Catcher eager to be a contributor on offense

JUPITER, Fla. -- Defense isn't enough for Mike Matheny anymore.

The St. Louis Cardinals prize their catcher for his rifle arm and ability to handle pitchers. Matheny threw out 45 percent of runners attempting to steal and he committed only four errors in 1,002 innings, and he won a Gold Glove in 2000.

Only 55 runners attempted to steal on Matheny last year, after 90 tried it and he threw out 46 the year before.

But the number Matheny can't forget is .218 -- his batting average last year. He was so dismayed about his lack of production offensively that he seriously considered becoming a switch-hitter.

"I was fully convinced I was going to show up this spring and hit from both sides of the plate," said Matheny, a right-handed hitter. "I did it about 10 years ago and didn't have a whole lot of success, but I was that frustrated with my swing."

In the process of working toward that goal, Matheny said he discovered some flaws in his stroke from the right side.

"So I just kind of started over," he said. "I was really determined to change things and try to put last year and the swing I had and the approach I had behind me."

Matheny, who has a career average of .233 in seven seasons, spent the winter honing his stroke. Besides digesting a videotape full of suggestions from Cardinals batting coach Mitchell Page, he persuaded former Cardinals and Pirates star Andy Van Slyke to be his personal instructor.

Van Slyke has a batting cage at his house, and one winter day, he threw for three straight hours to Matheny.

"He's spent I can't tell you how many hours," Matheny said. "He pushed me real hard. You name it, we did it.

"Right now it feels good and it's a matter of keeping it, because the good hitters, they don't stay down very long."

Matheny, 31, batted a career-best .261 in 2000, a 45-point improvement from the previous season. But he wasn't satisfied with that year, either, because most of the gain came at the end.

"I got hot," he said. "Other than that, there wasn't a whole lot of difference. I just want to be consistent."

Matheny was batting .385 this spring with three RBIs, not including a home run that was erased because of a scorecard error. He hesitates to say exactly what changes were made because none of those numbers count.

"I tried to come up with something new and something where I could feel like I'm a contributor on this offense," he said. "I'm never going to take my focus off defense because that's why they want me around, but I still feel I have potential to be a lot better."

That's an attitude Matheny hopes all of his teammates share.

"I don't think it's an arrogant phrase," he said. "I think we should all strive to do better, and I know there's a lot of room for improvement for me."