By Casey Tefertiller
January 8, 2002
OAKLAND--Since the day Eric Byrnes joined the Athletics, he has embraced every challenge thrown his way. This offseason brought the biggest test of all--find a way to earn a major league job.
So Byrnes, anticipating there might be a need for a leadoff hitter, scooted off to the Dominican Republic to spend the winter learning the role with Licey. The results were far beyond what even he could have imagined.
Byrnes wound up as the MVP of the Dominican Winter League, hitting .344-11-34 from the leadoff spot. His 11 homers tied veteran Felix Jose for the league lead and were the most by a Licey player since Alonzo Perry hit 11 in 1952.
"I'm willing to adjust and learn. I'm trying to become the complete leadoff hitter," Byrnes said by telephone from the Dominican, where his team is involved in the playoffs. "That was one of the reasons for coming down here. I knew the job could be open. I like to lead off because everything starts with you. I feel the team goes as I go. I kind of like the pressure of being at the top and being in charge of starting things."
Johnny Damon, the A's leadoff man last year, was eligible for free agency and wound up leaving Oakland to sign with the Red Sox. Despite being a standout earlier in his career, Damon was a bust by the Bay, hitting only .256 with a .324 on-base percentage. Damon said he had trouble reaching high gear in the moderate climes of California and believed that he functioned best in heat and humidity.
Anticipating Damon would be gone, Byrnes took it upon himself to become competent in the leadoff job with a winter in the Caribbean. No matter what the A's were planning for their outfield in '02, Byrnes is intent on disrupting expectations and forcing his way to a job.
"This has been an unbelievable experience," Byrnes said. "What I love is that winning is so important; it's important to teammates and fans. Winning is everything here. It's the same atmosphere as the big leagues. It's been a great learning experience to play in this atmosphere, and to deal with the tough questions from the media when a game didn't go your way."
He became something of a fan favorite, earning the nickname in the press of "Captain America." During past decades, U.S. players flocked to the Dominican to pick up offseason paychecks and stay in shape. But during recent years, American big leaguers have become less common. And when they did come, many only remained a few weeks to sharpen their skills.
Dominican baseball is a raucous nightly adventure, with hard liquor being sold in the stands, and a special section where gamblers gather to make bets on games and even at-bats. Fans passionately follow the action.
Into this milieu came Byrnes, a 25-year-old from the suburbs of San Francisco who attended UCLA.
"This has just been a blast," he said. "I can't think of a better place to be that will help you get ready to play in the major leagues. We face great competition every night, and I get to hit against major league pitchers throwing 100 miles an hour, and guys like (Mets closer) Armando Benitez. With the pressure, the media and the fans, it's so similar to the major leagues. The only difference is the money and the ballparks."
An added bonus for Byrnes was that he spent most of the season in center field. He had expected to play one of the corners, but departing players left the middle open for most of the year. Byrnes has made exceptional progress as a defensive outfielder during his four seasons in the A's organization since being an eighth-round draft pick in 1998.
Once a herky-jerky ballhawk in his pursuit of long flies, he has smoothed out his routes and learned to use his speed to advantage. One of Byrnes' drawbacks in the past was the fear that he would be a tweener, unsuited for center and lacking the power to become an everyday corner outfielder. Now both of those concerns seem resolved.
The Dominican power has been the big development. He has been a consistently high-average hitter through the minors, batting .289 with 20 homers and 25 steals in 100 games for Sacramento last season between several trips to the majors. His previous homer high was 14 in '00, not the kind of numbers a power-hungry organization craves from a corner. That tool has emerged this year.
"It's just endless work," Byrnes said. "It's always been there; I was able to hit home runs with the best of them in batting practice, but it was just learning to take it into the games. I think it was getting the feel of the wood bat on an everyday basis. I spent a lot of time working with (farm director) Keith (Lieppman). I remember one day he got about 45 feet away and threw BBs right on my hands to teach me to get the head of the bat on the ball and drive it out of the yard.
"I really feel like if the pitcher makes a mistake, I have a good chance of hitting it out of the yard."
Byrnes has been a favorite in the organization because of his intense work ethic and his exceptional makeup, which leads to a Pete Rose-style all-out hustle. It also led to a spot on the postseason roster for the Division Series playoffs against the Yankees.
During the course of his development, he has worked intently to overcome his limitations, and now he is on the cusp of challenging for a major league job, whether the A's planned on it or not.
Oakland was prepared to start the season with an outfield of David Justice in left, Terrence Long in center and Jermaine Dye in right, leaving first base and the DH job open to competition or a late acquisition. Byrnes might just screw up all those plans. If he can take over an outfield job, Justice could move to DH, leaving the A's with a speedy outfield to run down flies in the gaps. If he can acclimate to the leadoff role, the opportunity is there.
"Right now, for the first time in my career, I think I have a chance to make the big league team and possibly play on an everyday basis," he said. "This is the first time I believe I am ready. I couldn't say I was ready last year, but this is the first point when I really think I'm ready."
If he is right, Oakland's outfield plans may have to change quickly during spring training.
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