GIVE THAT MAN CONTACT
Madrigal says his style at plate is highly valued by La Russa
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Second baseman Nick Madrigal brings a different baseball package to the table than most. He’s a high-average, high-contact, low-walk and low-power hitter with speed.
He’s a guy manager Tony La Russa can use and win with.
“The home run is a wonderful weapon,’’ La Russa said Saturday. ‘‘A three-run homer is beautiful. They usually happen against pitchers that are average to below-average, and against better pitchers, it’s tougher.
“There’s a lot of games you play against good pitching, good relief pitching, and it’s like Joe Torre used to say, you do little things, and they add up to big things, and Nick is a guy who — especially when he gets the ball to right field — can advance a guy from first to third. He can handle an at-bat in any situation.”
Just put the ball in play. It has its benefits, to be sure.
Madrigal can do that. His .340 average over his 29-game debut last season was the highest by a Sox rookie since 1940. With two strikes, he batted .321, earning a “Nicky Two Strikes” nickname from broadcaster Jason Benetti.
But Madrigal walked only four times and struck out only seven times. And his extra-base-hit collection consisted of three doubles. He says there’s more there. “I have a different style, but I know it was only 20 or 30 games, and I’m capable of a lot more,” Madrigal told the Chicago Sun-Times. “And the way I play fits perfectly with Tony La Russa’s style.”
When offseason reports swirled that La Russa could be Rick Renteria’s replacement, Madrigal was all in.
“I was excited when we hired him because he’s more old school and likes to do a lot of different things, and I feel I can fit that for him in the lineup,” Madrigal said. “I’m excited to play for him. I understand [my game is] a little different than the average player in the major leagues nowadays, but I just focus on playing the best I can and not comparing myself to other players.”
A family friend, two-time Gold Glove infielder Fernando Vina, played for La Russa and stoked Madrigal’s interest in playing for the 76-year-old manager.
“A Hall of Famer, I watched him manage the Cardinals teams and all those great teams,” Madrigal said.
“We always talk baseball. He’s a full-on baseball mind, and I’m always thinking about the game, the little things. And even off the field, we’re talking about game situations from the previous games.”
Madrigal slow-rolled his start to camp after coming off shoulder surgery, the result of a slide into third base last September. He also missed about a week this spring with soreness in his right hand but says he’s close to 100% now.
He singled on a 1-2 count, walked and scored a run in three plate appearances
against the Rockies on Saturday and is batting .320 this spring.
“Not feeling any pain or soreness lately, staying on top of that with exercises and maintaining,” he said.
And working off a foundation, albeit a small one, built last year.
“A lot of things to take away from it,” he said. “I’ve watched a lot of major-league baseball on TV, but it’s another thing to be in the moment, be in those big stadiums, playing with guys you’ve watched growing up. The biggest thing is seeing the speed of the game, learning different pitchers and relievers and what it’s like at that level. I got to see firsthand how fast the game is at the major-league level.”
And that little guy’s mentality? For the 5-8 Madrigal, that’s an old story.
“That’s not even on my mind,” he said. “My height is not a motivating factor. I can’t tell you the last time I thought of myself as being an underdog because I’m smaller than a lot of guys. I don’t care about that — if anything, I’m more of a favorite out there.”