PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. (AP) -An All-Star during a breakout season with the Tampa Bay Rays, catcher Dioner Navarro is eager to prove his success wasn’t a fluke.
The 25-year-old switch hitter batted a career-best .295 and was lauded for improved defense and his handling of one of baseball’s youngest pitching rotations while helping the Rays reach the World Series.
Determined to give himself the best chance to pick up where he left off in 2008, he changed his eating habits this winter and dedicated himself to a daily workout routine that helped him shed 15 pounds before spring training.
“I did all this because personally I think I’ve still got a lot to prove. The team has got a lot to prove, too, and we’re just looking forward to the opportunity,” a noticeably sleeker Navarro, who reported to camp weighing about 205, said Tuesday.
“What we did last year, I’m pretty sure is going to carry over. This year is not only about getting there. We already proved we can do that. The goal now is to win it all. That’s our mindset.”
he did to lose weight was “stop drinking sodas and eat smaller portions.” And, the work he’s put in since the end of the World Series has not gone unnoticed by the Rays’ front office.
“I heard all offseason about his workout program and what he was doing,” executive vice president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said. “It’s very evident that he’s very hungry and wants to get back to where we were last year.”
Although Navarro seemingly came out of nowhere to lead the Rays in hitting and earn his first All-Star selection, his dramatic turnaround actually began midway through the previous season.
He was hitting .177 with one homer and 13 RBIs and his future with the team was being questioned at the All-Star break in 2007. He used the time off to relax with his family and rejuvenate mentally, then hit .285 with eight homers and 31 RBIs the rest of the way.
Navarro changed bats and made what he described as some minor adjustments to his mechanics. But he insisted what changed more anything was his attitude.
“I sat back and said: ‘Man, you’ve been doing this for a long time. It ain’t different.’ Obviously the competition is a lot better in the big leagues. But it’s still baseball,” Navarro said. “After that, I just went out there and had fun, played with my teammates and enjoyed being around them. That’s what it came down to.”
is the second-best among AL catchers behind Minnesota’s Joe Mauer. He batted .358 during a career-best nine-game hitting streak last season and the Rays went 70-43 in games he started, compared to 27-21 when he wasn’t behind the plate.
Just as important to Tampa Bay’s success has been Navarro’s development behind the plate.
In addition to finishing fifth in the AL with fielding percentage (.994) and having the third-best success rate (35.7 percent) of throwing out runners attempting to steal, he made significant strides in handling the team’s young pitchers.
“That’s one thing I worked hard on during spring training last year,” said Navarro, who made his major league debut with the Yankees in 2004 and was traded to Arizona and then the Los Angeles Dodgers before the following season.
Tampa Bay obtained him in June 2006 in a deal that sent catcher Toby Hall and pitcher Mark Hendrickson to the Dodgers.
Navarro said it took a year to get familiar enough with Tampa Bay’s pitchers to begin building a solid relationship.
“It started in ’07, but last year it got to the point where I thought: ‘This is my team, I’m going to run my team.’ … I knew I was capable of doing it, but I had to get to know everybody. Once I knew everybody, I stepped up to the plate and did what I was supposed to do.”
ping into one of the game’s best catchers. He’ll earn $2.1 million this year – up from $412,500 in 2008 – after losing his salary arbitration case this month.
The catcher said there are no hard feelings about not getting the $2.5 million he sought. He’s more concerned with getting back to the World Series.
“I can say this for the whole team. We’ve got a commitment to our fans,” Navarro said. “We’ve got to prove to them that it wasn’t a one-year wonder, that we’re here for a long time.”
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