McAnulty is hungry for a job
By: DAN HAYES -- Staff Writer | ∞
PEORIA, Ariz. ---- Paul McAnulty's objective isn't just making the Padres' Opening Day roster, he wants a starting job too.
Following an up-and-down 2007 season and with no more minor league options, the outfielder's future with the Padres is in a make-or-break stage.
But instead of focusing on the organization's plans, or who it would bring in this offseason, McAnulty ignored the transaction wire and hot stove rumors and concentrated instead on his future.
Now with the team's first full-squad workout coming up Saturday, McAnulty is prepared. The 27-year-old, who made the Padres' 2007 Opening Day roster, reported to camp early last week after shedding 20 pounds this winter.
"I feel like nobody can mess with me," McAnulty said. "It's a good feeling to have. I felt like I need to come out and show these guys I can play. Last year was a bad year, but bad years happen. There's nothing I can do to change last year.
"It's going to be fun."
Except for opening the season in the big leagues as a pinch-hitter, little was fun in 2007. Two weeks in, McAnulty, who hyper-extended his knee during spring training, was shipped to Triple-A Portland to make room for a relief pitcher.
His return in May was rather unimpressive and after he was sent back to Portland, McAnulty injured himself and began gaining weight. He didn't return to the big league club and finished the year with a .200 average in 40 at-bats.
He also hit .262 with four homers and 31 RBIs at Portland in 63 games.
The entire package was more than enough motivation for the Oxnard native to begin a six-day workout ritual ---- it included four 45-plus-minute sessions per day ---- in October while subjecting his palate to blue algae shakes twice a day.
"I've been going up and down for the past three years," McAnulty said. "It's tough but I take it with a grain of salt. I kind of used how I felt and put it toward my workouts. My main goal this offseason was to get back at 100 percent. When I'm right I can help this club tremendously, regardless what the situation is."
Manager Bud Black backs that sentiment.
He was high on McAnulty's abilities when the Padres broke camp last year and was impressed that he posted a .371 average in spring despite a nicked-up knee.
He also knows that McAnulty was the odd man out in April and never recovered.
"He never really got on track," Black said. "No fault of his own, just circumstances. But his experience is starting to grow. He's been around the big leagues enough to have a better understanding of what it takes to be a bench player."
McAnulty also has a strong understanding of the situation in front of him. It's his last shot with the team, unless he cleared waivers and accepted an assignment to Portland.
But he's not about hypothetical situations.
"If I started worrying about other things I figured I stop worrying about myself," McAnulty said. "I've got no control over what the Padres are going to do with me. The only thing I can control is what I put out on the field and so that's what I concentrated on."
Contact staff writer Dan Hayes at dhayes@nctimes.com.
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Eric wrote on Feb 21, 2008 9:05 AM:I wish the Padres would give younger players like McAnulty a chance; they keep relying on old players like Edmonds, Giles, Clark, Wells, while young players such as McAnulty, Stansberry, Headley, and Antonelli don't get a chance to develop. The Pads had Jason Bay and Nady but got rid of them and now have to rely on Edmonds, who is ready for retirement, and Giles. The Padres seem to have a bias against young players, declining to give them a chance to develop. Towers and Black need to look at what the Diamondbacks and Rockies have done with their young players--letting them play rather than letting them rot in the minors or using them for trade bait. Give McAnulty a chance to win a job in the outfield.
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