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Despite success, Lewis knows he can't take his job for granted
By Sheldon Ocker
Beacon Journal sportswriter
Published on Monday, Feb 18, 2008
WINTER HAVEN, FLA.: When does a player know he's arrived? When everyone around him takes for granted that he's a lock to make the team.
That is the position in which Jensen Lewis finds himself, but nobody has told him. Moreover, after his 2007 whirlwind tour of minor- and major-league venues from Akron and Buffalo to Cleveland, New York and Boston, Lewis doesn't want to hear that he already owns one of the Indians' seven bullpen berths.
Lewis came to camp with the mind-set of a hungry newcomer trying to make the club.
''This is my first big-league camp,'' he said Sunday. ''I'm approaching it like a rookie. I haven't really proved anything, so I have to win a spot.''
Not true. At worst, Lewis' job is his to lose.
General Manager Mark Shapiro and manager Eric Wedge have not handed out a uniform with Lewis' name stitched to the back, but both are counting on him to be part of the relief corps when the season starts.
On the other hand, Wedge isn't about to spill the beans to Lewis.
''They still have to earn it,'' Wedge said, referring to Rafael Perez and Lewis.
''In my meeting with them, they said that last year is last year,'' Lewis said. ''They told me I did some things good. If things go well, hopefully I'll have a spot on the team. Everybody starts the same every year. I have to go in like nothing happened (in 2007) and prove myself again.''
That kind of fiction helps players maintain their focus. And it's never a good thing for a player to take his status for granted. But it's hardly the truth.
C.C. Sabathia and Rafael Betancourt did not come to camp thinking they have to impress their bosses to remain on the team.
Of course, Lewis doesn't quite have the track record of his more veteran lodge brothers. He made his big-league debut July 16 of last year, pitching 11/3 hitless innings against the Chicago White Sox. By the time the season ended on Oct. 21, one win short of qualifying for the World Series, Lewis had gone from just another guy who might make it as a middle reliever to an important back-end bullpen cog.
How much did Wedge trust Lewis by the time the Tribe played the Boston Red Sox in the American League Championship Series? Lewis pitched in five of the seven games, though he didn't have unbridled success, giving up four runs in 52/3 innings. In two outings in the Division Series, Lewis worked two hitless innings against the New York Yankees.
During the regular season, Lewis compiled a 1-1 record with a 2.15 ERA in 26 outings. In his last 13 appearances, he gave up only one run in 152/3 innings.
In less than four months, Lewis experienced a pennant race and postseason pressure, in addition to having fought for and won a place on the roster. Was it beneficial or detrimental for Lewis to squeeze what for most players is a career's worth of experiences into a few months? He seems none the worse for the wear.
''It was kind of a trial by fire,'' he said. ''I didn't really have time to think. Plus I've been in those situations in the minors. It's different when you get to the big leagues, but that still gives you a base.''
Lewis didn't seem to feel much pressure, either.
''I think that was big for my development,'' he said. ''We had a team last year where everyone seemed to thrive when the game was on the line. Everybody wanted to be the guy. When you have players like that, you really begin to understand the team concept. You think you're going to win every game.''
The grand size of the postseason stage didn't really hit Lewis until he went home to Nashville.
''I didn't realize how many people watch the postseason,'' he said. ''People would come up to me and ask how it felt to be in different situations. That's when it started to sink in.''
After thinking about all that had happened to him during the year, Lewis concluded that he wouldn't have changed a thing, other than the outcome of Game 7 of the ALCS.
''Everything for me personally was icing on the cake,'' he said. ''I made it to the big leagues a lot faster than I expected, and I pitched in the playoffs as a rookie. That isn't something that happens often.''
Lewis isn't expecting major-league hitters to have the same approach against him, now that he has become something of a known quantity.
''Obviously, by this year everybody has seen film,'' he said. ''I won't be a surprise to anyone. What I need to do is trust in my preparation and in my catchers, Victor (Martinez) and Kelly (Shoppach).''
But at this point, Lewis doesn't anticipate making changes.
''If it ain't broke,'' he said, ''don't fix it.''
And if repairs are needed? That will be the next step in Lewis' education.
Sheldon Ocker can be reached at socker@thebeaconjournal.com.
WINTER HAVEN, FLA.: When does a player know he's arrived? When everyone around him takes for granted that he's a lock to make the team.
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