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Bigleaguers.com Chat Transcript
From Bigleaguers.com, 8/21/01
Rich Aurilia told a Bigleaguers.com chat audience Tuesday that he primarily credits batting in the No. 2 hole with Barry Bonds and Jeff Kent behind him for his surge to the National League's Top 10 in batting this season.
"Hitting second, in front of Barry and Jeff, has probably been the biggest thing," said Aurilia, who began San Francisco's road trip with a .331 average, 25 homers and 74 RBI.
"I've had a lot of good pitches to hit. Instead of swinging at the first OK pitch, I can wait for a good one to swing at. Coming into the season, I wanted to take more pitches, get more walks and get my on-base percentage a little higher. But, hitting in front of those guys, pitchers don't want to walk you. They've been coming right at me because they don't want me on base with Barry or Jeff Kent coming up."
Here's the full transcript:
mlbpa_rich_aurilia: Let's get the chat started!
p11joe: To me, your more of a blue-collar shortstop, is it overwhelming to suddenly be put in the spotlight?
mlbpa_rich_aurilia: Not really. I think it's kind of a compliment to be called a blue collar shortshop. It means you've worked extra hard to get where you are. To be in the spotlight now, it's the end result of a lot of hard work.
www_prowrestlingdaily_com: Rich, how has Barry Bonds chasing the home run record affected the team?
mlbpa_rich_aurilia: I think it's actually affected our team in a positive way by taking away some of the pressure. When we weren't playing well in the first half of the season, a lot of attention was on him ... not us as a team. Now that we've picked up our play, Barry is still getting the attention and we're still not getting all the attention you would expect for a team that's been on the kind of run we've been on for the past few weeks. That's a good thing. It's been fine overall.
cantbstoppedyadig: Do you think barry will break the record?
mlbpa_rich_aurilia: I don't think there's a doubt in anyone's mind on the team as to whether Barry's capable or not. He's definitely capable. It's the matter of going into September and getting pitches to hit. Most likely, he'll be walked a lot because we're in contention and there are going to be games against contending teams. One of the things that amazes me about Barry, though, is that he'll have three walks in his first three at-bats without even a pitch to swing at, then he'll get up and hit a pitch 480-feet in his fourth at-bat. If he gets the pitches, he's the guy to break the record for sure.
vanparys80: Rich, what have you changed in your approach to hitting this year that has sparked your great year? It looks like you're trying to be more patient at the plate.
mlbpa_rich_aurilia: I think that patience is part of it. I've matured as a player a bit. And I understand what I'm capable of doing at the plate. I've had more of a game plan this year, and I'm sticking with it. But hitting second in front of Barry and Jeff Kent has probably been the biggest thing. I've had a lot of good pitches to hit. Instead of swinging at the first OK pitch, I can wait for a good one to swing at. Coming into the season, I wanted to take more pitches, get more walks and get my on-base percentage a little higher. But, hitting in front of those guys, pitchers don't want to walk you. They've been coming right at me because they don't want me on base with Barry or Jeff Kent coming up.
sarod19: What did Andres Galarraga do or say to the team to motivate them?
mlbpa_rich_aurilia: Big Cat really didn't do or say anything. Just his presence in the clubhouse is a big thing for us. J.T. Snow was on the DL for much of the year. Just his presence in the lineup and the clubhouse is great. He always has a smile on his face. Some of the best players don't need to do or say anything, just their presence is all the spark a team could need.
Yahooligan_Gregg: How does it feel to be an all-star?
mlbpa_rich_aurilia: Sometimes you hear it and it's still hard to believe. It was a great thrill for me to go to the All-Star Game. I just have to thank the fans for it. It's nice to know that your home fans recognize what you do, and perhaps that fans around the league are starting to take notice of what the Giants are doing as a team and as individuals.
mdandml: Dusty Baker seems to take every Giants team and put the pieces together every year. What do you think he does differently than most managers to succeed
mlbpa_rich_aurilia: I think the main thing that Dusty does is put guys in positions in which they are likely to succeed. He'll throw a guy in there that hits well against certain pitchers or type of pitcher, and he'll work like that through the whole schedule, finding the right spots for people. He'll wait to put you into a spot until you can succeed. That's one of his main assets ... Dusty is great. All he expects is for you to play hard. If you get beat, you get beat. He's also a great communicator with the players. It's like we have 26 guys on the team, not 25. He's out there jumping up and down with everyone else, talking with everybody. His personality is one that makes players think "I really want to play for that guy."
