When the Phillies traded third baseman Scott Rolen to the St. Louis Cardinals last summer, one thought in my mind was that the player who replaced him at the hot corner would have big shoes to fill. After all, the third baseman did average around 25 home runs and 100 runs batted in during his five-plus years in Philadelphia.
"Not at all," said Placido Polanco when asked if he thought about having to fill Rolen's shoes when he was traded to the Phillies. "I didn't pay any attention to who I was replacing. I was playing third base in St. Louis, and I was just going to another team to play third base."
The fact that he didn't give any thought to Rolen's legacy tells a lot about Polanco, who arrived on July 29 to finish the season with Philadelphia. During the course of the final two months of the 2002 campaign, the Dominican Republic native demonstrated a few things that were sorely needed on this team — things that caught the attention of Phillies manager Larry Bowa.
"He knows how to play this game," Bowa said. "He does the little things that go unnoticed if you're just watching the game. He's not going to put up twenty homers, but he's going to move runners, and he's going to get (clutch) hits.
"And he's a good fielder. I can play him at third, second or shortstop, (and) he's going to make the plays."
When the Chase Utley experiment at Scranton/Wilkes-Barre didn't work, the Phillies knew that they needed a good-fielding power threat at third base. A natural second baseman, Utley played third for the Red Barons in 2002 with the idea that he would eventually replace Rolen. His defense was questionable, so the Phils signed David Bell for the hot corner, and the team's top prospect moved back to second. Meanwhile, Polanco moved from third to second base this year to make way for Bell.
Utley might have to wait a while before he gets a chance to play regularly in Philadelphia. Polanco is impressing his manager and teammates with his professionalism. Although he also can play on the left side of the infield, those in the know say that his best position is second base.
And whether he was playing third last season or second this year, Polanco always seemed to know where to make the best play when the ball was hit to him.
"I've been lucky to have had good coaches and managers to teach me how to play the game," said the second baseman. "I've also had good teammates who play well, and you learn from your teammates. That's what this game is about — learning and winning. I've been around good people."
His humility is matched by his ability. Even when there is a broken play in the field, Polanco always has a good chance to get somebody out somewhere. I haven't seen a player with such an uncanny ability to always know where to go. There has to be some natural instincts involved here.
"There are," Bowa agreed. "I'm sure his coaches have helped, but he's got great instincts. I noticed that when we were playing against him."
Polanco's method is to anticipate plays ahead of time.
"You have to do that," he said. "It's the same when you're hitting. Sometimes when you get to the batter's box, it's too late to be thinking. You should be thinking when you're in the on-deck circle. When you are playing defense, you have to think, 'If the ball comes to me, I'm going there.' You have to anticipate the play all of the time. It really helps."
"He does his homework," Bowa insisted. "He's very prepared when he goes out there. He's a consummate pro. The guy knows exactly what he has to do. He's a very good team player (because) he plays the game very unselfishly."
It was that unselfishness that caught my attention last season. I couldn't help but notice how Polanco was always willing to give himself up when the situation called for it — like laying down a sacrifice bunt or grounding the ball to the right side of the infield to move a runner.
As for his numbers, Polanco came into the season with a lifetime batting average of .296. Through Sunday's game, he was at .292, and he had reached base in 21 of the 23 games that he'd appeared in.
When asked for his goals for 2003, his reply was simple.
"Win."
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