NewsGwynn looks like pop in initial month
Friars center fielder bats .338 in his first 20 games
By Corey Brock / MLB.com
06/14/09 4:00 PM ET
ANAHEIM -- Like all good things, Padres outfielder Tony Gwynn expects his current hot run at the plate to subside at some point as opposing pitchers in the National League look for different ways to pitch him.
 |
"From an offensive standpoint the league will start adjusting to what I'm doing. I'll have to make my adjustments to what the league decides to do in the way that they're pitching me," Gwynn said Sunday.
For now, though, Gwynn will do nothing different, which makes sense considering that he carried a .338 batting average and .442 on-base percentage in his first 20 games with the Padres into Sunday's game against the Angels.
"Right now, I'm in a good groove at the plate," Gwynn said. "I have a good tempo. I'm in a good position consistently. That doesn't mean you're always going to get hits, but it means you're going to get a good swing. The hard part is trying to keep that pace, keep what you're doing going.
"That will be the part that will be the trickiest."
So far, Gwynn's reunion with the team he grew up rooting for, the one his Hall of Fame father, Tony, played for, has been nothing short of blissful since he was obtained on May 21 from the Brewers for Jody Gerut.
Gwynn took a career-best seven-game hitting streak into Sunday's Interleague finale in Anaheim. He's hitting .407 in that stretch and has hit safely in 13 of his past 14 games, giving the Padres a legitimate table setter at the top of the order.
Gwynn's .375 batting average since May 26 ranks third in the National League in that span. He has stolen two bases and scored 14 runs in his first 20 games with the Padres.
"I think as a leadoff hitter he has the ability to get on base ... he has done that so far," Padres manager Bud Black said. "He brings an element [of speed] that we do not have.
"I like the way he's hitting, I like his at-bats, he's taking his walks, his ability to steal. The speed puts a little pressure on the defense."
That he's been able to play on a regular basis and show that he's capable of playing in his hometown is something Gwynn still has to pinch himself over, just to make sure it's truly happening to him.
"It's been awesome," Gwynn said. "From a personal standpoint, it's been everything you could possibly dream about, playing in my home city, getting to play a lot, playing well. I just want to continue the trend."
Even if that means eventually making an adjustment at the plate when pitchers start to look for new ways to attack him. Gwynn understands that this is a big part of the game and what separates flash-in-the-pan players from ones who go on to have long careers.
"That's why it's so tough to stay here," Gwynn said. "I'm going to go out and do what I've been doing. It's not going to stay that way. That doesn't mean my production is going to go down, but it means other teams are going to try other things from me getting on base. That happens with everyone, not just me."
Corey Brock is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
