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Trade finally makes Cox's position clear

With McGriff gone, youngster gets to finish season as everyday first baseman.

By MARC TOPKIN

© St. Petersburg Times,
published July 29, 2001

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Steve Cox never knew where he stood.

Some days it was at first base. Some days in the outfield. Some days in the on-deck circle. Most often, it was in the dugout, next to the bench.

Under manager Larry Rothschild, Cox was an occasional DH and fish-out-of-water outfielder. When Hal McRae took over, Cox was relegated to once-a-week action at first and sporadic pinch-hit duty.

But with Friday's trade of Fred McGriff, Cox gets to stand front and center at first base.

"Things have been kind of crazy this year," Cox said. "I'd play, then I didn't play. I figured it would come sometime. I just didn't know when."

For the 26-year-old, it was a tough time. But he handled it well.

"He was upbeat every day," McRae said. "He was frustrated, but he never let his frustration show. He was good friends with Fred and they talked every day, so it was a good environment."

Cox is excited about taking over at first. But asking him to replace McGriff is an entirely different matter.

"That's not going to happen if they want that," Cox said. "You try not to feel that way. That's a lot of pressure to put on yourself. You've just got to do what you can do, and hopefully it's enough."

The differences are obvious. McGriff is a slugger who routinely hits 25-30 homers. Cox is more of a line-drive hitter who is more likely to drive the ball into the gap than over the fence.

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