Just Another Big-League Day For Elvis Andrus

ARLINGTON–Uniform numbers have a certain cache, usually near and dear to an athlete’s heart as well as his back. Any of the 49,000 or so fans at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington might have taken notice that rookie shortstop Elvis Andrus is wearing No. 1.

The number that almost serves as a bull’s-eye was not of his own doing for the third-youngest Ranger even in an opening day lineup. And he was comfortable in his own skin and his new number.

Dave Nelson was the first Ranger to wear No. 1, did so in each of the club’s first two seasons following the move south. He suddenly had a hankering for No. 5 when Billy Martin came to town, and he kept No. 5 when Billy’s short stay ended. Through the years, it has been given to the likes of pinch-hitting savant Bill Stein, Dave Martinez, Desi Relaford.

The 20-year-old Andrus wore No. 17 last season, which in this Rangers clubhouse is the property of Nelson Cruz. Andrus said he was expecting to arrive in Arizona in February to be assigned a number “like 85.” But this is no Ocho Cinco. Team equipment manager Zack Minasian, who prefers his infielders wear something from No. 20 on down, looked at what was available on his rack and chose No. 1.

“There’s been a lot of hype about Elvis,” Minasian said. “It’s appropriate. He can handle it.”

We all know what transpired over the winter, the word from Jon Daniels to Andrus and Michael Young about the new world order of the Rangers’ infield. The club was able to play Andrus early and often in spring training. Said new infield coach Dave Anderson: “He did his work. Kept his mouth shut. Did his work.”

The kid brought his No. 1 to Arlington on Saturday afternoon for one last dress rehearsal against Kansas City. A gathering of about 15,000 saw him learn in the public glare of a bright afternoon sun that the wind in Arlington can be a little different from what he saw last season in Frisco. A harmless pop into short center by John Buck led to a poor three-way conversation involving Andrus, Ian Kinsler and Josh Hamilton. The ball banged off Andrus’ glove, opening the gates for unearned runs that doomed the Rangers in their home debut.

“Yesterday, I took a couple of fly balls just to get used to the wind,” Andrus said Monday morning in the clubhouse. “I’m going to be OK.”

He appeared oblivious to the clubhouse commotion around him. He was leafing through a Spanish pop magazine when teammates howled at the “creative” print shirt worn by newcomer Omar Vizquel. He did notice when someone followed tradition by placing a pink Cinderella backpack in the chair of his locker neighbor, Frank Francisco, but didn’t turn state’s evidence.

He made time for Rangers announcer Josh Lewin, who was researching a story that he’d heard about Andrus losing his father when he was only 7. Lewin said he was surprised that Andrus gladly went into detail. “And never lost his smile,” Lewin said. ‘He was very poignant.”

Andrus was a popular media target, so much so that Marlon Byrd gave him the “wrap it up” sign so he wouldn’t be late for 10:15 a.m. stretching. Andrus dutifully complied, though he false-started and had to return to his locker briefly when he realized he’d forgotten his sunglasses.

In the second BP hitting group of the day, the first pitch to Andrus from lefty Dax Powell – playing the role of Indians starter Cliff Lee – was high and inside, almost “unbuntable.” Powell, whose day job is baseball coach at Parish Episcopal in Addison, said he can’t wait for Andrus to establish himself: “I’ve seen him to get to ground balls that other infielders aren’t going to get to.” Before leaving the field, Andrus and Chris Davis gladly signed some balls for fans huddled at the top of the clubhouse tunnel.

Andrus didn’t have to wait long to get tested in the field. With one on and one out in the top of the first, power-hitting Victor Martinez hit the 10th pitch of the at-bat from Kevin Millwood slowly toward Kinsler at second. Andrus took Kinsler’s toss to force Mark DeRosa and took his time to throw out Martinez, never confused with Herb Washington.

“That was a different double play,” Kinsler said afterward. “Martinez doesn’t run well, and for him to understand that I think is big.”

Andrus’ first at-bat - with one on and two out in the second just after Jarrod Saltalamacchia gave the Rangers a 2-0 lead – resulted in Andrus taking an outside fastball down the right-field line for a double. Chuck Morgan hit the button to play Elvis Presley’s “All Shook Up.”

“I think the hit really got him going,” said Anderson, who worked with Andrus last season as infield instructor throughout the minor league system. “Got him comfortable out there.”

Andrus was retired on his other three at-bats, a strikeout and two grounders to short. But there were more gems in the field. In the fourth with Grady Sizemore running from first, Andrus was able to adjust on what normally would have been a double-play grounder hit by DeRosa and got what became a routine out. Later in the inning, he forced Martinez on a 6-3 DP ball hit by Travis Hafner. In the fifth, he romped to the second-base side of the bag to throw out Shin-soo Choo. Eric Nadel said on the Rangers’ radio broadcast: “That, my friends, is turning a hit into an out.” (What did Dax Powell say before the game?)

“He’s going to have a lot of days like today,” said Anderson, an infielder for 10 big-league seasons. “And he’s going to have some bumps in the road. He’s learning how to play in the major leagues. The big thing for Elvis, for any young infielder, is making the routine plays. That’s the thing we focused on last year and all of spring training.”

The Rangers supplemented their feared hitting attack with defense and pitching to put away the Indians 9-1 in 2:33, when many local fans usually get ready for the seventh-inning stretch. When Young squeezed Hafner’s pop to end the game, Andrus headed straight for Kinsler for his first regular-season jump-bump.

Waves of reporters decended upon his locker after a lengthy wait, prompting C.J. Wilson to squeal, “Elvis! Elvis!” Andrus talked in English and Spanish about being excited but not nervous. He talked about consulting with Vizquel (he of the 11 Gold Gloves) and others before the game, the main topic being to treat opening day like any other day.

“It’s like a spring training game; that’s the way you’ve got to trick your mind sometimes,” he said. “It’s Arizona. No people here.”

There was almost no one there in the clubhouse at about 4:45 p.m., when Minasian walked over to Andrus and presented him with the ball from his first big-league hit.

One day down for No. 1.