Ibañez will try not to be affected by fence
Raul Ibanez once of the Philadelphia Phillies hit a two-run single during a game against the Atlanta Braves at Citizens Bank Park. (July 10, 2011) Credit: Getty Images
TAMPA, Fla. -- Just about every lefthanded hitter finds Yankee Stadium's short rightfield porch inviting.
Raul Ibañez does, too, but he added that his hope is not to be "corrupted'' by it.
"I try not to think about that because the only thing that matters is having a quality approach, a quality at-bat and hitting the ball hard,'' said Ibañez, 39, signed to be the Yankees' primary designated hitter against righties. "And for me, if I start thinking about the porch or the fence, then I'm not thinking about hitting the ball on the barrel and stroking line drives. The more you think about line drives, the more the ball's going to go into the seats. And the more you think about the fence, the more you ground out to first.''
Ibañez said what he likes most about Yankee Stadium is the expansive outfield with "nice gaps.''
He added, "I'm going to try and live in the gaps and the alleys.''
And of the short porch in right -- the one new teammate Mark Teixeira called "too inviting'' during the offseason and one of the reasons Teixeira struggled while batting lefthanded in 2011 -- the amiable Ibañez smiled and said, "I won't allow myself to be corrupted.''
Ibañez, a career .284 hitter with a .347 on-base percentage and .476 slugging percentage entering the 2011 season, slipped to .245-.289-.419 last year, a season he described Saturday as "not very good.''
Against righthanders in 2011, he hit .256 with a .307 OBP and .440 SLG, hitting 16 of his homers and producing 60 of his RBIs in 402 of his 535 at-bats.
The Yankees believe Ibañez's 2011 season was an aberration. They signed him to a one-year deal for $1.1 million, believing he was the best of the DH options on the market, one with a fielding component.
"I've never had a problem spending time in the field,'' said Ibañez, who primarily has been a leftfielder but also has played centerfield and rightfield as well as some first base. "I can do whatever's asked.''
Ibanez's preference was to stay with the Phillies. His family lives in Philadelphia and yes, he said, he's "still mad'' about losing the 2009 World Series to the Yankees. But once it became apparent that the feeling wasn't mutual in Philly, the Bronx became his first choice.
Ibañez, born in Manhattan but raised in Miami, was the Yankees' first choice, too, but he had to wait; they first had to complete the A.J. Burnett trade before turning their attention elsewhere. It was a difficult wait, Ibañez said, but worth it.
"It's the New York Yankees. What could be more appealing than that?'' said Ibañez, who grew up a Yankees fan and wore No. 9 early in his youth- league career as a tribute to Graig Nettles. "Who wouldn't want to play here? I feel very blessed to have the opportunity to play here.''
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