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Rays/MLB

Pinch-hitter prospers under pressure

Veteran Greg Norton, among the best since 2001, seeks to stick with the Rays.

By DAMIAN CRISTODERO
Published March 18, 2006

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CLEARWATER - Talk about pressure. Greg Norton knew if he did not execute properly, there was a chance someone could get hurt.

Even if all went well, there was significant opportunity for public humiliation - all in good fun, of course.

It was December 2001, and Norton, with then-teammates Juan Pierre and Terry Shumpert, appeared in Rockies Night at the Nutcracker in which the players danced ballet in Colorado uniforms.

The scene's big finish: Norton raising a ballerina onto his shoulder.

"I was more stressed out about this than I ever was in a baseball game," Norton said.

That is saying something considering Norton, as a pinch-hitter, has one of the most difficult, pressurized jobs in baseball. And he's good at it.

His 41 pinch-hit RBIs are tops in the majors since 2001. His nine home runs are second and 58 hits tied for third.

But after a knee injury slowed him in 2004 and he played all of 2005 in the White Sox system, Norton, a nonroster invitee, is after a job with the Devil Rays.

It is probably a long shot. Tampa Bay signed Norton basically for organizational depth, and his natural positions, first base and third, are pretty well stocked.

Still, Norton, 33, has been productive enough - batting .389 (7-for-18) with a home run and three RBIs and 1-for-3 as a pinch-hitter - that manager Joe Maddon said a roster spot could come down to whether the Rays break camp with 11 or 12 pitchers.

There also is competition from slugger Russell Branyan.

"I'm just trying to play as well as I can," Norton said before Friday's 5-2 loss to the Phillies at Bright House Networks Field, in which he went 1-for-2.

"As a nonroster guy whose really off the radar, it's, "Do it now.' I just try to show up every day, enjoy myself and see what happens."

"He's been impressive," Maddon said. "He's a professional hitter. He knows how to work an at-bat and has a real clue about pinch-hitting."

There is more to it than just stepping up to the plate. In fact, Rays hitting coach Steve Henderson called it one of the toughest jobs in the game.

"You're sitting there for nine innings, and all of a sudden, you have to go in," Henderson said. "And you're doing it against the top relievers in the game."

Norton, a switch-hitter, said the key is swinging at your pitch the first time it shows up.

"In one at-bat, you probably get one pitch, maybe two, and you just can't miss them," he said. "You have to be ready from the start. You can't be too selective or passive. You've got to be aggressive and be able to hit a fastball."

The variable in the American League is the designated hitter.

With the Rockies, for whom he played from 2001-03, Norton said he primarily was called on in the late innings, so he began hitting in the cage in the sixth.

He said manager Clint Hurdle made sure he got at-bats at least every two days so he stayed fresh.

But because the DH lessens those opportunities, "In the AL, you can go 10 or 15 days (without a plate appearance)," said Norton, who played 41 games for the Tigers in 2004.

Plus, he said, "In Detroit, I didn't have as much advanced notice. I didn't know when it would happen. It could happen at any time, so you have to get a sense of who's in the starting lineup, who you might pinch-hit for and prepare that way."

Whatever the league, the mental aspect is the same.

"You have to be like a cornerback in football," Norton said. "You have to have a short memory.

"The thing with a pinch-hitter at the end of the year is how many big runs did you drive in, how many big hits did you have? If you hit .220 and had five game-winners, you had a good year."

Norton had a good 2001. His 13 home runs set a Rockies record for switch-hitters. His 17 pinch-hits were third in the NL, and his 11 pinch-hit RBIs were tied for fourth.

Oh, and the ballerina? She rested safely on his shoulder.

[Last modified March 18, 2006, 02:30:29]

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