The Orioles? decision to end the Jay Gibbons first base experiment came before Gibbons ever got an opportunity to bend over and field a groundball in an exhibition game. That such a decision would be made three full weeks before opening day says a lot about what the club thought of his potential at the position. They?re not saying he can?t play first, but rather that he needs to prepare himself to DH and make the occasional start in left field.
On the same day that Gibbons mothballed his first basemen?s mitt, there was a note from the Yankees? spring training camp in Tampa that, during a four-inning simulated game played to get left-hander Andy Pettitte some work, coach Don Mattingly (46 next month) played first base.
No one laughed, because everyone in the game knows that Mattingly was one of the game?s premier first sackers during his career, which concluded in 1995. I have no doubt that Mattingly could still play the position as well as anyone in the game. Watching him take groundballs during pre-game was always a compelling sight: No fooling around out there; he treated every grounder as if there were two outs in the ninth in Game 7 of the World Series.
It?s no wonder, really, inasmuch as his mentor in the minor leagues was Mickey Vernon, the gold standard for playing first base during the last century. Vernon was the hitting coach at Columbus when Mattingly was coming up through the system ? Vernon had won a pair of AL batting titles in his own right ? and, though he claims he did nothing to adjust Mattingly?s swing or approach to the game, it was Vernon whom Mattingly wanted by his side at his retirement ceremony at Yankee Stadium.
Many fans tend to view first base as the easiest position on the field. It?s a reasonable assumption, since prior to the introduction of the DH, first base was frequently the domain of the older, or less mobile, player. Few readers will recall the name of Zeke Bonura, a .307 career hitter with power who had a .992 lifetime fielding percentage, comparable to Mattingly?s. Bonura knew they wouldn?t give you an error if you never touched the ball, so he avoided even trying to make the play much of the time. The game?s history is full of similar examples.
Over the years, the Orioles have had some great fielding first basemen. Boog Powell was remarkably graceful for a big man, and he never embarrassed himself with the glove. Bob Boyd was undersized, but extremely competent. In his prime, Rafael Palmeiro was outstanding defensively. On the other hand, Eddie Murray won Gold Gloves, but rarely went all-out on defense. He was nobody?s stiff, but his effort on defense never seemed to match his athleticism.
The Orioles have first base covered with Aubrey Huff and Kevin Millar, so it?s not like they need to go out and find someone else. Huff has played the position more than 150 times in the big leagues, and like Millar, has all of the right instincts.
Gibbons might still see some action at first, but the Orioles figured out quickly that his best position is still at the plate.
Phil Wood has covered sports in the Washington-Baltimore market for more than 30 years. You can reach him at [email protected].
