Bill Mitchell's Minor League Ramblings

Minor League Ramblings For the week of :
April 22, 2002

Minor League Ramblings is produced by Bill Mitchell for Minor League Watch.

Overbay working hard to become a solid, all-around player
April 26, 2002

Lyle Overbay has been one of the top hitters in every league in which he's played during his three-year professional career. Yet the Arizona first base prospect prefers to talk about his improving defensive skills.

Lyle Overbay "You can save a lot of errors at first base," said the 25-year-old native of Centralia, Washington about why he is working so hard on his fielding. "With guys getting rid of the ball real quick and not making good throws, I want to be in the situation where I can pick it or go out and get it to get the out."

The left-handed hitter went to Mexico last winter, primarily to work on his hitting against southpaw pitchers. Again, Overbay wanted to talk about his work at first base. "Defensive-wise, it helped me a lot," he said about his experience south of the border. "It kind of clicked. I had to be a little more aggressive down there, the hops weren't as true."

Overbay is flattered that his skills are often compared to those of current Arizona first baseman Mark Grace. "I'd love to be able to play defense as well as Mark Grace," said Overbay, respectfully. "He's way above me, but it's fun to be able to watch him and learn from him ... just to see how he plays the position and how confident he is."

Now playing at AAA Tucson in the Pacific Coast League, Overbay will undoubtedly be ready to take over at first base when Grace retires. But the Diamondbacks' organization is overstocked at the position, with Erubiel Durazo biding his time at the big league level and other top prospects, such as Jesus Cota, coming up in the lower levels of the farm system.

"If I can help the team in any way they're going to definitely bring me up or do something," answered Overbay when asked about Arizona's plethora of talent at first base, "but that's one thing that I really can't control."

When asked about a potential trade to another organization, Overbay replied, "It's kind of crazy because you could have a chance to make another team, but the Diamondbacks have been excellent to me and I'd love to stay here."

If any one skill is going to get Overbay to the major leagues, it will be his hitting. He posted phenomenal numbers during his rapid ascent through the minor leagues, with a combined .346 batting average in the three seasons since he left the University of Nevada. He's been a model of consistency, hitting .343 at Missoula in the short-season Pioneer League, .332 at class A South Bend and .352 over a season and a half at AA El Paso.

Like Mark Grace, Overbay is known to be more of a line-drive hitter who generally sprays the ball to all fields. He hit 12, 14 and 13 homeruns in his three minor league seasons. He's off to a hot start with Tucson this year, smacking four long balls in the early weeks of the season while batting .329.
Lyle Overbay Overbay attributes this year's power surge in part to a change in ballpark. "El Paso is a hitter's park, but it's not a homerun hitter's park because it has a double fence," he said about his AA home field. "I've counted numerous balls I've hit off the double fence that, at any other place, it's a homerun."

Arizona Diamondbacks' major league hitting coach Dwayne Murphy also deserves credit for this year's improvement, making suggestions to the young hitter after observing video of Overbay during spring training. "He watched the tape and (noticed that) my hips were kind of going to leftfield," commented Overbay. "I've been really working on that, and it's helped me as far as hitting the ball consistently farther. That's the big change. I'm hitting the ball a lot harder."

In addition to the help he received from Murphy, Overbay is very pleased with the way he's been handled by the Diamondbacks' organization. "They've put me in a situation where I'm going to succeed," he said. "They never really pressure me into anything. I'm very thankful that they haven't rushed me. They know when I'll be ready; that's the biggest thing."

Overbay is especially complimentary of his current manager in Tucson, former major league infielder Al Pedrique. The two were also together last year in El Paso. "He knows what I need to work on," Overbay remarked about the Tucson skipper. "Hitting me ground balls ... hitting to where my weaknesses are to make me stronger ... we just get out there and do it."

After getting a taste of major league life late last season, batting twice for Arizona during the team's world championship run, Overbay is eager to begin his big league career. With his bat control and plate discipline, he's someone who can be an impact hitter at the big league level.

Again, Overbay wants to be recognized not just for his offensive skills, but as an all-around player.

"I don't want to be a player who just hits," remarked Overbay, "I want to be able to help the team."

--- Bill Mitchell