News
Wallace won't be alone as he matures
Top prospect's favorite player, Chavez, happy to mentor
By Adam Loberstein / MLB.com
09/07/09 5:10 PM ET
SACRAMENTO -- For Brett Wallace, it was simply what his family did.Whenever the Oakland A's were on TV, everyone would gather around and watch. Wallace began playing traveling baseball at age 12, making the unwritten family requirement a little more difficult to meet. He'd always try to make it home in time to see the first pitch, though.
On those occasions when the whole family happened to be in town for the weekend, young Wallace would hop in the car with his folks, make the hourlong drive south from Sonoma, Calif., to the Coliseum and see the team he grew up rooting for in person.
"When we were at home," Wallace said, "we watched every game. When you're a fan of the team, you're going to make sure you check out how they're doing. I always made time."
Wallace paused. He tried to hold back the smile coming across his now 23-year-old face, then let himself finish his thought.
"Yeah, I got the chance to see him play a lot," Wallace added, now grinning widely.
He would be Eric Chavez, who's been Wallace's favorite player since he made his Major League debut in 1998 -- the same year Wallace started traveling to play baseball year-round.
Chavez is a six-time Gold Glove winner, good for fourth most all time among third basemen. The problem is Chavez, who signed a six-year, $66 million extension in 2004, hasn't been healthy in a few years, having played only 31 games over the past two seasons.
Wallace, meanwhile, is regarded as one of the top hitting prospects in the Minor Leagues. He's supposed to one day give his favorite team a much-needed power boost in the heart of its order.
That's not all. He's supposed to follow in his favorite player's footsteps, too.
Spring dreaming
It's June 5, 2008, the day some team is expected to take Wallace with its first-round pick in the First-Year Player Draft.
Wallace, who starred at Arizona State University, knew there was a good chance the A's would take him with the No. 12 pick. He knew they could use a power-hitting corner infielder. He knew he was projected to go in that range.
Oakland took Jemile Weeks, though. Wallace went to St. Louis with the next pick.
Thirteen months later, the A's brought Wallace home, acquiring him as the centerpiece of the Matt Holliday trade.
"That's a nice little caveat to the deal," said A's general manager Billy Beane shortly after trading for Wallace. "Brett was very, very excited about it. It was probably a year too late getting him over here, but we're very excited we have him."
Sure, Wallace was excited about coming back to his native Northern California. The opportunity to don the green and gold one day? That was great, too.
The first thing to go through Wallace's head after the trade, though, was that he'd get to work alongside Chavez at Spring Training come February.
"My dream would be to go out there during Spring Training and be on the field with him and learn from him," Wallace said. "I'm not here to replace someone like him. I'm here to learn everything I can from him."
Chavez, who underwent season-ending back surgery in June, is doing everything he can to get into a position to tutor Wallace.
Chavez is used to going through therapy. That's what happens when you've had five surgeries in two years. You go through it and start feeling better -- at times, you even start feeling good.
He's still six months away from Spring Training, too. The 31-year-old is rehabbing two or three times a week, rather than the four or five therapy sessions he put himself through per week in the past, hoping time will be his equalizer.
The biggest change, though, is Chavez has tempered his expectations this time around.
"I feel like I'm making progress," Chavez said, "but I'd be reluctant to say I'm feeling 100 percent and everything is going to be well come Spring Training. I'm a little bit more realistic about what to expect. ... This has all been a pretty traumatic experience for my body to go through."
That's not the hard part. The toughest thing, Chavez said, is realizing his window to play the game he's loved his whole life is quickly closing.
Chavez hopes his body cooperates enough to allow him to play another three years, even if his ailing right shoulder limits him to first base and designated-hitter duties.
"When you're 20 years old," Chavez said, "you're not really thinking, 'OK, fine, my career is coming to an end.' If I get out there next year and it doesn't go well, the next time I step on the field could be my last. ... That's something that's really hard to deal with."
Passing the game along
Chavez can put himself in Wallace's shoes.
