San Francisco's Aubrey Huff gets a giant chance at first postseason

SAN FRANCISCO — Hawaii's warm breezes can wait. When October rolls around, Aubrey Huff would much rather feel San Francisco's cool winds, even if they knock down a few of his drives.

Now in his 11th season, the Giants first baseman went into the Thursday with 1,463 regular-season games played without a postseason appearance, the third-highest total among active players behind the St. Louis Cardinals' Randy Winn (1,705) and the Texas Rangers' Michael Young (1,493).

The closest Huff came was last year, when the Detroit Tigers— who acquired him from the Baltimore Orioles in a mid-August trade — lost a one-game playoff with the Minnesota Twins. Even the excitement of that race was dimmed by Huff's poor performance with Detroit, for which he batted .189 with two homers in 40 games.

Now he's one of the key contributors on a contending team, which he finds invigorating.

"You're not as tired. You're not looking forward to the end of the season as much," Huff says of the difference between playing for a contender and an also-ran, which would kindly describe his time with the Tampa Bay Rays and the Orioles.

"This time of year in Baltimore I'd be getting in at 4 (p.m.) for a 4:30 stretch and be out just as soon as the game was over. Now I get here by 1:30, 2 and stick around after the game, go over situations. You're constantly thinking about the game. But teams like I've been on, you're just waiting for Hawaii."

With the Giants challenging for both the National League West lead and the wild card, Huff figures to be playing meaningful games down to the final week of the season and perhaps beyond. That would certainly make up for all those home runs lost to AT&T Park.

Just about every time left-handed swinging Huff pounds a ball with all his might at the ballpark, only to have its unforgiving dimensions or the cool, damp air of the San Francisco summer rob him of a home run, the TV cameras catch him grimacing, occasionally even taking out his frustrations on inanimate objects.

"There have certainly been some games when it has been frustrating, some balls, especially late in the game, that would have won some games for us," Huff says. "But that's the way baseball is. You look around the league and some guys hit in bandboxes and some guys hit in giant yards, and that's just the way it is."

Plus, his experience as a first-year Giant has been so rewarding, there's not much point in harping on the few negatives. Not only has Huff revived his career, but he is thriving as a veteran presence in the clubhouse, keeping his teammates loose with his offbeat sense of humor.

Coming off a season when he batted .241 and his home run total dwindled from 32 in 2008 to 15, Huff drew scant interest as a free agent before taking San Francisco's one-year, $3 million deal, which represented a $5 million pay cut.

He has paid off handsomely, leading the Giants in home runs (24) and RBI (81) with an on-base-plus-slugging percentage of .898. Signed as a first baseman, Huff has also provided great versatility with his willingness to play the outfield — where he had not seen action since 2006 — which opened a spot for rookie Buster Posey when he first came up in late May.

Posey has since moved to his regular position behind the plate, while Huff is back at first. If the Giants remain in contention until the end, Huff figures to garner MVP votes. He and outfielder Andres Torres, who's out for up to two weeks because of an appendectomy, have been the Giants' two constant sources of offensive production.

"On a consistent basis, they've had the biggest impact on this club," manager Bruce Bochy says. "You look at the numbers, on-base (percentage), power. ... Those two have been as consistent as anybody we've had. We hate to think where we'd be without those two."



(usatoday.com)