PBMarlin Posted March 8, 2004 Share Posted March 8, 2004 Out of nowhere: Damion Easley By Joe Frisaro / MLB.com Ticket information JUPITER, Fla. -- From premier second baseman to fallen star, Damion Easley is now on the comeback trail with the defending champions. The 34-year-old veteran is committed to going out on his own terms. The Marlins are giving Easley a shot as a non-roster invitee, and he has already become a frontrunner to make the team as a reserve. "I look at it as a new chapter in my career," Easley said. "It's new because I've never backed up before. For 10 straight years I was starting. It's an exciting challenge because I'm on a World Series championship team." A former All-Star with the Tigers, Easley was once touted with Roberto Alomar as the marquee second baseman in the American League. His best year was 1998 when he belted 27 homers and drove in 100 runs for the Tigers. He was selected to the All-Star Game the following season, and had a stretch of three successive years with 20 or more home runs. In April of 1999, Easley signed a $26.5 million contract extension, the second-highest deal by a second baseman at the time. But when Detroit moved out of hitter-friendly Tiger Stadium and into roomy Comerica Park, Easley's star-studded numbers began to dim. By 2002, his average dipped to .224 in 85 games with the Tigers, and last year he was ineffective with the Devil Rays, batting .187 in 36 games. What went wrong? "It's pretty simple," Easley said. "It's not a complicated deal. Once we got to the new ballpark in Detroit, I tried to do too much. In '97, '98 and '99 in the old ballpark, I did pretty well personally. We didn't do very well as a team. "I'm one to take the losses to heart. It started building up and I started putting more pressure on myself to do the job and I shouldered more than I was capable of. I tried too hard, and I was hurt by the park. It wasn't conducive to my game. If I drove the ball to the left-center field gap, that ballpark was huge, and those balls were being caught. In the past, they were dropping in for doubles and triples. They started becoming outs. I was trying to adjust to the ballpark and I got away from my game. I tried to do too much and I had inconsistency here." Marlins manager Jack McKeon is familiar with the saga of a player trying to do too much. "There's guys who get a big bonus and they want to go out and try to impress you right away," McKeon said. "They try to do what they can't do. Easley was a good little player. I didn't see him play when he put up those power numbers, but I don't know with his game if he needed that." Power numbers in hitter's parks can be misleading. Easley went from being a Silver Slugger Award winner in 1998, to a player who has 20 total homers since 2001. With the Marlins, Easley is competing to back up two-time All-Star Luis Castillo. He is excited about the prospect of being on the defending World Series champs, who again expect to be a playoff contender. The only time in his career he had a shot at the postseason was 1995 when he played in a one-game tiebreaker while with the Angels. That year, they lost to Seattle. "I'm looking to contribute and be part of a playoff-caliber team," Easley said. "We had the one-game playoff with Seattle and lost in 1995. That year was a lot of fun. We don't last forever in this game as players. At this point in time, I want to be in a place where I can do something, and contribute." Joe Frisaro is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs. Link Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PBMarlin Posted March 8, 2004 Author Share Posted March 8, 2004 Easley is having a great Spring. I am really rooting for him that he continues to do well and makes the team. :thumbup Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ramp Posted March 8, 2004 Share Posted March 8, 2004 yea, Ive always like Damian.... I hope he continues the success Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shaq-Man Posted March 8, 2004 Share Posted March 8, 2004 What went wrong? "It's pretty simple," Easley said. "It's not a complicated deal. Once we got to the new ballpark in Detroit, I tried to do too much. In '97, '98 and '99 in the old ballpark, I did pretty well personally. We didn't do very well as a team. "I'm one to take the losses to heart. It started building up and I started putting more pressure on myself to do the job and I shouldered more than I was capable of. I tried too hard, and I was hurt by the park. It wasn't conducive to my game. If I drove the ball to the left-center field gap, that ballpark was huge, and those balls were being caught. In the past, they were dropping in for doubles and triples. They started becoming outs. I was trying to adjust to the ballpark and I got away from my game. I tried to do too much and I had inconsistency here." good lo'd that's a lot of excuses. anyways, keep up the good work in ST and i'd love to see you on the team next month. :thumbup Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hot4beckett Posted March 8, 2004 Share Posted March 8, 2004 He did awesome yesturday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minus Posted March 8, 2004 Share Posted March 8, 2004 He can play anywhere in the infield? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FutureGM Posted March 8, 2004 Share Posted March 8, 2004 I think Easley will make a great bench addition, maybe we can replace Alex Gonzalez with him... :mischief2 :mischief2 :mischief2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ramp Posted March 8, 2004 Share Posted March 8, 2004 almost funny Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heckeroo Posted March 8, 2004 Share Posted March 8, 2004 i like easley i think he'll make the team Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catchoftheday Posted March 9, 2004 Share Posted March 9, 2004 I think Easley will make a great bench addition, maybe we can replace Alex Gonzalez with him... :mischief2 :mischief2 :mischief2 :no Easley is not good ... not good whatsoever ... he is just ok. you thought it was because he had the tiger syndrome, but he did the same thing with the devil rays. dont expect much, although id like him as a backup guy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PBMarlin Posted March 9, 2004 Author Share Posted March 9, 2004 Easley would be a good bench addition...provided he continues to work hard and does well in ST. We have Castillo locked up for several years....so really only need him to come off the bench. So the question is how can he do if he isn't an everyday player? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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