Shealy battles to reclaim spot in Royals’ future
By BOB DUTTON
The Kansas City Star
SURPRISE, Ariz. | Sure, first baseman Ryan Shealy is bumming. His beloved Florida Gators, the two-time reigning NCAA basketball champions, find themselves demoted this spring to the National Invitation Tournament.
“I’m depressed,” he said, forcing his usual smile into a deep frown. “I’m used to rooting for a champion at this time of year. I just hope Billy (Donovan) has some good recruits coming in.”
Shift the conversation to Shealy’s quest to reclaim a role in the Royals’ future, and the smile returns. He has put his miserable 2007 behind him even as its aftershock threatens to leave him on the outside looking in next week when the club breaks camp.
“Last year,” Shealy said, “I was so worried about things I couldn’t control. I was worried about other people’s perception of me. I kept worrying that I had to find a way to stay here in the big leagues.
“What I should have been doing is just playing the game. That’s what I want to get back to this year, just simply playing the game and playing it hard. That’s the only way I know how to do it.”
It might not be enough.
Shealy, 28, faces an uphill battle this spring to win a roster spot. He is currently competing with Billy Butler, Ross Gload and Mark Teahen for playing time at first. Those three each seem certain to make the club.
Shealy has an option remaining and projects as the odd man out.
“That’s the game,” he shrugged. “I waited so long (in the Colorado system) to get out from under Todd Helton’s shadow and be given an opportunity to be an everyday guy. Then for multiple reasons, not playing well and health issues, that’s not the case anymore.
“But I’m not the first guy that’s happened to. In a sense, I’m back to square one. I’m just happy to be healthy. I know the player that I am, and I know it’s going to come out. No matter where I am. It’s going to come out. I’m at peace with it.”
Shealy’s spring got off to a rough start when he contracted a bad case of the flu. He missed nearly a week — the last thing he needed in a camp where he needed to show something to a new staff.
He returned with a bang, hitting a homer against Giants lefty Barry Zito in his first at-bat. Overall, though, Shealy has been solid this spring but only that: eight for 30 in 11 games with three homers and seven RBIs.
Time to impress is growing short.
“I’m going to start mixing Mark in a little more over there (at first),” manager Trey Hillman said. “I’m going to continue with Shealy and Gload and Butler as well. We’ll try to get them as much time as we can.”
Meanwhile, Shealy measures himself against the others and wonders: Is it enough?
“The competitor in you does that,” he admitted. “But the other guys over there are solid players and good guys. We all get along real well. I’m never going to be a guy who roots against another guy who is playing my position.
“There are things you can’t control, but you can control your effort, and you can control making sure you put together good at-bats. That’s it. And on the whole this spring, I think I’ve done a decent job at that. I’m going to keep at it, man. That’s all I can do.”
It wasn’t supposed to be like this.
The Royals viewed Shealy as much-needed muscle when they obtained him from Colorado just hours before the trading deadline July 31, 2006.
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To reach Bob Dutton, Royals reporter for The Star, call 816-234-4352 or send e-mail to bdutton@kcstar.com
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