Pierzynski covers the plate

03/09/2006
TUCSON, Ariz. -- It was late in the summer during the White Sox championship run of 2005, and A.J. Pierzynski was in the midst of what would be a career low in regard to his own personal batting average.
But it was hitting coach Greg Walker, during the dog days of the regular season, who correctly predicted almost the exact moment when Pierzynski's offense would come to life. Sure, there were some big moments during the 162-game ledger for Pierzynski, including a walk-off home run to defeat the Dodgers before a packed house at U.S. Cellular Field on June 18. But Pierzynski hit only .172 over his final nine games and did not go deep in his last 25.
Walker knew, though, that Pierzynski would have his greatest offensive connections when the spotlight shined the brightest during the postseason.
"During the times when he was scuffling last year, I said to him that, 'We have to get you through this to get to the playoffs and the World Series,'" said Walker with a knowing grin. "I had a great feeling about him going into the postseason. A.J. loves the big moment."
"He was saying this in August, that I would do something every game to help us win in the playoffs," added Pierzynski of Walker's psychic powers. "He had a feeling, and it worked out. You try to pride yourself on being the guy that wants to be up when the game is on the line."
Pierzynski fulfilled Walker's prophecy in the first game of the Division Series against Boston. The left-handed-hitting catcher belted two home runs and drove in four runs during a 14-2 shellacking of the defending World Series champion. He hit .267 with three RBIs in the World Series sweep of Houston, and of course, had one of the most famous strikeouts in the history of the playoffs during Game 2 of the American League Championship Series against the Angels, turning the tide almost immediately in the White Sox favor.
Nonetheless, it was a disappointing season at the plate for Pierzynski, by his own admission. He did set a career high with 18 home runs, but the .287 career hitter finished with a .257 average. After driving in 151 runs combined over the previous two seasons with Minnesota and San Francisco, Pierzynski's production dipped to 56 RBIs in 2005.
Yet, neither the White Sox nor Pierzynski want the catcher to be any more offensive, offensive-minded that is, in 2006 than he was last season. Individual standout performances aren't needed in a group based primarily on the team concept.
"We signed A.J. not to put up certain numbers but to take care of the pitching staff and to do whatever it takes to win offensively," White Sox general manager Ken Williams said. "I'm not putting any numbers on him or anyone else. I couldn't seriously care less. Whatever we do, let's do it in the concept of the team."
"That's the biggest thing about this team," Pierzynski added. "Guys got hits when we needed hits, not when it didn't matter. Whoever was up in the game situation got the hit when we needed it."
While Pierzynski is the last guy on the team who's going to make excuses, there were some extenuating circumstances that could have accounted for the dip in his average. For starters, the 29-year-old was trying to resurrect his career after being anonymously maligned for allegedly not working hard with the pitching staff in San Francisco the previous season.
Basically, he was brought to the White Sox as a free agent on a one-year deal, with the expressed purpose of handling one of baseball's top starting rotations. The reviews on that end of Pierzynski's job description were first-rate from the start of Spring Training, when he caught extra Cactus League games and extra innings, simply to get a more specific handle on each hurler.
"He came in and sat with [pitching coach Don Cooper] and learned the guys in Spring Training," said White Sox left-handed ace Mark Buehrle. "He worked hard to get to know everyone. He went through scouting reports and soaked it all in.
"A.J. didn't have the year he wanted to offensively, but he did come up with big hits when we needed them, and we didn't really need him to do any more than he did. He consistently called a good game and that's a big reason why we won."
Walker expects bigger things from Pierzynski in his second year with the White Sox. Signing a three-year, $15-million deal will help the cause, although Pierzynski is not one who plays with just money or long-term deals on his mind. But as 2005 progressed, Pierzynski quickly became more comfortable in an environment that clearly had become his home.
Now, with the departure of vocal stalwarts such as Aaron Rowand and Carl Everett, Pierzynski has developed into one of the clubhouse leaders. He's a character in the best sense of the word, having participated in TNA's Pro Wrestling Pay Per View card and swam with the dolphins at Sea World during the offseason.
But he's all business once the topic comes back to baseball. Walker believes that Pierzynski is no different from any other hitter, in that when he expands the zone, his average drops. If he stays within the zone, Walker labels Pierzynski as a .280-plus hitter.
Pierzynski has no problem with the 1,172 innings he caught last season, the second-most by a White Sox catcher since 1975. Not only did his durability have nothing to do with his average, but Pierzynski felt as if he could have caught even more.
The approach for 2006, though, won't change for Pierzynski or for the White Sox. If he hits .257 once again and the White Sox win their second World Series title since 1917, then the season will be a huge success.
"I want him to do more for us and him, hopefully get him back to .280-plus because he's a happier camper," Walker said. "He's tough on himself when he scuffles. You don't like to see struggles, but he battled all year."
"If that was the worst year I have, it's still a pretty good year," Pierzynski added. "I hit more home runs and got some big hits, which was the most important thing. The numbers don't lie, and I wish I would have had a better year. At the same time, we won the World Series. So, it couldn't have been much better."

Source: http://chicago.whitesox.mlb.com/