New approach to leadoff hitting?

According to an article in the KC Star, the Royals (and more specifically - David DeJesus) are placing an emphasis on getting on base. Wow. Really? That's important to a leadoff batter? I had no idea.......

Below is a sample of the article - for the full write-up, click HERE.

Royals’ DeJesus trying new approach to leadoff duty
By BOB DUTTON
The Kansas City Star

S URPRISE, Ariz. One of the many lessons under way here at Camp DoItRight is a remedial course in batting leadoff. Instructor Quilvio Veras has one pupil.

David DeJesus.

For years, DeJesus saw little significance to batting first in the lineup. Sure, it meant a few more at-bats over a season. But, really, he took the same approach as he would on those less-frequent occasions when he batted elsewhere in the lineup.

“I was just trying to have good at-bats,” he said. “That’s all I was thinking about: Have a good at-bat.”

This is the American League, after all. Land of the designated hitter. Pitchers just pitch. The leadoff hitter simply has the first seat on the lineup merry-go-round, right?

No.

Listen to Veras, and it’s a more emphatic NO!

“Everything has got to be different for a leadoff hitter,” argues Veras, a roving coach for the Royals who spent most of his seven big-league seasons in the role. “For me, the leadoff hitter is the key to the game. If he’s not getting on, then we’re not scoring runs.

“If he gets on base, the big guys drive him in. You score runs, you win games.”

And we're just now teaching this?? After reading that article, I'd just like to give special thanks to Allard Baird and Buddy Bell for apparently doing all they could to stunt the development of the players in our organization. Thankfully, the new regime seems to know what they're doing.

In all seriousness, I don't think it's going to take much of an adjustment for DDJ to improve on this aspect of his game. His career OBP is .358, and if he can get back up towards his mark of .364 (in the 2006 season), he's moving in the right direction. Ideally, I'd like to see him at .370 or better over 500 plus at bats. I don't think it's too much of a stretch for a guy who already shows a lot of patience at the plate.


On a side note - we have KC (Greinke) vs. ARI (Haren) on the schedule today - will post with some Zack Greinke news tomorrow. Just heard on the radio that they may let him go five innings if he's doing well with his pitch count.