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Kendrick has great admiration for Jeter
Yankee always finds encouraging word for Angels infielder
By Lyle Spencer / MLB.com
09/10/09 9:38 PM ET
ANAHEIM -- It's not as if Howard Kendrick has any shortage of wise veteran leadership in his midst. Torii Hunter is his next-locker neighbor in the Angels' home clubhouse.But an athlete in a high-pressure environment never can get enough positive reinforcement and professional care, which brings us to Kendrick and Derek Jeter.
Kendrick's eyes come alive with the mention of Jeter, whose next base hit will make him the Yankees' all-time hit king, moving an immortal, Lou Gehrig, into second place.
"When you look at his body of work, what he's done in the regular season and the postseason and the impact he's had on the game, it's pretty awesome," Kendrick said.
"Derek Jeter to me is a symbol of everything that's right about the game. He's a great role model for other players as well as fans with the way he conducts himself."
Jeter has gone out of his way to bring Kendrick into his world on the field, something that means a great deal to the Angels' young second baseman.
"I try to catch everything he says, because he's such a special player and person," Kendrick said. "Derek Jeter is down to earth. He talks to everybody, treats everybody well. On the field, he gets it done with a lot of heart. He's a symbol of what every young player wants to be.
"He's a leader. He always seems to find a way to get it done. He's one of those guys, like a Kobe Bryant or a Michael Jordan, that you can just sense loves the pressure, the challenge. People were saying that he was starting to slow down, and look at the year he's had, hitting .330 leading off, 17 jacks, great defense. He's doing it."
Jeter approached Kendrick during his 2006 rookie year for the first time, making sure to deliver a message along with a compliment.
"I was on second base," Kendrick recalled, "and he came over and said, 'If you played us 162 games, you'd hit over .500.' I've had some success against the Yankees; that's a team I've enjoyed playing against.
"Anyway, he asked me how I was doing. Then he said, 'No matter what happens, stay positive.' Then he said it again. From that day on, he'd come over and talk to me like I was a veteran, a peer."
Jeter might have seen his reflection in Kendrick, who exudes a positive attitude. Certainly there are similarities in their swings. Both stay back on the ball and frequent right field, their inside-out swings taking inside pitches as well as outside deliveries the other way.
"There was another time we were facing Mike Mussina in New York," Kendrick said. "I stayed on a cutter and hit it to right field. He came over and said, 'Nice swing. Not a lot of hitters would have stayed on it that long.' Something like that means a lot to a young guy."
It has been a season of ups and downs for Kendrick, whose early struggles offensively resulted in a return to Triple-A Salt Lake to work out some things in his stroke.
Returning to Anaheim on July 4, his average has been .361 in 133 at-bats while playing primarily against lefties in a platoon with Maicer Izturis.
That's more in line with what has been projected of Kendrick -- a .306 hitter coming into the season -- than the .231 average that sent him to the Pacific Coast League for some fine-tuning.
"I've had a lot of players come up to me from other teams since I've been back, telling me they're happy to see me," said Kendrick, who took a .285 average into Thursday night's series finale against Mariners lefty Ryan Rowland-Smith. "I really appreciate that.
Jeter's double-play partner at second base, for one, came up to Kendrick. "Robinson Cano said, 'I went through the same thing last year. Stick with it, you'll be OK.' Marlon Byrd, Adam Jones ... a lot of guys have come up and encouraged me. It's like a brotherhood up here."
Lyle Spencer is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
