| In the interest of speed and timeliness, this story is fed directly from the Associated Press newswire and may contain spelling or grammatical errors. |
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) The novelty finally has worn off for Scott Hatteberg. He feels like a first baseman now not a catcher uncomfortably stranded 90 feet from his natural position.
Hatteberg spent the first 11 years of his pro career as a catcher in the Boston Red Sox organization, laboring to earn a regular big league job behind the plate. But Boston fans watching their team's division series against the Oakland Athletics won't recognize much about him.
``In a lot of ways, I'm a totally different player now,'' Hatteberg said. ``It's a new chapter in my career. We have a whole different way of doing things over here than we did in Boston. It's been a great change for me.''
Hatteberg has blossomed as a big league hitter in the two seasons since the A's signed him as a free agent. He hit fifth on Wednesday night as the A's played the opener of their division series against Boston.
He holds no grudge toward the Red Sox, particularly since the move has been beneficial to his career and his health but oddly enough, Hatteberg would fit in splendidly with the Red Sox these days.
New general manager Theo Epstein espouses most of Oakland GM Billy Beane's theories on hitting, and Hatteberg is an archetypal example of nearly everything a Beane hitter should be.
``It's funny how that works out,'' Hatteberg said with a grin. ``Maybe I'd be a top prospect over there.''
He set career highs in nearly every offensive category last year, and he bested several more this season including games (147), at-bats (541), runs (63) and doubles (34) while hitting .253 with 12 homers and a .342 on-base percentage.
In his first conversation with Hatteberg before last season, Beane informed the veteran catcher of his unusual plan: Hatteberg would be the replacement for Jason Giambi, the A's MVP first baseman who was lured to the Yankees by a massive contract.
Hatteberg knew almost nothing about playing the infield. He was a solid defensive catcher for the Red Sox, but his approach at the plate working the count, taking plenty of walks, rarely striking out, prizing contact above power didn't mesh with Boston's ideas about an everyday player.
After backing up Jason Varitek for three seasons, Hatteberg was ready to move on.
``The A's didn't want to change the way I played,'' Hatteberg said. ``They believed in me and let me do things the way I wanted to. It sounds like a little thing, but it's great to be in a position to do your own thing.''
Beane's approach to hitting perfectly fit Hatteberg. The A's value hitters who do all the little things at which Hatteberg excels, which made him the best available replacement for the irreplaceable Giambi.
Hatteberg capped his strong first year with the A's by hitting an incredibly dramatic game-winning homer in Oakland's AL-record 20th straight victory last September.
He hasn't been quite as effective this season, with a .253 batting average that was the second-lowest of his career but again, he excelled at the little things. For example, he swung and missed at just 8.8 percent of pitches the third-best mark in the AL.
Hitting came easily in Oakland, but playing first base was another matter entirely. Hatteberg needed several months to get completely comfortable with the assignments and movements at the position.
After steady practice on footwork and strategy, he has finally settled in. In fact, new A's outfielder Jose Guillen wasn't even aware Hatteberg had spent most of his baseball life as a catcher.
``He's a good hitter, very steady, and a good first baseman,'' Guillen said. ``He's an important part of this team.''