Austin Kearns faced the Atlanta Braves on May 26th at Turner Field. He hit a ninth inning home run off John Smoltz.
photo by Tim Evearitt (file photo)
When Austin Kearns steps to the plate tonight against Los Angeles Dodgers starter Kazuhisa Ishii, the Reds outfielder will be facing his primary competition for National League Rookie of the Year honors.
But the 22-year-old Kearns claims that's all news to him.
“I don't pay any attention to that,” he said. “My focus is on winning and losing. You can't worry about individual things when you're in the middle of a pennant race.”
If the season were to end today, Ishii would likely win the award. He's 12-6 with a 3.36 ERA entering tonight's start. Kearns is hitting .286 with eight home runs and 40 RBI. The only position player with numbers in Kearns' class is Montreal Expos left fielder Brad Wilkerson, who's hitting .270 with 12 home runs and 34 RBI. St.Louis Cardinals pitcher Jason Simontacchi (7-2, 3.33 ERA) is another candidate.
Kearns comes into the Reds' three-game homestand riding a six-game hitting streak. He's hitting .360 with four doubles and six RBI during the streak. Over his last 14 games, he's hitting .358.
With a strong finish, Kearns could surpass Ishii, who faded a bit after a 10-1 start.
If Kearns were to win the Rookie of the Year Award, he'd be the first Reds position player to win since third baseman Chris Sabo in 1988. Right-handed reliever Scott Williamson won the honor in 1998.
Kearns has helped keep the Reds in the National League Central race when Ken Griffey Jr. was injured.
“He helped sustain us when Junior was out,” Boone said. “Then he allowed us to make the trade.”
When it became clear that Kearns was ready to be the every-day right fielder, the Reds traded Juan Encarnacion to the Florida Marlins for Ryan Dempster, a pitcher they think, despite his rough start, will be part of the rotation for years.
They also expect Kearns to be in right field for the next decade or so.
Kearns, of course, was the No. 1 draft pick in 1998. Reds slugger Adam Dunn was the No. 2 pick. They'll be forever linked.
Dunn moved ahead of Kearns last year, when Kearns was limited to 59 games because of a torn ligament in his right thumb thumb. The previous three years in the organization, Kearns was always considered the better prospect.
Kearns shared Midwest League Prospect of the Year honors with 2001 NL Rookie of the Year Albert Pujols in 2000. Kearns hit .306 with 27 homers and 104 RBI that year at Dayton. By comparison, Dunn hit .281 with 16 homers and 79 RBI that year at Dayton.
Last year and the start of this year were the toughest of Kearns' baseball life because of the torn thumb ligament. His resurgence in the Arizona Fall League -- he hit .371 -- earned him a shot at the right-field spot in spring training. A slow start had Kearns back in the minor-league camp almost before the exhibition games began.
When the Reds sent Kearns to Double-A instead of Triple-A, he went AWOL from camp for two days. He started slow at Chattanooga, but as soon as he got hot, the Reds called him up. At the time, it was for the proverbial cup of coffee.
That was four months ago. He's been with the big league club every day but one since.
Kearns has had his ups and downs. He started out very well, hitting .455 after 10 games in the big leagues.
But he hit his rough patch. Kearns was even sent back to the minors after a 2-for-26 skid , but that turned out to be for only one game.
But lately, Kearns has been the hitter the Reds expect him to be.
_________
Adapted from article at www.enquirer.com
Austin Kearns watching the action on the field from the dugout.
photo by Tim Evearitt (file photo)