Nothing wrong with being the DH, Aubrey Huff says

Barry Bonds hated being a designated hitter. Pat Burrell was terrible at it. Aubrey Huff loves it.

"DHing is as good as an off day, to be honest," Huff said. "The times you get tired are when you're standing around on the field. That's when you get worn down."

The Giants will need a DH for the three games in Oakland this weekend and three in Detroit at the end of the next road trip.

A week ago, manager Bruce Bochy said Huff would be a prime candidate to DH because of how many games he has played. He has started 66 of the Giants' 69 games.

On Thursday, though, Bochy said Huff likely will DH only once this weekend, partly because the Giants face three righties and have a day off Monday.

"I certainly wouldn't object to it," said Huff, who has a career average of .278 with on-base and slugging averages of .335 and .482, including 69 of his 237 career home runs, as a designated hitter.

Huff said the key to his success was not dwelling on his hitting between at-bats. He has seen DHs take hacks in the cage, run in the tunnel, watch video and generally drive themselves nuts during the downtime.

"I just watch the game and root for my team," he said. "If you're the DH, you've got to let it go."


(sfgate.com)