21 June 2007

Mets duo in mid-season form

By George Kostinas
GateHouse News Service
Thu Jun 21, 2007, 11:59 AM EDT 

Cape Cod - Early in the season most hitters in the Cape Cod Baseball League have a hard time adjusting to the wooden bats and the daily menu of top-notch pitching. But Shane Peterson and Dan Brewer of the Hyannis Mets have been having a feast.

    Just for an appetizer. 

    Except for the first game against the defending CCBL champion Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox, both Peterson and Brewer have been on base at least twice in every game.

    In the last three games, Brewer reached base in 11 of 14 at bats; Peterson made it safely in 8 of 13, combining for an amazing on-base percentage of .703 resulting in nine runs.
On to the main course.

    Peterson was 3-for-4 Monday against Harwich, including a line drive two-run single to left center that that improved his batting average to .521. Brewer was 2 for 3 with a walk and improved his already gaudy .545 average to .571.

    Batting 2-3 in the lineup, they present a number of problems to opposing pitchers. “We’re able to protect each other. We can get good pitches,” says Brewer.

    Also they are very different kinds of hitters.

    Brewer likes to pull the ball, although he can go to the opposite field with the pitch and drive it.
He likes to hit the long ball. Last season, as a sophomore at Bradley he hit 10 homers and had 30 runs batted in.

    Although he has yet to hit a home run in the Cape League, he came close against Harwich, sending the centerfielder to the warning track the only time he did not reach base.

    Peterson, in contrast, likes to spray the ball around the field. His three hits against Harwich were to the opposite field. “That’s the way we approach hitting at Long Beach State. We play small ball, just hitting the ball everywhere. I hit mostly singles and doubles. The home runs are nice, but they’ll come,” says Peterson.

    They also differ in the way they approach hitting.

    Peterson, as he did in Little League and high school, just goes out and hits. He doesn’t dwell too much on the pitcher or the quality of the pitching in the league.

    “For me, it helps not to worry about who is pitching. I just go out and play. I just want to keep swinging the bat like I’ve been swinging,” he says.

    Peterson is in a groove. He was in a slump at the beginning of last season at Long Beach, barely hitting .100. “But then it started to click, and it started flowing, like now,” he says. He finished the season at .330.

    “I just wanted to keep it going. I wanted to start out well [in the Cape League] and not go through that again. That’s not much fun,” he says.

    Brewer is a bit more analytical.

    “It just seems like every pitcher is a number one guy. There are balls running and dropping. Everybody has two or three pitches. I’m just trying to see the ball early coming out of the pitcher’s hand. And I’m looking for certain pitches on certain counts. I try to work it to a hitter’s count,’ says Brewer. “It’s easier if you can predict, if you kind of know what’s coming at you.”

    Even their presence at the plate is a striking contrast.

    Brewer is a right-handed batter. 

    He has a wide stance with his weight shifted to the back foot. His right elbow is held high, with the bat back over his shoulder — a power hitter’s stance. He rocks back and forth, the bat bobbing and wagging until the pitch comes in.

    Peterson is a lefty. His stance is tight. His legs are close together; the bat is held straight up and down right in front of his chest. When the pitch comes in, he pulls the bat back quickly and then uncoils.

    Finally, dessert.

    On top of everything else, they have speed and can steal bases.

    Brewer had 20 stolen bases last season at Bradley and he and Peterson already have two with the Mets.

    And they both are enjoying the competition in the Cape league.
“It’s prestigious. This is where you go before you move on. It gives you the confidence. It a stepping stone,” says Peterson.

    “It’s fun playing up here with all the top guys,” says Brewer. “Everybody can play. It’s a faster paced game when you get to this level.”

By George Kostinas