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By DARRELL FRY
© St. Petersburg Times, published February 22, 2001
ST. PETERSBURG -- Bobby Smith isn't ashamed to say he already is focusing on his numbers this season. That's his number of at-bats, not his batting average.
The Rays know the kinds of numbers he can put up. The question is whether he can do it for an entire season.
"Any time you're a young player trying to make your way into the major leagues, you've got to have that season that puts you in position to warrant that you're an everyday player," manager Larry Rothschild said. "And this year would be an ideal time for Bobby to do that."
Smith seemed on his way to doing that last season after spending '98 with the Rays and splitting time between the Rays and Class AAA Durham in '99. He started 19 straight games at second base after getting called up from Durham in mid June and hit .311 with three home runs and 14 RBI. In June he hit .339 to lead the Rays, including four three-hit games during an eight-game stretch.
Just when the Rays thought they had found a jewel at second base, Smith sprained his right knee against Detroit on July 5. He was out until mid August. When he returned, things weren't the same. He hit .178 with three homers in 29 games.
Smith, 26, spent the off-season strengthening the knee. After arriving at spring training Wednesday, he said the knee felt fine.
"I feel good," he said. "I feel really rested."
Smith said he is eager to get through this season injury-free and prove he can sustain the productivity he showed last June. He will have added competition at second base from rookie Brent Abernathy, who has been impressive.
"If you allow a person to stay healthy for a whole season, they can prove what they can do," Smith said. "Hopefully I can stay healthy and show them that I can put up numbers for a whole year."
THAT LOST FEELING: Not being able to pitch well is frustrating enough. But when a pitcher has thrown well before, then lost his feel, trying to get back the feel can be maddening.
Jeff Wallace has been trying to do that. He had a 0.75 ERA in 11 appearances with Pittsburgh in 1997, then missed the 1998 season because of reconstructive elbow surgery.
After returning in 1999, he threw well in spots, which wasn't enough for the Pirates to keep him after last season. He is getting a chance with the Rays, who could use a reliable left-handed reliever.
"I'm watching all my tapes from '97 to try to get my mechanics back to the way they were," said Wallace, who has been throwing between 88 and 92 mph. "I know I'll get back to it. It's just a matter of when."
A FULL HOUSE: All 69 players are expected to report today for the start of full-squad workouts. Fred McGriff, Vinny Castilla and Greg Vaughn are among the players scheduled to participate in live batting practice.
"It's going to be good to see everybody here and make sure everyone is healthy and ready to go,"Rothschild said. "We've got mostly everybody here. And the ones who aren't here I've talked to or seen recently, so everybody is ready."
MISC: Ron Wright, Alex Sanchez, Norm Hutchins and Chris Hatcher also reported, meaning six invited players were absent. ... Right-hander Jesus Colome, who has a sore right hamstring, should return to action in the next couple of days.
The full-squad workout starts at 10 a.m. at the Ray Naimoli training complex and should last until about 1 p.m.