When Braves shortstop Rafael Furcal made a brilliant defensive play to rob Jay Payton of a hit in Atlanta last week, Payton made sure to catch Furcal’s eye and shake his head with a small, knowing smile. The two Rookie of the Year candidates are not hated enemies.
“We talked a little bit when I was in Atlanta,” Payton said before the Braves clinched the NL East title with a 7-1 win last night at Shea. “We know we are both being mentioned for the award, along with a few others, and we joke about it. It’s all in good fun. There will definitely be no hard feelings for whoever wins.”
The other two names mentioned along with Payton and Furcal are St. Louis pitcher Rick Ankiel and Phillie first baseman/outfielder Pat Burrell. Ankiel has had a very good and consistent season, earning a 10-7 record and a 3.62 ERA and Burrell has shown flashes of brilliance despite his .257 average and 130 strikeouts.
But with the season coming to a close, and the Mets and Braves both headed for the postseason, it is Payton’s last chance to show some real substance to Furcal’s famous flash.
“That really isn’t the issue for me,” Payton said. “I know about it and it would be nice to get, but I am just so grateful to be healthy. It’s not like I’m going to be like, ‘Oh, I have to really do something great this week so people notice.’ I really want to help the team to the playoffs, that’s all.”
Payton’s past is littered with serious injuries and surgeries and he is, at 27, the oldest candidate of the frontrunners for the Rookie of the Year award.
It gives Payton a little perspective.
“I could have been a rookie three years ago,” Payton noted, referring to his 15-game stint with the Mets in 1998 before a nagging hamstring injury kept him with the Norfolk Tides for most of the year. “It’s unfortunate in a way, that I wasn’t, but there’s nothing you can do about it.”
Payton and Furcal both boast impressive resumes, and their talents even go beyond the basic numbers. After his 1-for-3 and a walk last night, Payton is batting .289 in 470 at-bats with 16 homers and 57 RBIs. Furcal, who went 1-for-4 with a walk, is hitting .294 in 435 at-bats, mostly at leadoff. He has just four homers and 36 RBIs, but he has 40 stolen bases to go with 83 runs scored.
One of Payton’s lone drawbacks is his average with runners on base. He has struggled to get RBIs this year and has hit just .249 with runners on base as opposed to .319 with the bases free.
Bobby Valentine says his Rookie of the Year vote would go to Payton, but also thinks Furcal and Ankiel deserve a look.
Payton’s buddy on the Mets, Benny Agbayani, admits he’s biased because of friendship. “But he tracks down balls in the outfield as well as anybody in the game,” he said, “and he’s played pretty consistent.”
Payton refused to be drawn into the hype. He doesn’t look back over his year and see spots where he could have done more to sew up the award.
“I am a bit of a perfectionist,” Payton said. “I know you can’t be perfect in this game, but I want to try to get better in everything – hitting, fielding, stealing bases – that’s what I’m concentrating on now.”
