Recknagel Looking For A Position

When the Cleveland Indians drafted first baseman Nate Recknagel out of the University of Michigan in the 19th round of the 2008 Draft, they knew they were getting a power hitter who lacked a true defensive position.

Recknagel has very good power and strength, which he showcased when he set a Michigan record with 23 home runs in 2008. He spent most of his time this season in Low-A Lake County, and in 117 combined games between High-A Kinston and Lake County he hit .270 with 14 HR, 75 RBI and an .809 OPS.

While Recknagel’s bat has certainly shown potential, the mystery over where he fits in the organization on the defensive side of things is a big question mark. He was a catcher and first baseman at Michigan, but this season he only played 61 of his 117 games in the field as he was the designated hitter almost half the time. In all, he played 59 games at first base and also filled in for two games at third base.

The Indians sent Recknagel out to Instructional League last year to continue to work and improve defensively as a catcher, and he even went to spring training this year and worked almost exclusively at the catching position. Since he is challenged defensively at first base and considered a below average defender there, the thought was he would fit in better behind the plate where his good arm could be better utilized. But, when all was said and done, he did not play a game this past season as a catcher.

With the opening of this year’s Instructional League two weeks ago Recknagel is once again a participant, but this time he is there working on improving defensively at first base. Seeing as how he did not catch any games in Lake County or Kinston this year and his primary defensive position was first base, it appears that this is the position the Indians have settled on developing him at.

Working on his defense at first base is something Recknagel knows full well is a key to furthering his professional baseball career.

"That is definitely one of the things I have to work on,” said Recknagel in a recent interview. “It is something I need to get better at obviously, and is one of the things I will definitely be working on in Instructional League."

Even with the defensive shortcomings at the moment, it is hard not to like what Recknagel does when he hits. He may not be the caliber of hitter former Indians first baseman Ryan Garko is, but he looks very much like Garko when he stands in at the plate not to mention his overall build and lack of a true defensive position.

Recknagel had a solid 2009 campaign, one that was a learning experience for him as he adapted to the professional game, and one where the Indians learned about him more as a player. The successes and failures he went through this season should give him something to build off of going into next season where he should be at High-A Kinston.

"The season [went] well,” said Recknagel. “It was just kind of getting used to playing a long schedule obviously. In your first year you learn the do's and don'ts basically for next year. That's kind of what this year [was] about, to just kind of get my feet wet."

Coming from Michigan, Recknagel was used to a schedule there where they only played maybe three times a week, and when they did the games were often on Friday, Saturday or Sunday. They had several off days and the intensity of the games and preparation was completely different than the professional game where it is a daily grind and all about routine.

"I think the biggest adjustment for me was getting used to playing every day and taking care of my body,” said Recknagel. “Also, the fundamentals and the wood bat. The pitching is better, so it is a little bit of everything."

Recknagel seemed to feel his way through the first half of the season where he hit just .256 with 5 HR and 28 RBI in 56 games, but in the second half he hit .283 with 9 HR and 47 RBI in 61 games. Some of that may have been him adjusting from the transition of a metal bat in college to the wood bat in the pros.

"My swing was a college metal bat swing,” said Recknagel. “But once I got into it for a couple months, I was able to really focus in on it and put an emphasis on what I really needed to fix and what I need to do. I got lots of help from [Lake County Hitting Coach] Jim [Rickon] and [Minor League Hitting Coordinator] Bruce [Fields] whenever he came around. The first few months were okay, but it seems like when I came back down from Kinston things seemed to start kind of working their way back into place."

In addition to adjusting to playing every day and to wood bats, Recknagel also found that another adjustment he had to make was one he never dreamed possible, which was having so much down time from one game to the next. Since the players are generally only at the field from about 4pm to 11pm every night, they have a lot of time on their own back at the apartment or hotel.

"One thing that was really hard for me at first was trying to keep myself busy,” said Recknagel. “You have this feeling where you are going to the field to play a game, sleeping in, and then waiting until the next game. You just have so much down time, especially when you are on the road and you have nothing to do. It's hard to keep yourself busy. That was the real hard part for me at first. It has a lot to do with your routine. Sitting at the hotel sometimes watching TV gets pretty old."

With the offseason here and Instructional League about to begin its third week, Recknagel just wants to continue to work this offseason on his defense and be prepared for what happens next spring.

"I need to work on everything,” said Recknagel. “Keeping a consistent swing and making sure my swing mechanics are fine tuned. And I definitely need work on my defense.”

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