[新聞] Cabrera blossomed as Matsui's replacement

[pennymarcus (De-troit Basketball)]

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/columns/story?columnist=klapisch_bob&id=2584143

Cabrera blossomed as Matsui's replacement

By Bob Klapisch
Special to ESPN.com

NEW YORK -- Yankees general manager Brian Cashman repeated the
question, slightly shocked, just to make sure his ears weren't
lying to him.
現金人重覆了那個問題，有點被嚇到，只是要確定他的耳朵沒騙他。

"Do we need [Hideki] Matsui back?"
我們需要松井回來嗎？

It was only a curiosity, not an indictment. But on the eve of the
Japanese slugger's return after a four-month absence on the disabled
list, it's fair to point out that the Yankees have hardly suffered.
They smothered the Red Sox, and rookie Melky Cabrera batted .286
and displayed a powerful throwing arm, so Cashman never bothered
to acquire another left fielder.
這只是好奇，而非起訴。松井缺席了四個月，但洋基似乎不需要他了。他們讓紅襪窒息，
而Cabrera也有.286的打擊率，傳球力道也夠，所以現金人從不覺得他們需要另一位左外
野手。

That was an unmistakable vote of confidence from the front office;
there was no such patience for Bernie Williams when he was baby-sitting
Gary Sheffield's spot in right field. The Bombers instead decided they
needed Bobby Abreu, who promptly became the catalyst for a post-All-Star
break run for the division title.
洋基球團對Bernie代守Sheffield的位置沒什麼耐心，所以他們找來了Bobby Abreu。

Problem is, Abreu is now a fixture, and no one has quite figured out
what happens to Sheffield if/when his injured left wrist heals. And
until Jason Giambi was forced out of the lineup recently with his own
wrist problems, manager Joe Torre hadn't decided how to transition
Matsui back into the lineup, either.
不太清楚Sheffield的傷勢，最近Giambi又受傷，Torre還沒決定松井回來的先發陣容。

But Giambi's absence means Matsui becomes the designated hitter, perhaps
as early as Tuesday night, when the Yankees begin a three-game series
with the Devil Rays. And that will allow Cabrera's breakthrough summer
to last a little longer. But the Yankees are unwavering in their belief
that Matsui is still the indispensable part here. He's a mediocre defender,
but the Bombers need his home run power in October, not to mention his
poise. Cabrera will eventually recede into the fourth outfielder's role,
although the Yankees admit they're stunned at how quickly he has developed.
Giambi的缺席代表松井會變成DH，也讓Cabrera可以再打久一些。松井對洋基來說是
非常重要的，雖然他的防守不怎樣，但十月時洋基會需要他的全壘打威力。Cabrera
最後還是會退回第四號的外野手角色，雖然洋基承認他們對於他成長如此迅速感到
吃驚。

With seven home runs and 45 RBI in 402 at-bats, Cabrera projects to a
.300-something, 20-HR threat in the next two to three years, according
to Yankee elders. He is not mercurial, but he is uncharacteristically
steady for a rookie. Cabrera's average rose 15 points in July and another
10 in August, and now he's a short hot streak away from .300. There's
front-office talk, obviously theoretical, that Cabrera could inherit
right field after Abreu's tenure with the Yankees (presumably) ends
after 2007.
洋基有人認為他過幾年會有20發以上全壘打的威力。他穩定地不太像個菜鳥。球團有人
認為當Abreu在2007結束和洋基的合約時，Cabrera會繼承右外野的角色。

Realistic or not, Cabrera has at least broken the Yankees of their All-Star
-at-every-position addiction, and has smoothed the path for up-and-coming
stars like right-hander Philip Hughes and closer J.B. Cox, both at Double-A
Trenton.

The 22-year-old Dominican is living proof that pressure doesn't always devour
the young. Torre says, "A good barometer for me was the Boston series [last
month, during which Cabrera was 5-for-19, including 3-for-3 with 2 RBI on
Aug. 18]. I noticed not one change in his personality. He plays as we used
to do it as kids, go to the park and play baseball. Him and Robby [Cano]
are so similar [that way].
這位22歲的多明尼加人證明了壓力不一定會出現在年輕人身上。Torre說：對我來說，
最關鍵的就是波士頓系列的比賽。（Cabrera19支5，包括八月18日3支3，2分打點的表
現）我注意到他的個性沒什麼改變。就是像孩子一樣地走到公園，打棒球。他和Cano
有點像。

"For a franchise that used to trade these guys for established players, it's
pretty refreshing," Torre said.

Cabrera, who speaks no English, has the faintest social footprint in the
clubhouse; he's even more invisible than Chien-Ming Wang. But Cabrera does
say he's "thankful" that Torre trusted him long enough for the experiment
to succeed. "I was nervous at first, but I feel better now," Cabrera said
(this reporter speaks some Spanish).
Cabrera不會說英語，他在休息室裡甚至比王建民更不顯眼。但Cabrera對Toree給予他
足夠的信任去體驗到成功，表示了他的"感謝"：我剛開始有點緊張，但現在我感覺好
多了。（這位記者說了些西班牙語）。

