pitcher knows he has to deliver the ball quicker to the plate. The hitter knows he will get fastballs early in the count; the pitcher doesn't want to go to a 2-1 or 3-1 count because it presents an automatic hit-and-run situation. 2. Awareness The leadoff man must have the right mentality and realize the importance of his job the first time up. He has to be willing to take pitches and sacrifice part of his at-bat to give his team a longer look at the pitcher. Taking as many pitches as possible allows his teammates to see how sharp the pitcher's breaking ball is, how much control he has with his fastball, and how much movement is on his pitches. The more pitches a team sees, the better. 3. On-base percentage On-base percentages are overrate. All the sluggers have high on-base percentages. Jason Giambi led the American League in on-base percentage a year ago, but what does he do once he is on base? All he can do is stand at first base and wait for someone else to move him around. But if a player has speed and the right mental approach, on-base percentage becomes more important for a leadoff man. The more times he is on base, the more he can use his speed. 4. Stealing bases A good leadoff hitter does not need to steal bases, but it doesn't hurt. There is a difference between a base stealer and someone who steals bases. Many players can steal bases, not many are base stealers. When a base stealer is on first base in the ninth inning and everyone in the ballpark knows he is going, the other team still can't stop him. Maury Wills and Lou Brock were two players who fit this mold. Neither player walked much, but they were unstoppable as base stealers. 5. Power This is one of the qualities that separates Rickey, who has hit 290 homers in his career and more leadoff homers than any player in history. 後面還有不少內容,也談到去年A's用Jeremy Giambi打第一棒的事情。 -- ~ stfo ~ --

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