University of North Carolina Athletics
Lucas: Versatility Enhances Shelton's Role
May 23, 2006 | Baseball
May 23, 2006
By Adam Lucas
Filling a postseason roster is an agonizing process. Most teams carry at least 30 players, but only 25 are allowed in the postseason. That means coaches have to make difficult choices about who to leave at home. Pitchers probably have an advantage in the process; taking an extra arm is almost always beneficial in double-elimination style tournaments.
Some position players are certain to travel, of course. Mike Fox isn't going to leave Chad Flack or Josh Horton at home. But beyond the usual starting nine, versatility becomes critical.
Infielder Kyle Shelton has always had the flexibility to play multiple infield positions. He's comfortable at second base, third base, or shortstop, and has played all those positions during his Carolina career.
But it's his willingness to play the outfield that is likely to earn him a permanent spot on the postseason roster. After he failed to get an at-bat in the Miami series, the Tar Heel coaches tried him in left field--Shelton played the outfield frequently during summer ball in 2005--at Charlotte on April 12. Although he's not a natural outfielder and doesn't possess an overwhelming arm, he makes up for it with good baseball instincts. A baseball addict who originally wanted to wear number-2 at Carolina in honor of his favorite Tar Heel as a child--current assistant coach Chad Holbrook--he knows how to throw to the right base and hit the cutoff man.
By playing well in the outfield, he's given Fox another way to get his bat in the lineup.
"He's one of, if not the best, of our hitters mechanics-wise," Fox said this week. "His swing is very technically sound."
The numbers prove it. He's one of just four Tar Heels (with at least 75 at-bats) hitting above .340, and his .427 on-base percentage also ranks among the team's top four. His four hits in the three-game Virginia series tied Benji Johnson and trailed only Josh Horton for the team lead. His double on Sunday helped stake Carolina to an early 1-0 lead and his throw that cut down a Virginia run at home on Saturday reversed what looked like daunting momentum.
"When you can only bring 13-14 position players on the road, you have to have players who can play other positions," Fox said. "Kyle made one of the biggest plays of the game against Virginia on Saturday."
Those playmaking abilities have increased his role. He's not always in the starting lineup, but as a member of a very productive Carolina bench--which also includes defensive wizard Garrett Gore, who has a pair of hits and two RBI in his last two games--he's given Fox much more lineup flexibility. After seven "Did Not Plays" during the month of April, Shelton has now seen at least spot duty in Carolina's last 11 games.
Against Boston College, Fox was looking for a replacement first baseman after Flack was tossed for a home plate collision. His choice? Shelton, who had to borrow a first baseman's mitt from Tim Federowicz. Shelton hadn't played the position since his senior year of high school, so all he did was make a pair of terrific stops, including a diving back-handed grab that ended the inning.
He's become accustomed to making big plays, but a web gem at an unnatural position was a little much.
"I couldn't stop laughing when I was running off the field," Shelton said.
And Fox can't stop finding him a place on the field.
Adam Lucas is the publisher of Tar Heel Monthly and can be reached at alucas@tarheelmonthly.com. He is the coauthor of the official book of the 2005 championship season, Led By Their Dreams, and his book on Roy Williams's first season at Carolina, Going Home Again, is now available in bookstores. To subscribe to Tar Heel Monthly or learn more about Going Home Again, click here.
