Doumit confident he can still get job done
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Ryan Doumit suits up during the first day of practice for the 2011 baseball season. -
Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said on his first day of spring training in Bradenton, Fla.
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BRADENTON, Fla. -- Veteran Ryan Doumit isn't happy about this role -- or lack of role -- but it didn't stop him Monday from working as hard as anyone when the Pirates officially opened spring training workouts under new manager Clint Hurdle.
There will be no distractions.
Doumit, the Pirates opening day catcher in each of the past three years, will open the season either as a backup, jack-of-all-trades utility man or on someone else's roster if general manager Neal Huntington finds a suitable trading partner.
"I can be an everyday player. That's my approach. No matter where they put me, though, I'll be the best I can be," Doumit said Monday. "It's not something I'm going to dwell on. I'm already tired of talking about this. I'll show up and let my play do the talking."
PG VIDEO: 2011 PIRATES SPRING TRAINING REPORT: PITCHERS AND CATCHERSDoumit lost his catching job in the second half of last season when the Pirates traded for Chris Snyder, who is better defensively. And it's Snyder who will start this season the same way with Doumit as his backup.
Although Doumit also started 17 games last season in right field and another three at first base, those roles also dried up this winter when the Pirates signed free agents Lyle Overbay to play first base and Matt Diaz to platoon in right field with Garrett Jones.
He has opened spring training as a former starter -- the third highest-paid Pirates player ($5.1 million) -- now living in no-man's land.
Although Huntington declined to talk about specific trade possibilities, the likelihood of moving Doumit is good.
"We're not dying to move him. He has value to us. It has to make sense to us, and we haven't found that," Huntington said shortly after the Pirates started their workout.
"Other clubs are kicking tires around, and teams are hoping we give him away. But that's not going to happen."
Doumit, 29, was once one of the National League's best-hitting catchers. In 2008, he hit .318 with 15 home runs in his 103 starts, the most home runs for a Pirates catcher in 13 years. He led the National League (.407) with runners in scoring position.
Yet he slumped the past two seasons -- hitting just .250 and .251 -- and durability continued to be a problem, another reason Snyder was acquired.
"Talent plays. They'll go with who performs, and I understand that," Doumit said.
"I haven't played up to par the last couple years, but I feel confident that when I play my best, I can get the job done."
First Published February 15, 2011 12:00 am
