[外電] Notes: Young, Hu turning heads

看板CLHu作者TaigerWang (台客王-偽物)時間18年前 (2007/09/27 22:19)推噓1(1推 0噓 0→)

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Notes: Young, Hu turning heads Little stands behind Kemp; Martin earns Campanella Award LOS ANGELES -- It's not easy to find anything pleasant coming out of the final week of a season like this, but for the Dodgers at least there's Delwyn Young and Chin-Lung Hu. They've lacked the cachet of bigger-name prospects like the Kemps and Loneys and Billingsleys, but they've caught the eye of manager Grady Little anyway. "I'm a little bit surprised by the way Hu has turned around a couple of fastballs," Little said of the formerly light-hitting shortstop that has two home runs in 11 Major League at-bats. A year ago, Hu had five home runs in 488 Double-A at-bats. Little said he is less surprised, but equally impressed, with what he's seen off the bat of Young, who has been labeled a marginal prospect since he was drafted in 2002, primarily because he lacks the size of more glowingly touted farmhands. Why would such a label stick, even though he's hit everywhere he's been? "The kid carries pretty good credentials. I don't know the answer to that," said Little. "A lot of people kind of in the same situation have made themselves everyday players. When you play in the Minor Leagues, you can get labeled. On the Major League level, we listen to reports and read the stats, but mostly we believe our own eyes when we see how they react in a Major League stadium. I don't see how you can label a guy his age with what he can do with a bat. Everyone can form their own opinion, but the ball just jumps off his bat." Shifted from second base to outfield, Young has also heard the knock that he doesn't have a true defensive position, although he's worked hard to make himself a legitimate outfielder. "And what little time he's played the outfield for us, he's made every play he was supposed to make," said Little. Kemp trade bait: That was the suggestion of one local columnist, but here is Little's reaction to that: "Don't believe what you read or hear on the radio." Little was outfielder Matt Kemp's biggest fan last year and Kemp has done nothing to diminish the support, even with the rash of baserunning mistakes he's made in recent weeks. "In no way is Matt Kemp a finished product, but he's made a lot of progress in his plate discipline and learning how to play the game every day," said Little. "A lot of players learn from their mistakes. He will be a good baserunner. He went through a spell of running errors and they came in bunches, five or six in a five-day period. But for every one of them, there were extra bases he took many times over." Injury update: The list of wounded continues to grow for the Dodgers with no real urgency for their return to the lineup. Jeff Kent on Tuesday night aggravated the hamstring injury he suffered last month and did not start Wednesday night. Rafael Furcal said an examination revealed a possible disk problem and he is not expected to return. Tony Abreu might not play again this season, either. Already playing with a suspected sports hernia, Abreu's problems seem to have spread to the hip flexor. As a result, Wednesday night's lineup had Hu at shortstop and Wilson Valdez at second base. Little also gave Chad Moeller his first start behind the plate, resting Russell Martin. Young started in left field with Andre Ethier in right and Andy LaRoche at third. Martin like Campy: The Dodgers announced Wednesday that Martin was named the winner of the second annual Roy Campanella Award, which is given to the Dodgers player who best exemplifies the spirit and leadership of the late Hall of Fame catcher. The award, which was voted upon by Dodgers uniform personnel, will be presented to Martin by Campanella's daughter, Joni Roan, during a pregame ceremony prior to Sunday's contest against the Giants. Furcal won the inaugural award last season. Penny done? The Dodgers have not declared a starter for Sunday, which would be Brad Penny's day to start. Penny has been nursing a lower abdominal injury most of the second half. Coming up: Esteban Loaiza (1-3, 8.53 ERA) opposes Franklin Morales (2-2, 3.15 ERA) on Wednesday at 7:10 p.m. PT. Loaiza has lost his last three decisions after winning his Dodgers debut. -- 歡迎翻譯 -- ※ 發信站: 批踢踢實業坊(ptt.cc) ◆ From: 218.163.229.181