ST. LOUIS -- When Reggie Sanders talks about the process behind his recent hitting success, he's not referring to the surgical procedure he had done four weeks ago.
Or is he?

Ever since Sanders returned from an appendectomy he underwent in mid-March, he's been blistering the baseball. He went deep in his second spring plate appearance after missing a week and a half, and he hasn't stopped since. In 21 regular-season at-bats, Sanders has already launched four home runs, driven in eight runs and scored six times. He's been the most effective hitter on a Cardinals team that has been a bit slow to find its expected offensive form.

Sanders, however, is uncomfortable talking about results. He'd rather discuss how he gets those results. It's all about being in position to hit, and everything else follows from that. Like his teammate Scott Rolen, Sanders' approach in Spring Training leans toward seeing plenty of pitches rather than worrying about what happens after he swings the bat.

"I'm really just trying to stay back and just pick up the ball early enough to where I can recognize what the pitch is," he said.

And it seems to be paying off. What makes Sanders' hot start so impressive, though, is that he missed so much time late in the spring. He missed 10 days of potentially valuable work time -- time that he would otherwise have been using to hone his eyes and his swing.

Sanders started the season batting seventh, behind the bashing core of the St. Louis order as well as new second baseman Mark Grudzielanek. That was partly because Grudzielanek's line-drive singles and doubles fit well behind the power of Albert Pujols, Scott Rolen and Jim Edmonds, and partly because of the time Sanders had missed. But it only took five games for Sanders to be bumped back up to sixth, and Grudzielanek down to the seventh spot.

It helps that Sanders shows up at the start of spring in impeccable physical condition. That made it easier for him to bounce back after sitting on the sidelines for a while.

"He did it, but if you look at his body, he keeps himself in great shape," said new teammate David Eckstein. "You saw the workouts he was doing. He takes great care of himself."

Eckstein hadn't seen much of Sanders before this season, with the exception of the 2002 World Series when the shortstop was playing for Anaheim and Sanders was a San Francisco Giant. Sanders hit a pair of homers in that series, but his .238 average isn't eye-popping. So it's not the power that's impressed Eckstein so much as the other things Sanders does.

"The way he goes up there and the way he takes his approach [is impressive]," said Eckstein. "You would think he might be a big pull guy, but he hits the ball to all fields and he hits it hard."

That was exemplified in Sanders' most recent homer, a rocket shot to right field against the Reds on Wednesday. His three-run blast turned a five-run Reds lead into a close game. Of his five extra-base hits this year, three have been to center or right field. That's practically the definition of a tiny sample size, but it's nonetheless an agreeable sign.

"My objective was basically to see a lot of pitches and make sure I'm in position to recognize what the pitch is," he said. "I think with that approach I took from Spring Training into the season, it's helped me. [The key is] not being afraid of whatever the results are -- knowing that I have a game plan, and sticking with the game plan."

And he swears that game plan never included an operation on his abdomen.