Indeed, it wasn't an easy ascension. Cabrera flamed out after a call-up in
2005 after just six games and 19 at-bats. He was too raw, too scared, his
reads on fly balls were too flawed. Cabrera's career in pinstripes appeared
to be in further trouble in early 2006, when he dropped the very first ball
hit to him. It was May 9, and the Yankees were hosting the Red Sox, resuming
the Thousand Year War between the two rivals. The Stadium was loud and
electric, enough to intimidate a neophyte. For three innings, Cabrera was
safe; not a single ball was hit in his direction. But in the fourth inning,
Manny Ramirez curled a fly ball toward the right-field foul line, and
Cabrera, distracted by the long run, the crowd and -- yes, his own nerves
-- let it drop out of his glove.
其實，這不是個容易的像一步登天。他太沒有經驗，太害怕了，他對於飛球的判斷也
不好。2006年剛開始他也遇到了麻煩。直到五月九日洋基在主場迎戰紅襪。球場吵到
足以嚇壞一位生手。前三局Cabrera都很安全，沒有球飛往他的方向。但第四局Ramirez
的飛球飛往右外野，被球迷干擾的Cabrera自己也太緊張讓球掉出了他的手套。

Here we go again, is what the Yankees might've been thinking. Three days
later, Matsui fractured his wrist diving for Mark Loretta's sinking line
drive. Suddenly, Cabrera's schooling was put into hurry-up mode. Bench
coach Lee Mazzilli worked countless hours with Cabrera, helping him improve
his first-step instincts. But, ultimately, it was Cano's friendship that
restored Cabrera's self-confidence.
三天後松井受傷，而Cabrera的學習必須加快了。板凳教練Lee Mazzilli花了無數的小時
教Cabrera，幫助他改善他的第一步直覺。但最後是Cano的友情重建了Cabrera的自信。

"The day he made the error, I told Melky, 'Keep your head up, it's just one
mistake,'" Cano said. "This is [a] tough city to play in; we have the best
fans in the world, but they're tough. You get 50,000 people in the stands,
especially when you play Boston. You have to be really good to not be
nervous. I could tell Melky was nervous. I know he didn't want another ball
hit to him that day. I used to be the same way. But he got over it."
Cano說：他失誤的那天我告訴他：「把頭抬高，那只是一個錯誤。這是個嚴格的城市，
我們有全世界最棒的球迷，但他們很嚴格。特別是當你和紅襪對戰時，會有五萬名觀
眾。你必須要好好打，不要緊張。」我知道他很緊張。我知道他不想要另一球也像那
天一樣朝著他飛來。我以前也是這樣。但他撐過去了。

The irony is that Cabrera not only settled down but also outperformed New
York's other young star outfielder, Lastings Milledge. The Mets' Triple-A
prospect was considered a can't-miss by GM Omar Minaya and was rated as a
better athlete than Cabrera by minor league scouts. But Milledge never truly
flourished at Shea. He was ultimately replaced by Endy Chavez and, later,
Shawn Green, while Cabrera's stock continues to rise in the Bronx. One
baseball person familiar with the skills of both players said simply,
"Cabrera works harder."
諷刺的是，Cabrera不只準備好了，他比其他紐約的年輕外野手表現得還要好。大都
會三A的Lastings Milledge被GM Omar Minaya認為是個不可錯過的好手，在小聯盟球
探的評價中也比Cabrera還好。但Milledge最後被Endy Chavez和Shawn Green取代，
而Cabrera則行情看漲。一位熟悉技巧和兩位球員的棒球人表示：Cabrera更努力練習。

Indeed, Cashman said, "When you look at Melky today, you're looking at a
player who has improved significantly from a year ago."
而現金人也說：你今天看著Melky，你看到的是比一年前進步良多的球員。

So how does Cabrera reconcile himself to smaller horizons in 2007 after
making the Yankees forget about Matsui for the last four months? History
should've already taught Cabrera a lesson about patience.
那在洋基有四個月的時間忘了松井之後，Cabrera要怎麼調示在2007角色變小的自己
呢？歷史已經教Cabrera一堂叫做耐心的課。

As Cashman put it, "We couldn't keep three outfielders healthy at the same
time, so everything is subject to change. All we know is Melky is now a
major league outfielder. I don't think anyone would question that."
就像現金人說的：我們不會總是在同個時間擁有三名健康的外野手，所以每件事都是
會變的。我們所了解的是，Melky現在是個大聯盟的外野手。我不認為有人會對這點
感到懷疑。

--
※ 發信站: 批踢踢實業坊(ptt.cc) 
◆ From: 163.21.11.45
推 kimania:我們不會總是在同個時間擁有三名健康的外野手 囧囧囧囧囧
推 iambiaggi:有看有推!!
推 momorabbit:可以問一下Crosby現在究竟在哪兒嗎?3A?
推 HIPOP4EVER:對，3A
推 cydneya:有看有推~~
推 eon4:"he's even more invisible than Chien-Ming Wang" XD
推 l23:小王被拿來當Dororo的代表耶...＝ ＝
推 afj0928:我滿喜歡小卡布的
推 ccwu59:Crosby記得被DFA...然後就沒看到了...
推 richard1003:Crosby DFA沒人要,回洋基3A了
推 fjjkk:he's even more invisible than Chien-Ming Wang XD
推 kmmkmm:喜歡Cabrera+1
推 asdfzx:雖然沒有馬魚的小卡布變態 但我們這隻也很不錯了
推 kasparov:推!
推 jagdzaku:看到今天的四支四 ,這問題還要回答嗎
推 kyo06:最後那段怎麼有種哀怨的感覺....這是詛咒嗎XD
推 WWWilliam:卡布比柏尼還受重視嗎?
推 terryroc:伯尼在紐約球迷的心目中地位是很高的...
→ terryroc:就好像新庄在日本球迷心目中的地位一樣吧...
推 coolhunt:小卡布不會說英文?! 那他每次跟小王都用什麼話聊天 XD
推 youtea:卡布:呼~不用回去找媽媽啦^^
推 Nilthoron:小卡布很可愛，加油
推 Cadina:小王跟卡布講話不就是雞同鴉講嗎?  XD
推 redsaizu:用手語..哈