Jimmy Paredes is hoping that at age 26, he’s not being viewed strictly as a designated hitter. He wants to show that he can contribute in more ways than just with his bat.
Right now, though, he is more than happy to take whatever playing time that comes his way.
“I’m a young guy. I want to be in the field,” Paredes said. “But if they give me a chance to be in the lineup at DH, I feel great with that. I enjoy the game and I’ll put some energy into it. I like being in the lineup every day. No matter what, I want to be in the lineup.”
Including Friday night against the Los Angeles Angels, Paredes has started 19 consecutive games for the Orioles, including 16 at DH. Heading into Friday night, he was batting .364 with five homers and 18 RBIs in 88 at-bats and was riding a 12-game hitting streak.
And he’s doing it primarily while sitting for most of the game, waiting his turn to go to the plate.
“I don’t want to underestimate [the difficulty of DHing], but he’s looking for an opportunity and he’s running with it,” Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. “That’s it. He’s not complaining about his playing time. I try to keep [his inexperience] in mind a little bit.”
Showalter normally likes to use his DH position as a revolving door for everyday players to get rest. And he points out that there are very few DH-only veterans such as Boston’s David Ortiz in the American League now.
“I think that’s one of the evolving things in our game,” Showalter said. “The Jim Thomes, the Vladimir Guerreros, how many of them are there [left]?”
For now, Showalter will keep filling his DH spot with Paredes, but he also hopes it’s not a permanent thing. He’d like to see Paredes get time in the outfield in winter ball and instructional league, something Paredes tried this spring.
“One of the goals and challenges as we go forward with Jimmy is where he is going to play,” Showalter said. “He is going to have plenty of arm and plenty of foot speed [for the outfield]. He did it a little bit this year, but I want to get a little more hands-on with it with our [instructors].”
Primarily an infielder, Paredes has struggled when given the occasional opportunity in the field this year. He has started three games at second base, but two were because the Orioles had no DH available while playing the New York Mets in a National League park. He made one appearance at third base in a blowout this year and committed an error on his first chance.
So for now, Paredes is embracing the DH role, going into the indoor cages during games and swinging at pitches from coach Einar Diaz until it is time to hit.
“All we are looking for is to play at this level,” Paredes said. “You want to be in the lineup and get the chance to take advantage of [the opportunity]. You want to do a good job and help the team. I feel great with that.”
He’d feel even better if he can keep hitting while racking up at-bats. Heading into Friday, he was eight plate appearances shy of qualifying for the batting title. If he had qualified, he’d currently be third in the majors and first in the AL with a .364 average.
“To see my name there, I’d say, ‘Wow.’ It would surprise me,” Paredes said. “I’d say, ‘OK, I can do it. What I’m doing, I can keep doing it.’ "