JUPITER, Fla. (AP) -Geoff Jenkins is not competing for a job at spring training. He will fly north to Philadelphia when the Phillies break camp in two weeks.
But even though his job is secure, he’s hoping to rebound from what was arguably his toughest individual season.
In his first year in Philadelphia, Jenkins, 34, hit .246 with nine home runs and 29 RBIs in 293 at-bats. It was the veteran outfielder’s worst season since 2002, when he struggled through a midsummer ankle injury.
Jenkins’ summer of 2008 wasn’t what many expected after he signed a two-year, $13 million deal before the season.
He admits there was an adjustment period in getting acquainted to a new role on a new team. After spending his first 10 big league seasons as a regular with the Milwaukee Brewers, Jenkins was learning how to become a part-time player in Philadelphia.
“It’s tougher mentally,” Jenkins said. “You have a one-track mind, you know what you do in your whole routine, and it’s definitely an adjustment period.”
ve in fewer at-bats.
He dispensed with his big leg kick and gargantuan swing, but the results are still a work in progress – he’s hitting .250 with one home run and five RBIs in 12 spring training games.
Jenkins is hoping the alterations will eventually pay off and better prepare him for his role as a reserve.
“I tried to tighten it up so I could give better pinch-hit at-bats, give better quality at-bats when you don’t play every day,” Jenkins said. “I’ve tried to make an adjustment so I can be effective in my role and help out.”
In a 5-1 win over the Marlins on Thursday, Jenkins’ highlight came in the bottom of the fifth, when he gunned down Dan Uggla at third after the Marlins second baseman tried to advance from second on a fly ball. Jenkins finished 1-for-2 with a walk at the plate.
While he missed the majority of the final month of the regular season with a right hip flexor, Jenkins did contribute during the Phillies’ World Series run last fall. He was often the most active and vocal supporter of his teammates on the bench, something that didn’t go unnoticed by his manager.
“His attitude was tremendous,” Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said of the approach his Opening Day right fielder had after losing much of his playing time to Jayson Werth as the season wore on. “He never balked about not playing, he never said anything. He just said, ‘I’ll work and I’ll do better.”’
On the final day of the 2008 season, Jenkins was able to earn redemption on a personal level. When Game 5 of the World Series resumed following a 48-hour rain suspension, Jenkins led off the bottom of the sixth with a pinch-hit double and scored the go-ahead run later in the inning.
“You just want to have that one at-bat where you can say you did something great for the team, to help them win,” Jenkins said. “I was able to get healthy and come back and do something big, in that Game 5. It was huge for me.”
Add A Comment