Yahooligan_bigleagues00: Do you think that the new ballpark had anything to do with your success over the last 2 years?
mlbpa_rich_aurilia: I think so. The fans are great! They come out every day and really support us. When we played at Candlestick, we had an advantage because opposing teams had to deal with the weather. The opposing teams thought the new ballpark would be different ... but it's not. It's still cold in the summer and the wind really kicks up. We use that to our advantage, too.
Yahooligan_Tyler: Do you think that u guys can make it to the world series
mlbpa_rich_aurilia: Everyone is feeling great right now. We lost two out of three in the Atlanta series but we just as easily could've swept them. I don't think there will be one runaway winner in the NL. The only thing that sticks out is that no one wants to face (Randy) Johnson and (Curt) Schilling in Arizona. If we play good defense and our pitching keeps up, I think we'll be in good shape.
whodathunkit123: hey rich....im a big fan from the New york area....did you honestly feel when you were playing in college that you might some day make it to the Big Leagues??
mlbpa_rich_aurilia: I think that's everyone's hope. You always want to make it. The reality of everything was in the back of my mind. It was due to a lot of hard work, the organization had confidence in me. It was a goal of mine. It had a lot to do with realizing what I needed to do to get there ... and not just saying I need to be there.
vanparys80: How much preparation do you put in to facing the individual pitcher each day? Do you pay attention to how they pitched you in the past, or do you just try to implement your own game plan?
mlbpa_rich_aurilia: I think it's a combination of both. When I prepare for a game, I find out who's pitching and first check out his stats and look for tendencies. Is he walking a lot of guys? Is he getting a lot of strikeouts? Then I factor in how he has pitched me in the past? Pitchers that have success pitching to you in a particular way are usually hesitant to deviate from it. We have a great video room at our park, and I'll watch a tape or DVD of the pitcher's last start to prepare, too. I try look for things that may tip me off to certain type pitches. I look at the way he tries to set up hitters, that sort of thing. Once I have gathered all of that information, then I devise my own plan. It's important to have a plan when you step to the plate. A plan is just an approach to that particular at-bat that you've settled on that's based on your knowledge of yourself as a hitter, knowing what you're capable of doing, and the information that you've gathered about the pitcher. Knowing that you're prepared and knowing what you want to do give you more confidence, too.
muellerette: Congratulations on your baby! How much sleep have you gotten lately?
mlbpa_rich_aurilia: I played Friday night against Atlanta and I got to bed around midnight ... and then at 3:30 am my wife (Raquel) woke me up and told me it was time to go to the hospital. Basically, I was awake from 3:30 am that night until two o'clock the next morning. I slept about two or three hours on Saturday night after she had the baby. Luckily we had a night game. Last night here in Montreal, it was the first night I had a full night's sleep. The season isn't too much longer, and then I'll have six months to be at home with them. I really miss them now. I can't wait to get back from the road trip. But I guess all of these nights with just a few hours sleep are getting me used to what it's like as a father.
zoomcrypt: How does your pitching staff matchup against the other dominant staffs in the league?
mlbpa_rich_aurilia: I think the first thing you notice about our staff is that we don't have a clear-cut ace. But, we have five guys who are good pitchers. A couple of finesse guys and a few power pitchers. It's a nice mix that seems to work well for us. They throw strikes, work fast, and they keep the momentum up, which is great for your defense. Then, you look at our bullpen and you have Felix Rodriguez and Robb Nen in the eighth and ninth innings. I don't think anyone has a better closing combination than that.
shimalaka: has the strike zone changed from last year?
mlbpa_rich_aurilia: I think early on, the first month or so, they kind of stuck with the so-called new strike zone. Recently, I've noticed the trend is going back to the way it used to be. Which is better. There was too much controversy. You had umpires wondering, pitchers complaining, batter complaining. There will always be controversy, but it was a lot more. The umpires were put in a position where they had to think even more about balls and strikes. It really didn't speed up the game much. I hope they come to a conclusion by the end of the season. Or, during the off season.
mlbpa_rich_aurilia: Thanks so much for all of the great questions today! I had a great time chatting with you. Thanks for supporting myself and the Giants this year.