He remembers playing Wiffle Ball with his brothers growing up, pretending they were Rickey Henderson, Jose Canseco or Tony Gwynn.
Wallace pretended he was Chavez. Both were third basemen. Both hit left-handed. Chavez had a big leg kick at the plate, though. Wallace didn't. No worries. He developed a Chavez-esque kick by the time he got to high school.
"That lets me know how old I've got," Chavez joked.
"To be honest with you," Wallace said, "I'm sure his leg kick had something to do with mine. You just saw him come up, do the things he was doing at such a young age -- he became the cornerstone of the A's. He was just someone I took to right away."
His favorite player is looking forward to taking to him.
When Chavez first got to the big leagues, he quickly began modeling himself after Jason Giambi. He recalls the way Giambi went about his business, the way he played the game, the way he passed on the game -- that's the kind of player Chavez wanted to be.
Chavez certainly went about his business, playing the game to an average of 28 home runs and 94 RBIs per season from 2000-06.
Now, his focus is on emulating the third thing Giambi did so well: passing his knowledge along. Chavez is looking forward to making an impact in Wallace's life, whether it's on the field or off it.
"I do. I really relish being able to pass things along," Chavez said. "To come full circle, it's pretty crazy to think about."
And Wallace? Yeah, his thoughts exactly.
"It's crazy to even think about it," Wallace said. "I think the biggest thing is that everyone hopes he can get healthy and come back and have a big year like everyone knows he can.
"With someone as established as him, you really just want to earn their respect. You want to go in there and let him know you're not just one of those young kids that's coming up thinking he's the greatest. I just want to come in, work hard and hopefully earn his respect. Hopefully from there, we can work together and he can help me."
Wallace's work ethic has already caught Chavez's eye.
"I'd love to work with him, especially hearing that he wants to be as good as he can be," Chavez said. "That's definitely somebody that I'd like to work with."
Getting defensive
Wallace has always done his best work at the plate. He's batting .303 with 11 doubles, seven homers and 27 RBIs in 43 games with Triple-A Sacramento.
He does, however, have his share of defensive critics.
"Let's face it," Beane said. "His bat is the attraction."
Simply put, Wallace just doesn't look like a third baseman. His massive lower body screams first base or DH a lot louder than hot corner.
Wallace has shown soft hands at the position, though, and has made it clear that he's not only willing to put in the time necessary to be a big league third baseman, but that he wants to.
"Scouts are great and all," Wallace said, "but they're not going to predict the future 100 percent of the time. I think what they can't measure is how hard you're going to work and how focused you'll be at that position."
That's where Chavez comes in.
Chavez wasn't born a great third baseman. Far from it. In fact, he almost wasn't a third baseman at all.
"I was told pretty early -- before I even played professional baseball -- that I would never be able to play third," said Chavez, who made 32 errors as a first-year pro with high Class A Visalia.
Chavez cut that number down to 21 the following season, then nine during his rookie year with the A's.
Chavez put in the time, and Wallace watched from afar.
"In his case, he worked probably as hard as anyone has every worked," Wallace said. "I've heard all the stories about him going out and taking early ground balls, late ground balls -- just working on things. When you're willing to put in that time, no one can predict what you're going to do.
"I'm not saying I'm going to go out there and win 10 Gold Gloves and be the best ever, but my goal is that I'm going to play third base. As long as they want me there, I'm going to work my butt off so there's never a reason to move me from third."
Chavez has never seen Wallace man third, but he doesn't need to. Not yet, at least.
"Without even seeing him, I already know tips that instantly could make him a better infielder," Chavez said. "I used to be where Brett is now. ... There's no doubt that if we get the opportunity to work together, he's automatically going to be a better third baseman."
That all sounds great to Wallace. He has something he wants to say first, though.
"The first thing would be to go in there, shake his hand and tell him I've been a fan of him my whole life," Wallace said. "Maybe, we can start a friendship there."
"Hopefully, Brett and I get a lot of time together," Chavez said. "Maybe he'll be able to learn something from me that'll help him be a good player in this league for a long time."
Adam Loberstein is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
