By Dave van Dyck
PHOENIX - With Alfonso Soriano and Aramis Ramirez jumping back to spring respectability with two hits each Wednesday, the remaining holdout is Derrek Lee.
With an 0-for-3 Monday, Lee is hitting .179 this spring with four singles, one double and two RBIs.
Usually it wouldn't be a concern, but with Lee slumping the second half of last summer, about the only person not worried is Lee.
"I don't even know what my average is," he said. "I know I'm not getting a lot of hits. I don't even look at my average. ... Everyone wants to get a hit every time up, but I feel fine."
Manager Lou Piniella would like to see the "feeling fine" translate into some power statistics.
Piniella said Lee had a great batting practice early Monday but fizzled in the afternoon game. He included Lee in the group with the Cubs' producers, especially Soriano, who is traditionally a slow starter.
"I'd like to see our big boys start to whack the ball," Piniella said.
"I have all the confidence in the world they'll be ready when the season starts, but at the same time I'd like to see them have some good at-bats and consistently hit the ball hard."
Of course, this being an extra long spring training, they still have time for improvement—and that's especially true for Lee.
"I don't like a long spring personally, so I wouldn't say it's a good thing," he said with a chuckle. "Eventually you kind of make yourself get there once it's time. You get reps, play defense and get your body ready. If the season started tomorrow, I'd be ready to go.
"Spring training is about seeing the ball. I know if I'm seeing the ball, I'm going to hit it. I feel like I've been seeing the ball pretty good, taking some pitches. I've actually lined out quite a bit this spring, which is actually good for me."
He has also grounded into only one double play, after tying a franchise record with 27 last season.
"That's so funny to me," Lee said. "I mean, a double play is something ... yeah, I hit a lot last year, but I might come back and hit into 10 this year. I'll bet there's never been a guy lead the league two years in a row. You hit the ball 3 feet to the left and it's not a double play."
Double plays weren't Lee's only problem last season. He hit 20 home runs, his fewest in a full season since 1998, and went from a first half of .306, 15 homers and 56 RBIs to a second half of .266, 5, 34.
"I got out of whack in the second half," he said. "It was a poor second half, as simple as that. It seems like that first series in Houston after the [All-Star] break was bad and it just snowballed from there. I've got to find a way to be more consistent throughout the year instead of just half the season.
"The second half I didn't think I had a lot of good at-bats. It was always kind of a struggle. Being experienced, I was able to find a way to get a few hits here and there. I just started searching for stuff and got out of whack, started changing things."
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