Rangers Notes: Andruw Jones Struggles Haven’t Been Limited to Swinging the Bat

SURPRISE, Ariz. - For the first three weeks of camp, almost every question about Andruw Jones’ chances to make the club revolved around his ability to rediscover a swing that mysteriously left him in 2007 and hasn’t yet returned.

Now that the swing appears to be headed in the right direction, is it time to raise questions about his defensive capabilities?

Seems a bit odd, considering Jones is a 10-time Gold Glove winner in center field, but he’s either been a step slow on a number of balls to the outfield this spring or has lost them in the sun.

On Monday, Jones, who has nine hits in his last 18 at-bats (including a “B” game), hit his first official home run of spring. But he also had trouble with a fly ball to center in the second inning that turned into a two-run triple. It also started the Dodgers on a seven-run inning.

It’s not the first time this spring Jones has had trouble with a ball. Part of that may be that he’s not fully recovered from offseason knee surgery. Part may be a difficult adjustment from Florida spring training to Arizona, where players often complain the sun seems brighter, the ball carries further and the winds are stronger.

“He looked a little sluggish on that ball today,” manager Ron Washington acknowledged. “He always seemed to have that first step quickness when he was with Atlanta. I think it’s coming back. A lot of guys are still trying to get that back at this stage of spring training and especially a guy who is coming off knee surgery.

“I am sure the more he’s out there, the more comfortable and confident he’ll be. Nobody here is questioning his track record. We’ll just evaluate everything as we go along.”

On another ball hit to straight away center later in the game, Jones got to the wall, then looked lost. The ball dropped over the top of the fence for a homer. While it would have taken an above average play to take the homer away, it’s the kind of catch Jones has become known for in his career.

He said he simply lost the ball in the sun. He also said he’s played much deeper in center field than he has in the past as a concession to the extra carry balls have in Arizona’s thin air. Since he’s playing out of his normal depth, it makes it trickier to get a proper read on some balls.

“I never play deep,” Jones said. “It’s just one of those things that happens sometimes. I’m sure when the season starts, that stuff is not going to happen.”

At the plate, however, Jones had more meaty explanations for his recent surge. He credited a long day of activity on Saturday; it began with a “B” game against Kansas City, in which he went 3-for-5. He followed it up by going 2-for-4 in that afternoon’s exhibition.

An even better indicator of Jones swing improvement is that he’s significantly cut down on strikeouts. He whiffed in 10 of his first 14 spring at-bats, but only once in the last 11.

“The last two games, things have been going pretty well,” Jons said. “Every ball I’ve hit, I’ve hit solid. I’m just looking for that kind of consistency.

AND A FEW EXTRA NOTES

•Attention, conspiracy theorists: The Rangers announced over the weekend that 1B-DH Hank Blalock would start playing some at third base this spring as a possible backup to Michael Young.  Interesting timing for the announcement since it happened the same weekend the Yankees officially lost Alex Rodriguez to surgery.

Are the Rangers showcasing Blalock?

It might be a fringe benefit, but they do need a backup third baseman and they feel Blalock is still better suited to fill in on the very limited basis they expect to need a backup rather than INF Omar Vizquel or 1B Chris Davis. If Blalock’s arm strength does look good, though, and the Yankees realize they are really considering starting Cody Ransom at third while Rodriguez is out, you might start to see a lot more New York scouts at Rangers spring games.

•Briefly: Former Ranger reliever Jeff Russell is in camp this week as a special instructor as part of the club’s Legacy Program designed to integrate past players with the present team. Pete O’Brien was in camp last week. Rusty Greer and Mark McLemore will visit over the latter half of the month. It’s a great program, but one element is missing: A former starting pitcher. Rick Helling would be the perfect guy to interact with today’s starters, explaining his approach to pitching at The Ballpark. Helling, however, appears to have gone underground since retiring. My second choice: John Burkett. Funny, smart and a guy who would mix really well with Mike Maddux, as well. … An epidemic of chipped teeth is running through camp. Both OF Josh Hamilton and RHP Scott Feldman showed up with the issue. Neither was expected to miss any time because of the dental problem. … INF Joaquin Arias, whose shoulder strength has been a real question the last two years, returned to camp after the death of his father. He played as a backup in Monday’s exhibition and made a nice inning-ending play on a ball deep in the hole. He was able to get something on the throw to get a force out at second.