Blake Tekotte balances life in majors, minors

Blake Tekotte stationed himself in the middle of the Tucson Padres clubhouse at an idle table and quickly scarfed down a burrito.

Relief pitcher Josh Spence interrupted Tekotte's meal to give him a hug. First baseman Matt Clark joined the center fielder at the table and wanted to know if he enjoyed facing New York Mets knuckleball pitcher R.A. Dickey a few days earlier.

That 15-minute window was a perfect glimpse into the 25-year-old Tekotte's life these days: a lot of quick meals, some reuniting with old friends and family and plenty of questions about the big leagues.

He returned to Tucson and Kino Stadium on Tuesday after a nine-day stretch in the major leagues with San Diego - Tekotte's second big-league stint this season after a promotion in late April for 11 days. And he likely will be with the big-league club again at some point this season.

The outfielder has become San Diego's "swing guy" this year, a role held by pitcher Wade LeBlanc last season. Tekotte could be called up, often with very little notice, because of an injury or other roster situation. He could be hitting a ball into the bullpen at Kino Stadium one day, and the next could be taking batting practice at Wrigley Field.

"He's logging good time up there," said Tucson manager Terry Kennedy before Tuesday night's 11-10 win over Las Vegas. "He's getting to see how it's done. He's making some money. You have to look at it that way. He's always great when he comes back; always ready to produce."

Tekotte, who hit leadoff Tuesday, went 2 for 4 with two doubles and an RBI.

The Star talked to Tekotte, a Columbia, Mo., native, about his stints in the big leagues and what he's learning.

On what he tries to improve on when he's in the majors: "I've been working on the whole mind-set of being there to pinch hit. You never want to go down looking at strikes. Some coaches and other players have talked to me about being aggressive, and that first fastball you see in the zone, take a hack at it. Pinch-hitting isn't the most fun thing in the world, but I feel more comfortable and confident when I go up there now."

On what it's like to come back to Tucson's clubhouse: "I love playing with these guys. I came up with most of them. I don't know too many of the guys up there. It's more comfortable in the clubhouse down here for me just because I know these guys so well. … It's always good to see them. Even though it's getting optioned down, it's good to be back with them."

On being promoted and demoted so often: "It is definitely tough. I'm trying to become more like a robot in that sense, so I don't take it personal. It is business. I would like to go up there and start every day obviously. For now, I take what I can get and sit there and listen and try to learn as much as I can. The game can be a lot different because everything is so much more magnified."

On some of the major differences between Triple-A and the majors: "Well, in the minors, we come out and it's, 'Who's throwing? Is he a righty or a lefty? What's he throw?' Up there, they got everything you could want to know, including the guy's shoe size. Sometimes you start to overanalyze things up there, instead of just playing your game."

On his best day in the big leagues so far: "Getting to play the Cardinals at Busch Stadium was very special. I used to always go to their games. Even my dog is named Ozzie Smith. He's a fat, little pug, who can't walk without breathing hard. Definitely not like the real Ozzie Smith. But, it was real fun playing there. I got a hit and heard a big cheer from a section, who was there to see me play. You don't forget stuff like that."


(azstarnet.com)