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Rays Beat: Iwamura Growing Into Leadoff Role

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By MARC LANCASTER

The Tampa Tribune

Published: May 11, 2008

ST. PETERSBURG - It's understood that Akinori Iwamura is not the prototypical leadoff man.

It's a job he basically never did until elevated to the top spot in the Rays' order after returning from injury last season, and he admits it has taken a while for his mind-set to evolve from that of a hitter known more for producing runs than setting them up.

"When I started in the leadoff spot, I was kind of confused," Iwamura said through his interpreter, Tateki Uchibori. "I was not too comfortable taking first-pitch strikes, because that's not what I'm used to. But now I feel very comfortable to take the first pitch because I've still got two pitches to hit."

Better yet, he finally has begun to do something with those pitches during the past week. Off to a rough start at the plate this season, with too many fly balls off his bat leading to easy outs, Iwamura finally has shown signs of getting on an offensive roll.

The Rays could use his help. Hitting in front of Carl Crawford, B.J. Upton, Carlos Pena and Evan Longoria, common sense suggests Iwamura would have plenty of opportunities to touch home plate if only he was getting on base more regularly.

As it stood entering this weekend's games, Iwamura's .299 on-base percentage from the leadoff spot - which is where he has hit in every game this season - was the second-worst among regular leadoff men in the majors.

That number is not going to get it done over the long haul, but the Rays don't plan on moving Iwamura out of the top spot for a couple of reasons: One, they believe he's coming around at the plate. Two, they have no viable alternatives on the roster.

Rays manager Joe Maddon points to the number of walks Iwamura has drawn - 15 entering the weekend - as a key indicator.

"If he wasn't walking as much as he is, then I'd be more concerned about it," Maddon said. "Right now I know his on-base percentage isn't good, but I think that's tied to his batting average."

And that end of the equation is finally beginning to pick up as Iwamura continues to ratchet the ball's trajectory down, from easy fly balls to line drives and hard-hit grounders. He showed significant strides in that direction during the final two series of the Rays' road trip.

Entering last weekend in a 2-for-18 slide, Iwamura hit .321 (9-for-28) against the Red Sox and Blue Jays to boost his average to a still-meager .226. But at least he's moving away from the Mendoza Line rather than toward it.

"Up until a few games before, I was hitting the ball good, but the ball was hit right at somebody," Iwamura said. "Now, the ball is getting into the hole, so I feel better about it. To have good numbers, you have to have luck, too. In April, of course, I didn't have any luck."

It's a good thing he's getting it going, because there really isn't anyone else to plug in. Crawford is not a fan of hitting leadoff and hasn't produced as well there in his career as in his favored No. 2 spot.

About the only other option might be Jason Bartlett, who has more speed than Iwamura and has been swinging the bat well lately, but patience at the plate is not his forte. He had drawn only three walks in 122 plate appearances this season entering the Angels series, good for a paltry .275 OBP.

Thus, the Rays will leave it to Iwamura, confident that he'll hit well enough to approach his .359 OBP from last season.

"For right now, among the group that we have, I think he's the best-suited for it," Maddon said. "If he's hitting .275, which he should at least be able to hit, he's right around .350 OBP, which would be very acceptable."

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