SEATTLE -- Sean Burroughs may be onto something.
The sweet-swinging line-drive machine for the San Diego Padres' Triple-A team in Portland has a theory about left-handed hitters who throw right-handed, like he does.
|  | | Reds prospect Adam Dunn of the USA homered against the World Team in the Futures Game on Sunday at Safeco Field. Team USA won 5-1. |
"I think it takes a little more time for our power to develop," he said Sunday following the All-Star Futures Game at Safeco Field, where he started at third base for the U.S. team. "Our dominant hand is our right hand, but you need power from both hands when you hit," he explains, as he goes through his hitting motion. "Guys like Griffey and Bonds, they're lefty-lefty."
OK, so he's only half serious as explains this. Still, it's an interesting concept, especially since Burroughs is often compared to George Brett, a lefty-swinging, righty-throwing third baseman who hit only 20 home runs his first three years in the majors.
Like Brett, however, Burroughs can flat rake. Just 20 years old, he's been one of the youngest players at each of his professional stops, but hit .359 in the Midwest League in 1999 and .291 last season at Double-A Mobile. This year, despite missing a month of action with a muscle tear in his left knee, he is hitting .332.
Then there is the question of his power, a shortcoming that most scouts predict will disappear as he matures. Burroughs had just eight home runs his first two years in the minors and has four in 220 at-bats with Portland. He's says he's learning to drive the ball better by looking for inside pitches more often.
"When I first signed, I basically looked for pitches on the middle of the plate or away, and would hit it up the middle or to left," he said. "But I would get jammed on inside pitches." Now, he looks to pull the inside pitch and hit it with more authority.
While it means his hitting zone has expanded, he stresses it doesn't mean he expands his strike zone. He had 135 walks and 107 strikeouts his first two years and has maintained that discipline with 24 walks and 29 K's this year.
"In the majors, if you can't handle a certain pitch, the scouting reports will reflect that, and you'll get pitched inside consistently," he says. "You have to show that you don't have any weaknesses."
While this hasn't translated into big power numbers yet, remember that Burroughs is very young and his body is gaining strength and maturity. The Padres haven't pressed him to start hitting more homers and he doesn't worry about his power production. Plus, there's always that theory. He believes the home runs will eventually come.
As evidence, he points a couple lockers down to prodigious slugger Adam Dunn, who also hits lefty and throws righty. A towering 6-foot-6 outfielder for Cincinnati, Dunn has swatted 30 home runs between Double-A and Triple-A this season and emerged as perhaps the top hitting prospect in the minors.
"I played against him in the Midwest League two years," Burroughs said, "and he didn't drive the ball much at all. I think he only hit 10 home runs." (Actually, 11, in 313 at-bats, but Burroughs obviously is a baseball nut.)
After hitting l1 homers in 1999, Dunn repeated the Midwest League and cracked 16 bombs in 2000. This year, he's exploded onto the scene, hitting .324 since his callup to Louisville with 18 Triple-A homers. A callup to the big leagues may arrive soon, especially with the Reds struggling in last place.
"I don't worry about that," said Dunn, who belted a towering homer run down the right-field line in Sunday's game, a blast that crashed off the second deck. "I don't keep a suitcase packed. You can't do that. That's like taking your uniform off during a rain delay. That's one of my rules. You know the game will be played if you do that."
Dunn was a two-sport star in high school in Texas. He was drafted in the second round by the Reds in 1998 but also went to the the University of Texas, where he redshirted as a freshman quarterback in 1998. In 1999, he decided to stick with baseball full-time.
The decision was obviously the right one for the 21-year-old, who isn't fazed at all by his newfound attention as the next great slugger to reach the majors. And while he may be a little surprised at his power output, he has the confidence of a future star. "I didn't set any goals at the start of the season. If you do that, you may set them too low," he says.
While Dunn could get the call to the big leagues at any time, Burroughs is more likely to spend the season in Portland. The Padres would prefer not to have him on the big-league roster if there is a lockout next spring. Also, there's this little problem of All-Star Phil Nevin blocking his path at third base.
Nevin's name has been popular in trade rumors. "You do hear about that. It's hard not to," Burroughs says. "But I hope we don't trade him, because he's such a great player." Indeed, while the Padres could trade Nevin (who is signed through 2002) to eventually clear room for Burroughs, some predict Nevin will be moved to first base and fellow All-Star Ryan Klesko to left field.
But that's one theory that Burroughs hasn't paid much attention to. He's more concerned about working on his fielding and working on his hitting stroke.
And maybe doing a few extra strength drills for his left hand.
All-Star notebook
With Mike Cameron replacing the injured Greg Vaughn on the AL All-Star roster, the Mariners now have eight All-Stars -- Cameron, John Olerud, Bret Boone, Edgar Martinez, Ichiro Suzuki, Kazuhiro Sasaki, Freddy Garcia and Jeff Nelson. The last team with eight All-Stars? The 1960 Pirates, who went on to beat the Yankees in the World Series on Bill Mazeroski's Game 7 home run. Maz was joined on the All-Star team by Dick Groat, Roberto Clemente, Vernon Law, Roy Face, Bob Friend, Bob Skinner and Smokey Burgess.
How pumped up are Mariners' fans about the team's amazing start? When it was announced in the second inning of the Futures Game that Cameron was replacing Vaughn, the crowd responded with a standing O.
Ichiro becomes the first rookie to start an All-Star Game since 1995, when the Dodgers' Hideo Nomo started on the mound for the National League. The last rookie position player to start was Cleveland's Sandy Alomar in 1990. Other rookie position starters: Wally Joyner (1986), Rod Carew (1967), George Scott (1966), Tony Oliva (1964), Tom Tresh (1962), Rich Rollins (1962), Ron Hansen (1960), Walt Dropo (1950), Eddie Kazak (1949), Richie Ashburn (1948), Dick Wakefield (1943), Joe DiMaggio (1936).
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