St. Louis Cardinals’ Lance Berkman ready to play at first-base – MLB News
The 35-year-old St. Louis Cardinals’ right-fielder Lance Berkman is all ready to assume his responsibility at first-base. While there were concerns about his knee last year, Berkman said on Sunday, January 15, that with a change in his position, he is ready
for every kind of challenge.
He was referring to the knee problem that he had contracted last year. But he dispelled the impression that it could have been very serious and potentially negative for his career.
"Yeah, I was just joking with y'all," Berkman said on Sunday. "It's just different. The outfield, you have more straight-line running. First base, there is a lot more lateral stops and starts, side-to-side, that kind of thing, a little more agility involved
there. The wear and tear, it's probably not going to be a lot worse."
As he is aging, there might some genuine concerns about the ability to show agility on the field. Nonetheless, far from being deterred, the right-fielder is all set to take on rivals.
All the same, the player knows the limitations a player has with advancing years and seniority. He says all it requires is to be more conscious and know how to get prepared for the season.
"I think as you age, you learn that you have to be a little bit more conscious of how you prepare for the season," Berkman said. "I learned a lot about that last year.”
Berkman knows best how to strike a balance. The player who remained ninth in National League in home-runs with 31, fourth in BB with 92, fifth in SLG with .547 and fourth in OPS with .959 maintained an amazing .301 average throughout the season in the 145
games that he appeared.
The player remained in 488 at-bats, scoring 94 RBIs and 90 runs, with 147 hits to his credit. While his career average has remained a consistent .296, it will be a lot more interesting to see how he reproduces the same kind of performance this year; just
when the Cardinals are the MLB Champions.
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