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Guzman's goal: Get fans to forget first two years

March 29, 2007 12:36 am

BY TODD JACOBSON

VIERA, Fla.--The difference for Washington Nationals shortstop Cristian Guzman this spring could very well be his now-healthy right shoulder. It could be his vision, which improved dramatically when he had laser eye surgery a year ago.

Or it could be something as simple as a new attitude.

"I think he's on a mission," Nationals hitting coach Mitchell Page said. "I think he wants to go out and earn his money."

Spring training ended yesterday for the Nationals with a 2-2 tie against the Baltimore Orioles, and the team left Space Coast Stadium for a trio of exhibitions in advance of Monday's season-opener against the Florida Marlins. The Nationals arrived here in February with plenty of questions, chief among them a wide-open competition for the starting rotation, but Guzman's performance was one of the most encouraging signs this spring.

After signing a four-year, $16.8 million contract before the Nationals' first season in Washington, Guzman hit .219 in 2005 and missed all of last year thanks to surgery that repaired a labrum tear in his right shoulder.

But the 29-year-old switch-hitter departs Viera with a gaudy .425 batting average and renewed confidence in his health and ability to perform.

"I'm ready," said Guzman, who also has a home run and nine RBIs this spring. "I have to do it this year. I know everybody is talking. I have to do something."

The mention of no other name evokes as much angst among Nationals fans as does Guzman's. His final statistics in 2005 (.219, with a .260 on-base percentage, four homers and 31 RBIs) don't quite tell the entire tale of his problems.

As the Nationals chased an unlikely playoff berth, he spent much of the year hitting below .200 and struggled in the field, making 15 errors.

They were problems he now attributes to his aching shoulder and fading vision. With both corrected--he said his vision is 20-20 and his shoulder is 100 percent--he's returned to the form that made him an all-star in 2001 with the Minnesota Twins.

Though spring numbers don't always translate to regular season success, no one needed the boost more.

"This is huge for him," said former shortstop Barry Larkin, a special assistant to Nationals general manager Jim Bowden. "It's all about confidence.

"You struggle for a year, are out for a whole year, and you come to spring training and struggle again? Wait a minute. This was very important."

At least publicly, Nationals officials never lost confidence in Guzman despite his struggles. The Nationals traded veteran second baseman Jose Vidro this winter, allowing Felipe Lopez to move from shortstop to second base.

Manager Manny Acta made Guzman his No. 2 hitter and didn't waver when infielder Ronnie Belliard was signed in February.

"It's very encouraging for him, for us as a team, for the fans, for everybody, because we didn't see the Cristian Guzman in 2005," Acta said. "He's not the guy that everybody saw in 2005. We should know that. He's not going to be that guy again here."

Guzman also made slight adjustments to his batting stance, widening his feet to stay back on pitches, changes that have allowed him to drive the ball to all fields from both sides of the plate.

They were changes Guzman made on his own, Page said.

"This is the best I've ever seen him," Page said. "He's 100 percent healthy right now. That's an all-star shortstop right there the way he's been playing this spring. It's no fluke."

Guzman also changed the way he prepares for games. He relied heavily on video analysis to analyze his swing, but began working harder in the batting cage this season.

The results have come, and they've stuck around. Guzman started off swinging a mean bat during spring training in 2005 and his average reached .448 before his season started to derail with an 0-for-23 slump.

"I know I feel more comfortable this year," he said.

And it's a feeling he hasn't felt in years, maybe since he was an all-star in Minnesota. But Guzman can't be that specific.

The last time he felt this good?

"A long time ago," he said with a laugh.