Church Ablaze

CHURCH AT .389

NEW YORK -- When the Mets acquired slugger Gary Sheffield during the first week of April and announced plans to put the veteran in the outfield, much was made of how Sheffield's playing time would infringe upon Ryan Church.

But if Church was initially worried he was on the hot seat, he didn't show it. And 11 games into the season, the only rise out of the Mets right fielder has been the steady climb of his batting average, up to .389 through Saturday.

"Like [manager Jerry Manuel] has always said, 'If you hit, you are going to play," Church said. "So, that's what I intend on doing. "

If April is any indication, keeping Church out of the lineup isn't an option.

In 10 starts, Church has had five multi-hit games, including a team-leading six doubles. His 14 hits are tied with Luis Castillo and Jose Reyes for tops on the team, and his seven walks trail only David Wright, who has nine.

If anything, Church looks poised to build on last season's breakthrough year, which was cut short by injuries that forced him to miss nearly half a season's worth of games.

On May 20, Church suffered a mild concussion while sliding and trying to break up a double play and ended up with two separate stints on the disabled list for post-concussion syndrome.
Prior to his injury, Church was off to an equally impressive start, hitting .319 in April with a 10-game hit streak. In 29 games in May, he hit .299 with a career-high six home runs in a single month.

Right now, Church feels 100 percent, and his goal is to stay that way for the seven-month season.

"[I] don't even worry about numbers," Church said. "Because if I'm healthy and I'm out there playing, everything will take care of itself."

In addition to the almost-daily extra practice Church takes on Citi Field's vast outfield, he is vigilant about making the proper adjustments at the plate.

Last season, he worked with Mets hitting coach Howard Johnson to keep his back foot underneath him and ensure a more balanced, confident swing. Now, Church is at the point where it's more of a "touch-and-feel thing," and he can usually tell when he's not aligned.
"Either I'll figure it out seeing it on video or [Johnson's] my second set of eyes," Church said. "And it clicks from there."

"He's a professional," Johnson said of Church's work ethic and attention to detail. "He wants to win. He wants to be as best as he can be at his position. ... And he's always been that way."
And while Church can't control what the Mets decide to do in right field, Johnson said the outfielder has his mind in the right place.

"He's very focused," Johnson said of Church's approach to the game. "He just has to maintain that and not get his mind focused on too many other things. And he's been good about that. He's very good about that, actually."


By Brittany Ghiroli / Special to MLB.com