Drew still looking ahead to June
Right fielder will start season on disabled list
By Matthew Leach
03/27/2003
JUPITER, Fla. -- J.D. Drew insists that he's not behind schedule. However, that doesn't mean he's thrilled with where he stands right now.
The slugging right fielder underwent surgery in October to remedy patellar tendinitis in his right knee, and now he's working his way through an arduous rehabilitation process. He hoped to play in some Spring Training games, but with only two contests left on the schedule, it's clear that won't happen. He hoped to be on the active roster for Opening Day, but that is also out of the question.
But, Drew insists that the important goal -- becoming an everyday player sometime in June -- remains entirely within reach.
"We're still shooting for full-time in June," Drew said. "That's been the game since surgery. I think I'll be pretty much pain-free and almost fully healed at that point.
"April and May are kind of up in the air. ... I hope to be in there not on a regular basis, not every day, but pretty regular when it comes to pinch-hitting and playing a game here and there. I've just got to make sure this thing heals up right."
The tendinitis bothered Drew for nearly all of 2002. He looked like himself in April, batting .319 with four home runs, but tailed off badly after that. He hit just .233 with seven longballs after the All-Star break.
His final numbers -- .252, 18 homers, 56 RBIs, .349 on-base percentage, and a .429 slugging percentage -- represented a huge step down from his breakout 2001 season. Drew did it all two years ago, despite missing time due to a broken finger and back spasms, and was considered by some to be a dark horse MVP candidate in '02.
It didn't happen, but Drew believes he can reach heights like that again by the end of this year.
"I hope to be at that level," he said. "I hope, with no setbacks, I can get that rhythm and get working like that. I've filed a lot of stuff away, just to say this is what I've got to do. ... I want to be that guy that hits and steals bases and does all that stuff. And hopefully the strength and everything is there whenever it comes time to do it."
A healthy Drew is a special player. When he is at his best, he is arguably the best all-around player on a team full of fine all-around players. But he has rarely been healthy. He has never played more than 135 games in a big-league season.
That creates opportunities -- such as the one Eli Marrero seized last year -- but it also creates headaches. It's difficult to know what the Cardinals have in Drew, and when they will have it.
"He hasn't been cleared to play yet even a little bit," said manager Tony La Russa. "There's not a whole lot to say. I don't want to make a bunch of comments about something that's so up in the air."
For the time being, he is limited to hitting and throwing exercises and just a bit of running. He had been building up his workload steadily, but back spasms and some soreness in the knee slowed him down. Now there's no being sure when he will get in any kind of game, never mind a regular-season Major League game.
This much is clear: Drew will join the team when it goes north this weekend. He will begin the season on the disabled list, but he will work out with his teammates. He could start playing in games by mid-April, though he will be limited at first.
"I'm just gonna get my work in, go to St. Louis and keep doing my treatment," Drew said. "Kind of play it by ear, see what they want me to do. The team goes on the road in a week, and I don't know where they want me to go -- if they want me to go and continue to get after it working with those guys and doing those agility stuff. But, I still feel like I'm way ahead of the curve."