Playoffs Give Elvis Andrus National Stage for Eye-Opening Defense

NEW YORK -- It's not that Elvis Andrus can't hit. The Texas leadoff man has a .429 average in the first two games of the American League Championship Series against New York and has a .266 average his first two years in the big leagues.

It's not that he can't run, either. He had stolen 65 bases in the regular season and his theft of home as a part of delayed double steal with Josh Hamilton was perhaps the signature moment of Texas' Game 2 win over the Yankees.

But to appreciate Andrus, you have to appreciate defense, particularly the kind of glove work an elite shortstop can bring to a club.

For Rangers second baseman Ian Kinsler, the play that stands out came against the Angels on May 17, when Andrus went four steps onto the grass in left field to get a Torii Hunter grounder, bounced up and got off a one-hop throw to first baseman Justin Smoak that left Hunter humbled. (Watch the video here.)

"That's the best play that been made on me -- ever," Hunter said at the time. "That guy can really play. He was in left field and he made a heck of a throw. That was a sweet play."

Kinsler said the play on Hunter "was the best play Elvis has made all year."

"But he makes great plays all the time," Kinsler said. "It's fun to play alongside him and watch him."

Much is made of the Rangers' improvement being linked to the vastly superior pitching the club has now over earlier versions. But that obscures the point that Andrus' arrival, which forced Michael Young from short to third base, has made all the pitchers that much better.

It took Young one spring workout session with Andrus two years ago to realize the Rangers were making the right move in installing the then-20-year-old. Young's temporary unhappiness became public, which he regrets, because Young's moving to third has made the Rangers better.

"We got it all banged out and I got to spring training and it became a non-issue," Young said. "I saw Elvis and talked to him for about 10 minutes, and at that point, it was in the past."

Andrus hasn't stopped thanking Young for his understanding and for his mentoring, because Young was one of the better shortstops in the game when the move was made. But with Young standing next to him and Gold Glove-winner Omar Vizquel on the Texas roster in 2009, Andrus had quality tutors.

And as the push toward the World Series gets more serious, the more it shows.

"This is a very exciting young player," Yankee manager Joe Girardi said appreciatively while comparing Andrus to Vizquel. "He's very good with great range, a good arm and he knows how to play the position at a young age."

Texas manager Ron Washington says it's too soon for the Vizquel comparison, then said that at some point the comparison will become apt

"Omar mentored him," Washington said. "He gave him a lot of smarts on the mental side of the game, not so much on the physical side. And that was the most important thing he got from Omar.

"Talented, the kid is off the charts. He hasn't really reached his potential yet. He's only 22. You know, I think the presence of Omar here last year grew him up quick. He's taken that. He has trust in his ability. He's a very smart guy."

But it's best to remember that he's just a kid.

"You watch him," Kinsler said, "and he seems so mature for his age. But that's on the field. Off the field, well he's still just a kid."

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Steve Phillips previews Game 3 of the ALCS and looks back at the Phillies' Game 2 win: