Wally Backman Quite Glad That He's a Twin

L.A. Times Archives

March 12, 1989 12 AM PT

Associated Press

ORLANDO, Fla. — Wally Backman and Tom Herr are both switch-hitting second basemen who were acquired by the Minnesota Twins to bolster the top of the batting order.

As far as the Twins are concerned, the similarity ends there.

Almost immediately after coming to the Twins from the St. Louis Cardinals in last season’s Tom Brunansky deal, Herr announced that he didn’t really want to be in Minnesota.

The Twins gave him his wish, trading him to Philadelphia during the offseason for left-hander Shane Rawley.

Still uncomfortable with Steve Lombardozzi playing second and what seemed like a cast of thousands batting second, Minnesota sent three pitching prospects to the New York Mets on Dec. 7 for the 29-year-old Backman.

Almost immediately, Backman announced that he was thrilled to be with the Twins and bought a house on Lake Minnetonka.

“Tommy Herr never wanted to play here, so he didn’t fit in with the rest of us,” says first baseman and clubhouse leader Kent Hrbek. “Backman does fit in. You can see the difference just in the fact that Wally wants to have fun. Already, Backman and (Dan) Gladden are pulling pranks on each other.”

Backman says he was ready to leave the Mets.

“The atmosphere is a little different over here,” he says. “Not that it was all that bad in New York, but it was time for a change.

“I went to the park every day with the idea in my mind to play every day, to win the other half of my job. But it just wasn’t going to happen.”

Backman batted right-handed so infrequently for the Mets the last few years that he thought about becoming a full-time left-handed hitter.

“I always felt I could help the ballclub on a day-in, day-out basis,” he says. “It started from the first day I got up to the majors, I got a rap that I couldn’t hit left-handed pitching. I guess my record speaks for itself. I couldn’t hit a lick right-handed.”

Although no one, including Backman, can put a finger on it, something happened early in his major-league career to reduce his right-handed effectiveness. His career average batting right-handed is .150, compared to .306 left-handed.

In 1980, at Class AAA Tidewater, his .293 overall average included a .294 right-handed mark.

But by 1985, his only full big-league season, he had become a poor hitter from that side of the plate. He finished at .273 overall--.324 left-handed and .122 right-handed.

After getting 520 at bats that season, he became a platoon player when the Mets traded with the Twins for Tim Teufel. Ironically, the Twins dealt Teufel because they wanted Lombardozzi to be their everyday second baseman.

As Backman’s right-handed chances decreased, so did his average. He batted only .083 righty in 1987 and last year got just 35 swings from that side of the plate.

Twins manager Tom Kelly has thrown out Backman’s recent record and has already named Backman his second baseman and second batter. Day-in and day-out.

“He’s giving me the opportunity to show what I can do,” Backman says. “It’s going to take a lot of work to hit from that side again.”

Righty or lefty, Backman, who has only 116 extra-base hits in his five-year career, is anxious to get some hacks in the Metrodome.

“I should be able to get a lot more extra-base hits because the turf is so fast,” he says. “I’ve always preferred turf because I don’t hit too many balls in the air.”

Defensively, Backman says he is quickly getting comfortable with Greg Gagne, who has blossomed into one of the American League’s best shortstops.

“I don’t know what it is. It seems to be too easy an adjustment,” says Backman, whose .989 fielding percentage would have led the National League last year if he had had enough chances to qualify. “We’re already turning double plays without any problem.”

Gagne remembers Backman from both players’ minor-league days.

“I played against him when he was in Tidewater. He was a scrappy player who did anything he could to win,” Gagne says. “I don’t think there will be any problem with us on defense. He’s aggressive and I’m aggressive.”

Backman has noticed that almost all the Twins take an aggressive approach to the game.

“The Mets were very determined to win it all in 1986,” he says. “You can see that same kind of determination in the players’ faces here. The talent that’s here -- and there’s a lot of talent here -- you’re going to see it come out. In all honesty, as good a lineup as we had in New York, this is probably better.”

Which is one of the many reasons Backman is happy to be a Minnesota Twin.

He says he’ll miss the friends he made in New York but won’t miss the constant scrutiny that a New York athlete faces.

“I’m glad to get out of New York,” he says. “It’s a great city to play baseball in, but it got to be too much of a rat race.”