SI: Born identity Astros' Berkman may be baseball's best natural hitter

Just before the first game of a weekend series against the Mets, most Houston players tossed on their practice duds and took cage BP in the bowels of Shea Stadium. Lance Berkman skipped Step 1, strolling into the cage in street clothes. Strangely, as the switch hitter hacked away in dress shoes, jeans and a collared shirt, his teammates went about their business as if everything were normal.

"Everybody expects it," Berkman said with a chuckle. "They're not even surprised that I would do something like that."

Catcher Brad Ausmus calls him "a clown." Closer Brad Lidge says he's "the most laid-back player you'll ever meet." But the most accurate description of Houston's four-time All-Star is that he's baseball's Everyman -- a player who's consistently last to arrive in the clubhouse because of what he calls "inertia"; a pudgy 30-year-old who could stand to shed a few pounds; an outfielder/first baseman who runs like a DH; a devout Christian and family man with a wife and three daughters.

Funny thing is, this average Joe can plain hit the ball, and he's quite possibly the most naturally gifted batsman of his generation.
'Just a ballplayer'

Ask anyone in the Astros clubhouse whether they've seen anyone else with natural abilities at the plate similar to Berkman's and the answer is always the same: No chance.

"I'll be honest with you. Just naturally talented? No -- nobody's even close," shortstop Adam Everett says. "You see guys like [Carlos] Beltran and [Albert] Pujols and those guys are very talented, but [Berkman]'s just a ballplayer. He's a throwback."

Berkman, who has drawn more than one comparison to "fat Elvis," looks more like a keg-league softball participant than a major league star who boasts a .327 average, 32 homers and 100 RBIs. His 6-foot-1, 220-pound frame is doughy, not defined, and his chubby face is highlighted by kind eyes and an ever-present smile. And this unassuming look isn't the only thing that differentiates Berkman from other top-tier sluggers -- he never studies pitcher scouting reports. Berkman may ask a teammate for advice against a certain pitcher, but most of the time he relies solely on his memory bank at the plate.

Once Berkman steps in the batter's box, his natural instincts take over. Although his sweeping swing seems long, the country-strong Berkman generates devastating bat speed. As a result, his fluid, powerful stroke looks completely effortless. "When he brings the bat head through the zone, it's pretty scary," second baseman Craig Biggio says.

In his first six full seasons in the majors, Berkman compiled a .302 career average with 180 homers and 617 RBIs. This season -- which should end up as his best yet -- will provide a significant statistical boost.

Switching it up

Berkman's sweet stroke didn't come without hard work, especially from the left side of the plate. He's naturally a left-handed thrower and right-handed hitter. Berkman's father, Larry, who played baseball for the University of Texas, forced Lance to switch-hit at age six, hoping he'd be giving his son an advantage down the line. Berkman took countless hours of BP from his father and a fair share of tee work in the garage. But he truly refined each cut by working with the tire swing his father hung in the back yard. Berkman rapped at the tire from both sides of the plate every day with the massive 35-inch bat his father used in college, developing arm strength along the way.

Today, Berkman says he usually feels more comfortable swinging from the left side, but he continues to switch-hit. Over his career he's a much more potent hitter from the left, as evidenced by his splits. Granted, he's had almost 2,000 more ABs hitting lefty, but look at the averages:
Berkman's breakdown
Lance Berkman's career batting statistics from both sides of the plate
Batting AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB K AVG OBP SLG
Right 792 113 218 48 4 22 121 145 131 .275 .391 .429
Left 2,732 545 855 201 14 190 596 512 557 .313 .424 .605

Even though he catches heat from critics who say he should solely bat left-handed, Berkman refuses to abandon the switch-hitting approach that got him to the bigs. The biggest drawback would be adjusting to breaking balls.

"Everything's coming toward you when you switch-hit; all the breaking stuff is breaking into you," Berkman says. "It's hard, when a guy's got a good fastball, to hang in there on a curveball that starts right at your head."

This season Berkman is hitting .325 from both sides, but 27 of his 32 homers have come from the left side.
Keeping everything in perspective

Over the first 30 years of his life, Berkman has grown accustomed to the Lone Star State. After growing up in various parts of Texas, Berkman attended Rice. And on a team loaded with future major leaguers -- including Jose Cruz Jr., Matt Anderson and Bubba Crosby -- Berkman led the Owls to their first-ever College World Series and was named Player of the Year by the National Collegiate Writers' Association. The Astros took him with the 16th pick of the 1997 draft.

"I love Texas and it loves me back," Berkman says. "It's where I'm from; it's where my great-great grandparents are from. I'm like a seventh-generation Texan, so there's not much chance of me leaving."

Although Berkman still flies under the national radar, he's become a bona fide superstar in his home state. But upholding his image can take a toll on him. This is where his notably calm demeanor comes into play. According to Berkman, his easy-going attitude and knack for joking around in the clubhouse are just a defense mechanism.

"There's a lot of pressure that comes with the job, especially when you have a reputation, you hit in the middle of the order and you're expected to produce," Berkman says. "That's my way of dealing with expected performance."

Sometimes Berkman's everyday approach is so relaxed that he might seem passive. But teammates quickly dispel any notion that his mellow nature has had any negative effect on the team, partly because he's so genuinely kind.

"Lance is a free spirit, which helps him out because he doesn't complicate things," Biggio says. "He just goes out there and plays the game the way you should, and as long as you do that, you can have any type of spirit you want."

Besides the relaxed approach, Berkman credits his faith with helping him deal with the daily grind. Raised as a Christian, Berkman says he didn't start taking religion seriously until he was a junior in college. Nowadays it plays an integral role in his everyday life.

"The biggest thing Christianity does for me is it helps me keep an internal perspective. In the grand scheme of things, 100 years from now, is anybody really going to know or care what I did on the field?"

Berkman has always been a homebody, and his biggest release is being with his wife, Cara, and three daughters, Hannah Leigh, Carly Anne and Katie Mae (who was born on June 10). He loves spending time at his ranch northwest of Houston or at his parents' ranch just north of San Antonio. His ideal offseason day consists of a Saturday-morning hunt (usually bow-hunting for deer), an afternoon college football game (usually Texas or Texas A&M, both of which have Berkman family ties) and a long nap. Berkman's infatuation with the simple life makes one thing pretty apparent: He won't be the type of athlete who tests his age.

"When I feel my skills start to decline, I'll have no trouble hanging them up," Berkman says.
NL MVP consideration?

Currently, Berkman's skills seem far from declining, though injuries have taken a toll. Prior to the 2005 season, Berkman tore his ACL playing flag football and he says he still isn't fully recovered. He also strained his groin on July 27 and was forced to miss five games.

But since returning on Aug. 4, Berkman has played nine straight games at first base and hit .444 with four home runs. On a team that holds the NL's lowest batting average (.258), Berkman's production is essential in the Astros' push for a third straight playoff appearance. Houston sits five games back of St. Louis in the Central and 3½ games back of Cincinnati in the wild-card race.

If they do earn the NL wild card, Berkman should garner some attention in NL MVP voting or, at the very least, his third career top-five finish.

Berkman may not receive the national acclaim of Pujols, Andruw Jones, Ryan Howard or a host of Mets, most likely because his Everyman image doesn't stand out on a franchise that has featured Biggio, Jeff Bagwell and Roger Clemens. But nobody who regularly watches Berkman play would argue against his placement among the NL's best.

"I've never seen anyone that can just get out of bed and go 4 for 4," Lidge says. "There's not a whole lot of people like Lance."

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/writers/gennaro_filice/08/13/inside.berkman/index.html

finally berkman gets some national attention. he is really a great pure ball player. and its great that he get some media attention. he should be the mvp this season cause honestly without him the astros would be nothing