San Diego Padres’ catcher Nick Hundley looks to make most of opportunities - MLB News
Opportunity can present itself in different and unexpected ways, San Diego Padres’ catcher Nick Hundley will testify for that. After posting a horrid .157 batting average in the 57 games he played in 2012 he unfortunately had a season ending surgery.
Yasmani Grandal made most of the opportunity at hand and posted a .297 batting average in 60 games. Eight long balls and 36 RBI’s reflected well on the charts as well. However, a drugs related suspension of 50 games for Yasmani will certainly mean another
opportunity for Hundley.
He himself knows that this is a big chance for him to cash on and opportunities like these do not come every day.
“You only get so many shots,” Hundley said last week. “This is a big chance for me.”
Nick had a three year contract extension earlier in the Spring guaranteeing him $3 million in 2013 and $4 million in 2014 and a club option in 2015. These numbers will obviously be quite high for someone who was going to be backup option but the conditions
now have changed.
Nick said that he wanted to avoid surgery and give up during the season. However, the true extent of the injury was known only in August. He had MRIs in April and May. Eventually a torn meniscus in August forced him on to the disabled list and required surgery.
“I thought I could play through it,” Hundley said. “I did everything I could to avoid surgery. I didn’t want to have surgery and throw in the towel. Neither the club or I knew how bad it was until August.”
Hundley has been active in the batting cage with the hitting coach Phil Plantier to get back in some form before Spring Training. He is finding Phil to be helpful and was all praise for his tireless work. Nick believes that he could have done better with
the bat in 2012 had he been listening carefully to Phil.
“Phil’s a tireless worker and a great discusser. I didn’t do a good enough job of making adjustments last year, of listening to Phil,” he said.
He realises that he had not mend his ways according to what he was told and kept on moving the same lines as before. Nick has been working with Plantier for a month now.
The catcher is confident that he is much better this time around, both mentally and physically. He says that he tried too hard to become better this last season and was forcing the issue a little too much.
Nick has played with the Padres in the Majors for five seasons now. He has yet to play more than 85 games in a season for the ball club. If he can improve his hitting prowess, he can certainly be playing a greater part in the San Diego ball club’s campaigns
in future.
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