BRADENTON, FLA. Bucs' Simon is dedicating season to his mother
Randall Simon's arrival to camp was delayed by his mother's death.
BRADENTON, Fla. (AP) -- Randall Simon finally arrived in spring camp with the Pittsburgh Pirates on Saturday, his lateness caused by his mother's death.
Simon's mother passed away in earlier this month after a lengthy illness. That delayed his contract signing with the Pirates until last week, and kept him out of camp for two days while he obtained a work visa.
"My mom was my life," Simon said. "She's in a good place. That's the thing that gives me comfort."
Simon's mother was his biggest fan and bought him his first baseball glove. She is credited with encouraging Simon to learn the game while he was growing up in Curacao, a country that has produced few major leaguers. Simon said he is dedicating this season to her.
"She'll give me the strength to keep going and do the things I need to do," Simon said. "That's the main thing I'm trying to focus on. I want to get back to playing, work hard and do my thing."
Slimmer physique
Simon also has a slimmer physique, and attributes his weight loss to the stress he endured during the winter. However, he looked at ease on the practice field Saturday, peppering line drives as soon as he entered the batting cage.
"That's Randall," Pirates manager Lloyd McClendon said. "He probably hits in his sleep."
Simon said it was good to be back with the Pirates, who acquired him from Detroit in November 2002, then traded him to the Chicago Cubs last August.
"I feel like I never left," he said. "I feel like I'm part of the Pirates family. Like I told Mac, I appreciate them bringing me back. I loved it the first time I came over here and felt at home from the get-go. I didn't have a problem being a Pirate again."
Became available
Simon became available when he was not tendered a contract by the Cubs in December. A month earlier, the Chicago acquired Florida Marlins first baseman Derrek Lee, making Simon expendable.
"As soon as I became a free agent, my agent called me and said one of the first teams that called was Pittsburgh," Simon said. "I was kind of surprised they were interested in me. It made me happy and shows they thought I did a good job and liked my personality."
Simon batted .276 with 16 home runs and 72 RBI in 124 games with the Pirates and Cubs. He'll likely bat behind clean-up hitter Raul Mondesi.
"Randall adds some much-needed offense to the middle of our lineup," McClendon said.
Notes
Non-roster infielder Donaldo Mendez's arrival in camp is still unknown. He has missed three workouts because of visa complications and remains in Venezuela trying to clear up the matter. ... The Pirates signed five players to one-year contracts Saturday: pitchers Bobby Bradley and Mark Corey, infielders Jose Castillo and Bobby Hill, and outfielder J.J. Davis. That leaves 13 unsigned players on the 40-man roster.