GLENDALE, Ariz. — For the better part of three years, Ian Stewart was a backup quarterback to fans, an intriguing temptation of wonderful possibilities and solutions — if only given the chance.
Now that he is entrenched as the Rockies’ starting third baseman, he has become the forgotten man this spring, rendered invisible by his new stability.
While struggling defensively with a team-high four errors, Stewart has quietly had a nice spring at the plate. He’s hitting .455 in 22 at-bats. More important, he’s sticking to the approach he adopted over the winter with the help of hitting instructor Don Baylor.
His swing path in a nutshell: short to it, long through it.
“(Jim) Tracy has told him he’s the third baseman. That’s allowed him to relax and work on some things. He’s getting there,” Baylor said. “Stewart’s getting away from trying to pull the ball. He knows he’s going to have a lot more success hitting the ball to the big part of the field.”
Stewart, who will be 25 on opening day, oozes confidence.
“I feel like I know my swing so much better — what makes it good, what makes it bad,” Stewart said Tuesday. “Last year, I couldn’t figure it out and it snowballed.”
Tracy has preached to Stewart the importance of staying aggressive. Tracy singled out Stewart’s two-strike jam shot Tuesday against the White Sox as a sign of growth. Stewart has started moving his finger off the knob of the bat with two strikes to create more bat control.
“Even if I strike out, I realize I can do damage if I am swinging,” Stewart said.
Too often last season, the slugger went down looking, leading to a .228 average and 138 strikeouts.
“Can I hit .300 in the big leagues? I don’t know,” Stewart said. “But I am definitely not a .230 hitter either.”
Troy E. Renck: 303-954-1301 or trenck@denverpost.com
