Grass Is Lean and Cubs Mean With Dunston at Shortstop

Shawon Dunston of the Chicago Cubs is attracting more fans each day with his acrobatics at shortstop. He is also making more work for the Wrigley Field grounds crew.

Before Dunston took over at short for the Cubs, the Wrigley Field groundskeepers had a reputation for being less than diligent grass mowers. Some suggested there were no blades in the lawnmowers and the grass was as high as Iowa corn by mid-season.

That was due, some suggested, to the aging Larry Bowa at shortstop along with the aging Ron Cey at third.

But with Dunston in the field, the grass is leaner and the Cubs are meaner at short. And the only thing that has been cut has been Dunston’s errors.

“He’s making the kind of plays now that we knew he could make,” Cubs manager Jim Frey said. “He’s covering the kind of ground that we knew he could. And, with his arm, no play is out of his range.”

Dunston has been dazzling on the current homestand. Against Los Angeles recently, he made two plays that helped save a victory.

“You’ve got to try to make those plays,” the second-year Cubs’ shortstop said.

Dunston is still maturing. His exuberance also leads to some ill-advised throws. He has also had problems making the pivot at second base.

Last year, he committed 17 errors in 74 games, including seven errors in the first 14 games when he was awarded the shortstop’s job ahead of Bowa. The poor fielding also translated into a slump at the plate and he was sent back to the minors.

“It hurt and it bothered me but I decided I was going to get back here and work hard to do it,” Dunston recalled.

When the Cubs fell out of contention, Chicago released Bowa and placed Dunston in the lineup for the final six weeks. He batted .320 in the last 40 games.

“When I got to spring training, I knew I belonged,” he said. “Everyone made me feel that way. Sure, it relaxed me and made me more confident.”

Dunston’s confidence has also shown at the plate, where he leads the club with homers (five), one more than he hit all of last year. He was second on the club in hitting with a .289 average through Monday.

Dunston was a No. 1 draft choice in 1982, picked ahead of New York Mets pitcher Dwight Gooden.

“There’s been a lot expected of him,” Frey said, “but now he is beginning to show why the expectations were so great.”