Etkin: After extended absence, Stewart coming around nicely at plate
June 6, 2005

The struggles of Class A Modesto third baseman Ian Stewart have been somewhat predictable and are bound to help him in the long run.

In his first spring training exhibition game, he strained his left hamstring, an injury that put him in a rehabilitation mode for the balance of camp and caused him to spend April in extended spring training.

It was May 1 before Stewart, 20, the first pick of the Colorado Rockies in 2003 and the 10th player drafted overall, played his first game for the Nuts. He is hitting .237 with four home runs and 19 RBI and 42 strikeouts in 131 at-bats. He moved up a level this year and found himself competing against players who had settled in because, unlike Stewart, they had not missed half a month of spring training and April games.

"I don't want to make excuses," said Stewart, who hit .319-30-101 at Class A Asheville last year. "I didn't play very good that first month. I probably tried to play catch-up a little bit, too, because everybody had a month on me. I felt a lot better the last week or two."

On May 25, he was hitting .211. In his past nine games, he has gone 11-for-36 with two doubles, three triples, one homer and seven RBI.

Modesto manager Stu Cole said the swing of the left-handed-hitting Stewart was long, but he has worked hard on shortening his stroke and trying to hit balls up the middle and to the opposite field.

Stewart said until recently, he was "real antsy to hit every pitch," to the point where "I was out on my front foot even on pitches I was taking."

Thursday, he went 2-for-4 with a triple, home run and two RBI. Cole said every at-bat was a quality at-bat, including a strikeout, because Stewart wasn't enticed by some tough pitches out of the strike zone.

"It looked like every at-bat, he was up there with a plan, and trying to be short and quick to the ball," Cole said.

Going 3-for-5 Friday with a double, triple and one RBI gave Stewart consecutive multiple-hit games for the first time this season. A double Saturday enabled Stewart to equal his season-high four-game hitting streak.


Good to hear he has turned it around. If he keeps improving someday we will have to find room for him on the major league team, since I think Garrett Atkins is a solid 3B prospect too and he is already up here.