DBAHO Posted February 26, 2004 Share Posted February 26, 2004 Once again from our good friends at the Trib, TUCSON, Ariz. -- The numbers say 2003 was the worst season of Paul Konerko's major-league career. But if numbers don't lie, they at least don't tell the complete story, Konerko said. The main reason Konerko is hesitant to compare seasons is because he had only 444 at-bats last year, the first time he has had fewer than 500 in the big leagues and the fewest since his first full season in 1999. "The variable changes if you actually look at the numbers and the at-bats and look at what I did in the season and wonder what if I had another 100 or 150 at-bats?" Konerko said Wednesday at his first spring training workout. On the other hand, the reason Konerko had so few at-bats is because he struggled so badly in the first half of the season. Before the All-Star Game, Konerko hit .197. In June, he had only four hits in 41 at-bats (.098). It got to the point where Konerko was going two or three days in a row on the bench. "I put myself in that position and forced [former manager Jerry Manuel] to make that decision," he said. Considering where he was at the break, the fact that Konerko finished hitting .234 with 18 home runs and 65 RBIs is a pretty good accomplishment. Even with a sub-par September, when he and the rest of the Sox went into a funk, Konerko hit .275 in his last 61 games with 13 home runs and 43 RBIs. "I felt really good at the end of the year," he said. "I've never swung the bat better in the second half." Konerko credits part of turnaround to hitting coach Greg Walker, who joined the club midway through the season. "When I got here Paul had scuffled and had never scuffled before," Walker said. In his previous four seasons, Konerko never had hit below .282. "He has had so much success and is so talented, it was a tough decision on my part how far to go mechanically," Walker said. The last thing a player wants to do is tinker constantly with his swing during the season. The equivalent would be a golfer changing his swing between rounds of a tournament. But Konerko was struggling so much that he had no choice but to take drastic steps. "The thing that impressed me the most is the guy went out there and battled every day knowing we were in a process [of working on his swing] and in a pennant chase," Walker said. "I don't think the public understands how hard that is to work on mechanics all day and [face] a 95 m.p.h. fastball with the game on the line and just forget it and hit." Walker thinks, in the long run, the struggles Konerko went through last season will help him get through future slumps more quickly. "People say stuff that doesn't kill you makes you stronger," Konerko said. "I've done really well and I've done really bad. I guess I have the know-how of going through a slump." Like Frank Thomas and Magglio Ordonez, Konerko has been the subject of trade rumors. After the season the Sox had last year, Konerko fully expected it. "There was no doubt they were going to explore different options to make the team better," he said. "I totally expected it. It wasn't personal." He's also happy, however, that he didn't go anywhere, especially because he was married during the off-season. Besides, Konerko said, this Sox team reminds him of another recent one. "The last team we had like this—that shaped up with the younger [players]—won the division," he said of the 2000 AL Central champions. "I feel good about that." He will feel even better if he doesn't have a season to compare to the last one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YASNY Posted February 26, 2004 Share Posted February 26, 2004 By the time you've posted these articles/columns, I've already read them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gene Honda Civic Posted February 26, 2004 Share Posted February 26, 2004 Even with a sub-par September, when he and the rest of the Sox went into a funk, Konerko hit .275 in his last 61 games with 13 home runs and 43 RBIs. Wow, I remembered that late season funk to be much worse than it was... If you take his numbers over his last 61 games and extrapolate them to a hypothetical 162-game season, Pauly would have had 34 homers and 114 RBI's. If you factor in rest days, it would bring it down to like 30 HR's and 105 RBI's. I'm cautiosly optimistic about Paulies ability to put it all back together this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NUKE_CLEVELAND Posted February 26, 2004 Share Posted February 26, 2004 Wow, I remembered that late season funk to be much worse than it was... If you take his numbers over his last 61 games and extrapolate them to a hypothetical 162-game season, Pauly would have had 34 homers and 114 RBI's. If you factor in rest days, it would bring it down to like 30 HR's and 105 RBI's. I'm cautiosly optimistic about Paulies ability to put it all back together this year. I think Walnuts is gonna rock this season & prove his detractors wrong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YASNY Posted February 26, 2004 Share Posted February 26, 2004 Wow, I remembered that late season funk to be much worse than it was... If you take his numbers over his last 61 games and extrapolate them to a hypothetical 162-game season, Pauly would have had 34 homers and 114 RBI's. If you factor in rest days, it would bring it down to like 30 HR's and 105 RBI's. I'm cautiosly optimistic about Paulies ability to put it all back together this year. His numbers were so bad in the first half, that as he was putting together that decent second half, it would be camoflaged by the first half numbers. For example, from that .197 low point, he had get it up to .205, then .215, etc. They still looked terrible, but he was producing from then on. It just takes time to get the numbers back up to a semblance of respectability. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DBAHO Posted February 26, 2004 Author Share Posted February 26, 2004 His numbers were so bad in the first half, that as he was putting together that decent second half, it would be camoflaged by the first half numbers. For example, from that .197 low point, he had get it up to .205, then .215, etc. They still looked terrible, but he was producing from then on. It just takes time to get the numbers back up to a semblance of respectability. It'll be interestin to see what Paulie Walntus does this season. For some reason, he always seems to hav 1 really good half of a season, and the otha not so good. In 2002, he had a really great start to the season, with a big .AVG and lots of homers, and then in the 2nd half he slipped off the pace a bit. Last year, he just couldn't get out of the blocks, but he had a real good second half of the year. I think the challenge for Paulie is to hit the ball well throughout the season and not to drop off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Queen Prawn Posted February 26, 2004 Share Posted February 26, 2004 I think Walnuts is gonna rock this season & prove his detractors wrong. to that. I really hope so, not just for him or my PK card collection (heehee), but for the team. GO SOX GO CANES GO SENS GO CYCLONES GO J BURTON GO RUDD!!!!!! Sorry had to get that outta the system. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
israel4ever Posted February 26, 2004 Share Posted February 26, 2004 If the latest batch of (stupid) rumors are true, and the new GM of the Dodgers doesn't want Frank because "he's an American League player", lets hope that Paulie has a turn around season for the Dodgers, and we can get some pitching/prospects for Konerko! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steff Posted February 26, 2004 Share Posted February 26, 2004 If the latest batch of (stupid) rumors are true, and the new GM of the Dodgers doesn't want Frank because "he's an American League player", lets hope that Paulie has a turn around season for the Dodgers, and we can get some pitching/prospects for Konerko! Yer about a week late there I4E.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
israel4ever Posted February 26, 2004 Share Posted February 26, 2004 Ouch!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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