Aubrey Huff ready to make amends for disappointing 2011 season

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- A steady stream of veterans filed into the clubhouse at Scottsdale Stadium on Wednesday. Among them was Aubrey Huff, looking lean, rested and ready to put a miserable 2011 season in his rearview mirror.

"I'll have no regrets, good or bad this year," Huff said. "I'm coming out with a positive mind frame, and I'm ready to go."

Huff, 35, spent much of the offseason working out in Arizona and resumed Pilates workouts in an attempt to turn back the clock to 2010, when he had a .290 average and 26 home runs. Those numbers dropped to .246 and 12 last season, and with youngsters Brandon Belt and Brett Pill coming after his job, you might think Huff would spend more time than ever this offseason working on his swing.

He said it's been the opposite.

"We've got a month and a half here to get the swing going," Huff said. "Sometimes you do too much in the offseason if you're hitting and throwing. You've got to give your body a timeout from those kinds of workouts."

Infielders Mike Fontenot and Ryan Theriot, former teammates at LSU and with the Cubs, also worked out Wednesday. Top prospect Gary Brown was among the minor leaguers to show up. Outfielder Melky Cabrera is the only projected starter who hasn't settled into the clubhouse yet, but he is expected to report Thursday.


(mercurynews.com)