Texas Rangers leadoff hitter Delino DeShields not fretting decline
A former coach told Delino DeShields early in his career that he should never suffer through a prolonged slump, no matter how uncomfortable he might feel in the batter’s box and no matter how good the opposing pitchers are throwing.
DeShields was blessed with speed, and he knew how to put down a bunt. Even if a third baseman is playing in, a good DeShields bunt, along with his double-plus speed, can be a slump-buster.
Even the dreaded sophomore slump, the decline that often hits as opposing teams recalibrate their scouting reports and make life miserable for second-year players, could be beaten.
DeShields just shrugs his shoulders at the notion, and is certain that the Texas Rangers won’t see a sharp drop from their leadoff hitter as they attempt to repeat as American League West champions.
“I don’t personally believe in slumps,” DeShields said. “That’s not even a word I associate with anything I do.”
If you can bunt 10 times and get three of them, you’re batting .300. That’s a weapon I can use to avoid going in deep slumps, but I’m pretty confident in myself and my abilities.
Center fielder Delino DeShields
The Rangers’ offense took off when their Rule 5 draft pick was in the leadoff spot. They were 58-36 when he batted first and averaged 5.34 runs a game, as opposed to 30-38 and 3.66 runs when he was absent.
There are no guarantees, of course, that the Rangers will score at that rate with DeShields leading off or that he will improve upon his .263 average, .341 on-base percentage, 83 runs and 25 steals, as well as the 53 walks that led all AL rookies.
Teammates Prince Fielder and Josh Hamilton didn’t experience the sophomore slump. Fielder hit 50 homers in his second season in 2007, and Hamilton was an MVP candidate in 2008.
Rougned Odor was hit by the sophomore slump early last season before rallying to avoid a meltdown.
But if second-year players didn’t struggle, there would be no such thing as the sophomore slump. It happens, and the Rangers are aware of it.
“It’s what is he willing to pay attention to,” manager Jeff Banister said. “The bigger question is, can he, will he, pay attention to it, and then how does he handle the punch-back by the league?
“It’s necessary for D to not get too caught up into whatever failure rate comes down his way. It’s what he can to do to stay consistent and build off of what he was capable of doing.”
Simply renouncing the concept of a slump won’t make DeShields immune to the second-year pitfalls, though his head is in the right place. It always has been, and his focus and maturity is one of the first things that impressed the Rangers last season.
Even though he hadn’t been in a big league clubhouse as a player, he was exposed to the atmosphere as the son to a father with the same name who played in the majors 13 seasons.
DeShields credited the Rangers’ veterans for their help in keeping him level-headed as a rookie. Adrian Beltre, Shin-Soo Choo and Fielder explained to him what it means to be a professional, a successful one, but DeShields deserves credit for processing it.
He won’t take credit, though.
“I’ve been blessed to be around great people,” DeShields said. “I was always taught to be level-headed and even in life, and not getting too high or too low and staying consistent and constant. That’s just me.”
DeShields’ plate discipline also belied his experience level. His stubborn approach developed in the minors, when his father told him that the one thing that separates big league pitchers is their ability to locate.
“When you get to the big league, you only get one pitch, and you better hit it,” DeShields said. “My approach is you make good contact when you swing at pitches in the strike zone. You can’t cover the whole plate, so I pick one spot.”
As important as his offense is, the Rangers want DeShields to continue to improve defensively. He has only been a center fielder for two seasons after breaking in at second base, so he is still learning to read balls off the bat and how to take more direct routes to balls.
His speed can help him overcome a slow first step and still reach balls in the gap, over his head or in front of him. DeShields said that he wants to play more shallow, as the game’s top center fielders do.
He isn’t complacent enough after one year to rest on his rookie laurels and is taking the approach that someone else in camp could take his job. That means hard work is in store, which will also help him fend off the sophomore slump.
“I don’t feel like I have that starting spot. I don’t care what anybody says,” DeShields said. “I still feel like I’ve got to make a name for myself and make an impression on these guys to show them that I can continue what I did last year.”
Jeff Wilson: 817-390-7760, @JeffWilson_FWST
This story was originally published February 26, 2016 at 5:03 PM with the headline "Texas Rangers leadoff hitter Delino DeShields not fretting decline."