Tucson – When Clint Hurdle looks at Ian Stewart, he sees a reflection of his own youth.
Strapping, powerful, ready to take on the world. That was Hurdle 28 years ago. That is Stewart today.
Hurdle was 20 when he appeared on the cover of the March 20, 1978, Sports Illustrated as the poster boy for baseball’s spring phenoms.
Stewart, the Rockies’ spring training phenom, also is 20. As camp enters its final week, the third baseman is hitting .390 after drilling a sharp single to right Saturday in his only at-bat against the Texas Rangers. He leads the Rockies with five homers and has four doubles. His raw power has inspired more oohs, aahs and fascination than any other Rockies player.
It’s partly because of the mirror image that Hurdle takes such great care in steering Stewart toward a big-league career.
“No matter how good a young player is, they are never going to be bulletproof,” Hurdle said. “They are going to need to face adversity and make their own errors. I understand that. But the key is presenting them with adversity and challenges in a way that their confidence and character remain intact.”
That Stewart has talent is easy to see. He spent the 2005 season in high-A ball with Modesto (Calif.), batting .274 with 17 home runs and 86 RBIs in 112 games. His spring training performance prompted speculation he might be ready for a giant leap to the majors. But there are reasons he is slated to begin the season with Double-A Tulsa, not the least of which that the Rockies have Garrett Atkins playing third.
“Ian’s very close to being ready (as a hitter), but defensively he needs work and experience,” said first baseman Todd Helton, a phenom in his own right who spent three years in the minors before becoming a Rockies regular at age 24.
And as good as Stewart has been with the bat, there are no guarantees in the big leagues, where pitchers bury hitters once they discover a weakness.
“He may have a hole in his swing that we don’t know about,” Helton said. “If you do have a hole, a weakness for a certain pitch, once you get to the big-league level, that’s all you are going to get.”
Stewart understands, but that doesn’t stop him from dreaming. “I just want to make it as tough a decision as possible for them,” he said. “That way I win no matter what. If I play well, it’s going to help me in the future, no matter what.”
The risk, of course, is promoting a player before he’s ready.
“You never want a young guy to come up and struggle and then send him back down,” Helton said.
Hurdle agrees.
“Obviously, you see Ian’s skills and they just jump out and grab you,” he said. “But the best lessons I have learned is that you cannot get caught up in the results in spring training or in the month of September. The talent is so liquidated and so scattered. It’s not as true a test.”
Earlier this month, Stewart hit three homers in a span of less than 24 hours. At the time, he was hitting .591. He got his share of ink and some airtime in Denver on sports-talk radio. With his easy charm and quiet confidence, Stewart has enjoyed his spring fling with fame.
But Hurdle understands how intense the spotlight glows in the big leagues.
“It’s life under a microscope,” he said. “Up here, a guy boots a ball, makes a throwing error, strikes out in a key situation, and the media focus becomes acute. Anything under the microscope, magnified to that extent, will eventually become ugly if you’re not performing. So you don’t try to protect young talent, but you do try to nurture it.”
Patrick Saunders can be reached at 303-820-5459 or psaunders@denverpost.com.
