Nook Logan needs time. He’s adjusting to life as a non switch-hitter; he’s still learning to hit in front of the pitcher after years as a leadoff man; he’s trying to find a good rhythm.
Nook Logan doesn’t have a lot of time. The Nats need a center fielder who can get on base, regardless of where he hits; he’s batting just .212; and recent call-up Brandon Watson is much hotter.
And this is why Logan’s time in Washington is perilous. Not that he’s fretting about it, publicly at least.
“It’s all about how you go about it,” Logan said. “I just go out there and do what I can do and let everything else take care of itself. Some things you can’t control.”
Logan snapped a 0-for-15 skid with a double against Cleveland on Saturday night.His night ended poorly as he was thrown out scrambling back to third base for the game’s final out.
Logan is batting just .154 in June (two-for-26) and just .142 since May 25th (when he was batting .279). His on-base percentage in June is .185, which makes it hard for him to use his greatest asset: speed.
For Logan, adjusting to batting eighth, rather than leadoff as he’s done in his pro career, hasn’t been smooth.
“Sometimes they pitch you like you have 40 home runs,” he said. “As a leadoff guy you want to take pitches, but if there are two outs and runners in scoring position and you’re hitting eighth, you have to expand your zone.”
Also, he said, he rarely bunts in the eighth spot, something he ordinarily would do — even with two outs.
“That takes away a quarter of my game,” he said. “Or almost half. I work hard to get on base taking pitches. Hitting eighth, you don’t have that luxury.”
Manager Manny Acta said where he’s hitting in the lineup should not matter.
“His approach should be to work the count and get on base,” Acta said. “He shouldn’t change. I’m not a big believer in being so different because you’re not hitting in a certain part of the order.”
Logan also switched to hitting right-handed only earlier this month, after switch-hitting since age 20. He said he’s still getting used to seeing sliders, or sinkers from the likes of Roy Halladay, while batting righty.
“The more at-bats I have, I’ll get better at it,” Logan said. “We’ll see where it goes.”
Or if he even gets that chance.
A look at Nook
» Nook Logan has walked only four times this season and entered Sunday with 23 strikeouts in 85 at-bats, meaning he is not getting on base and not putting the ball in play enough.
» Logan is a .262 hitter in 630 career at-bats. He batted .300 in90 at-bats for Washington last season.
