Dodgers’ Reluctant Power Hitter : Shelby Doesn’t Want to Be Known for His Home Runs

You’ve seen the durable John Shelby--he played every inning in the Dodger outfield from May 22 until July 24 after being acquired from the Baltimore Orioles.

And the streaky John Shelby--after a career-high 13-game hitting streak to open July, which tied Steve Sax for the longest on the Dodgers this year, he turned around and went 0 for 26. That pathetic run lasted July 17-25 and instigated his first benching in Los Angeles.

Now, meet the power-hitting John Shelby--a career-high 17 home runs, including one Sunday off the Atlanta Braves’ Charlie Puleo, and five in the last six games.

This guy has turned so many corners this season he’s starting to go in circles. The latest twist, that of Shelby the slugger, has caught more than a few people by surprise, considering that he had been in double-figures in home runs in the majors only once prior to 1987, and that was with 11 last season. Before that, his previous high was eight.

The new-found weapon is nothing to brag about, though. To the contrary, Shelby has done his best to make it nothing to talk about, period.

Sunday, after going 2 for 3 with 2 runs batted in and a sacrifice to set up another run in the Dodgers’ 5-2 victory over the Braves, he was spared mention of the subject until the second question of the post-game interviews.

“I knew you were going to say that,” Shelby said.

This hot streak must really be painful. Actually, it’s just that Shelby doesn’t want the label of being a home run hitter. Consistent in all parts of the game would be fine, thank you.

“I don’t like to make a big deal out of it,” he said. “I don’t want it to look like I want to lead the league in home runs. After the season is over, I’ll look back at my first chance to play every day and see how I did.

“I’m glad to get the home runs, but, shoot, if I’m getting the hits and helping the team, that’s what’s great.”

Does this all mean something other than fly balls are in the air? Someone suggested as much after the game, asking Atlanta Manager Chuck Tanner if he considered having Shelby’s bats checked for cork.

“I don’t want to start doing that,” came Tanner’s response. “He’s a big, strong guy. I don’t think he’s corking his bat.”

What Shelby is doing in reality is regaining his timing, and swinging level. It’s the same thing he was doing after coming to the Dodgers with Brad Havens for Tom Niedenfuer, and the same fundamentals he lost during the All-Star break.

How ironic it must now be to Shelby, who was saying not too long ago that he would rather have the time off to visit family in Kentucky than play in Oakland in mid-July. Turns out the timing of the three days off was much like some of his swings during the 0-for-26 streak later in the month: bad. That groove he found with the Dodgers had vanished.

“I felt great the first half, but right after the All-Star break, I went into a slump,” Shelby said. “That time off during the All-Star break is supposed to work in your favor, but, personally, I had been swinging well all year. The days off threw me off.”

Recent work with Manny Mota, the Dodger hitting coach, has helped turn him around, again. The two spend 10 or 15 minutes before nearly every game going over films of Shelby’s at-bats, breaking his swing down to detect any flaws before they become habit.

Today, going into the Dodgers’ four-game series with the first-place Cincinnati Reds, Shelby is batting .257 with at least one RBI in 9 of his last 11 games and a hit in 11 of 12.

“He’s in a groove,” Mota said. “To me, he looks loose and has his timing and rhythm back since the All-Star break.

“He was trying too hard. I just told him to be patient and get a good pitch. We don’t want to think of him as a power hitter.”

That works out well. John Shelby doesn’t want to think of himself as a power hitter, either.