PHOENIX -- The second half of Lyle Overbay's first full
season in the major leagues was physically draining and emotionally
frustrating, but it had a happy ending.
In his final at-bat in the final game of last season, the
Milwaukee Brewers first baseman belted a double off St. Louis
closer Jason Isringhausen.
That hit, which came in the late-afternoon shadows, pushed his
season batting average to .301 and gave him 53 doubles -- tops in
the major leagues.
"That was the luckiest piece of hitting I've ever done in my
life," said Overbay, who needed two hits that day to finish at or
above .300. "You could
barely see out there. I hadn't had much success against
Isringhausen.
"He threw me that nasty cutter and, seriously, I have no idea
how I hit it. It was by far one of the best pitches I've seen. I
just swung at it. It was meant to be."
Brewers manager Ned Yost dismissed the lucky strike theory.
"He willed himself to do that," Yost said.
In the first half of the season, Overbay carried the Brewers
offense for weeks at a time and made fans forget about his popular
predecessor, Richie Sexson, who was shipped to Arizona in a
multi-player deal that brought Overbay to Milwaukee.
Overbay hit .344 with 10 homers, 37 doubles and 62 RBIss before
the break, but saw his numbers plunge in the second half, when he
hit .245 with six homers, 16 doubles and 25 RBIss.
"Lyle got a little tired last year," hitting coach Butch
Wynegar said. "I talked to him about second-half adjustments. He
argued with me. He said, 'I'm not tired.' As soon as he argued with
me, I knew he was tired.
"Even defensively, he missed some balls. It looked like his
feet were slow. Mentally, he wasn't prepared. At the plate, he
started swinging at some pitches he wasn't swinging at in the first
half."
Overbay, 28, denies that fatigue was a factor. He prefers to
blame his struggles on two problems that swept through the Brewers
lineup like a plague: pressing and poor pitch selection.
"It was a combination of me swinging at bad pitches and getting
frustrated because I wasn't getting good pitches to hit. They
didn't have to give me good pitches. I was swinging at everything.
"It kind of snowballed before I got it under control."
Overbay has widened his stance this spring to increase his power
and allow him to take advantage of Miller Park's inviting gaps.
He's also trying to exercise more discipline at the plate.
"I've never been one to walk a lot," said Overbay, who drew 81
walks and struck out 128 times last season. "I wanted to swing the
bat. In the big leagues, sometimes you can't do that.
"It was a matter of me getting frustrated. I wanted to drive
that run in. I wanted to try to pick up the team instead of taking
my walk and going to first base."
With top prospect Prince Fielder waiting in the wings, many fans
wonder if the Brewers will trade Overbay soon. The incumbent isn't
worried.
In fact, he may end up playing in the outfield to accommodate
the burly youngster.
"Prince is going to be up here," Overbay said. "He's a great
hitter. It's just a matter of getting the time and experience. When
you're ready, they'll find a place for you.
"If they want to go with him, maybe the outfield is an option
for me. I don't care. If Prince is going to help the team win,
that's all that matters.
"When it happens, it'll happen. It'll work out for both of
us."