Klesko Grabs First Base Mitt

By CBSNews.com staff CBSNews.com staff

February 23, 1999 / 8:43 PM EST / CBS Sportsline

Ryan Klesko went back to his roots Tuesday, pulling a first baseman's glove out of the locker. Now, if only he could fill Andres Galarraga's shoes.

Coming off the worst season of his major league career, Klesko assumed the unenviable task of trying to replace Galarraga as the Atlanta Braves held their first full-squad workout of spring training.

"We're missing a big hitter in our lineup and a great person," Klesko said. "I'll go out there and give it 100 percent and do my best, like I have since I've been with this organization. That's all I can do."

Galarraga, who hit .305 with 44 homers and 121 RBI last year, is undergoing treatment for a cancerous tumor in his back and will miss the entire season.

Klesko, whose future with the team was in doubt just a week ago after a disappointing 18-homer, 70-RBI performance, suddenly finds himself in a prominent role as the Braves set their sights on an eighth consecutive postseason appearance.

A first baseman throughout his minor-league career, his path was blocked once he got to Atlanta -- first by Fred McGriff, then by Galarraga. So Klesko shifted to left field, where he transformed himself from a defensive Marine ("It's not just a job, it's an adventure") to an average outfielder who made only one error last season.

"No too many guys can say that," Klesko said proudly. "I play aggressive, and you usually make errors when you play aggressive. But fortunately, I didn't make any last year except for one throwing error."

Unfortunately for Klesko, he underwent an appendectomy in June and never seemed to get on track as a hitter. His power numbers, in fact, have been dwindling since he had 34 homers and 93 RBI in 1996.

After the Braves signed free agent outfielders Otis Nixon and Brian Jordan, there was speculation that Klesko's days in Atlanta were numbered. He shrugged off the trade rumors, saying "I've been going through that forever."

"I don't worry about it anymore," said the 27-year-old Klesko, entering his 11th season with the Braves organization. "When I was younger, I used to think, 'Boy, I would hate to leave. I wonder who I'm going to get traded to.' Now, if it happens, it happens."

Klesko dropped to 24 homers and 84 RBI in 1997, then fell even further last season. Though he cut his strikeouts nearly in half (130 to 66) and had a career-high 29 doubles, this 6-foot-3, 220-pounder is built to hit homers and drive in runs.

"The last two years have been tougher because I've had som wrist problems," he said. "I didn't have the power in the alleys like I used to have. I couldn't drive the ball."

The Braves' new hitting coach, Don Baylor, said Klesko's problems weren't merely physical. He tried to pull the ball every time, Baylor said, rather than hitting toward the opposite field, all in the blind pursuit of prodigious home runs.

"I Remember when Klesko first came to the big leagues, he was a left-center guy," Baylor said. "Sometimes, you forget about other things you have to do, like putting the ball in play."

As for making the transition back to first base, no one seems to think that will be a major challenge for Klesko, even though his most memorable moment at that position was a glaring error in Game 4 of the 1996 World Series.

Klesko entered the game at first during a 10th inning double-switch, only to drop a soft liner by Charlie Hayes that allowed an insurance run to score in New York's 8-6 victory. Klesko claimed he lost the ball in the lights.

"He'll do all right over there," said Glenn Hubbard, the Braves' new infield coach. "It's not like he won't work at it. The son of a gun got to be where he was pretty good in the outfield."

Last season, Klesko played seven games at first and usually took ground balls once or twice a week. Now, he's going to be doing it every day.

"I'm not saying it's going to be easy, but I don't think it's going to be terribly hard, either," he said. "Guys are going to be hitting scud missiles at you from 90 feet away, so you've got to hang in there. But that's why we've got five weeks of spring training."