Peralta puts in extra time preparing for a rebound

WINTER HAVEN, Fla. (AP) -- As most of his teammates sat at tables eating lunch after their morning workout under the Florida sun, Indians shortstop Jhonny Peralta had other plans.
No, he wasn't on his way to the golf course or pool -- two of the perks spring training in Florida offers.
Instead, Peralta had more work to do. He peeled off his sweaty uniform, put on a T-shirt and pair of shorts, picked up a bat and headed to the hitting cages just outside Cleveland's clubhouse door.
While Peralta insists he isn't feeling any extra pressure, he knows he must bounce back from his sub-par 2006 performance. He was the most disappointing player on baseball's most disappointing team.
"I want to show I'm a better player than that," he said. "It not only hurt me, but it hurt a lot of people who were counting on me. I don't want to let anyone down."
Contention hopes
If the Indians are going to move back into playoff contention, Peralta must have a better season, both at the plate and in the field.
"I think I'm closer to the player from two years ago," Peralta said. "It was a bad year last season. Baseball is like that. Not everybody has a good year every year."
Peralta gave every indication he was a rising star in 2005, his first full year in the big leagues. After hitting .292 with 24 home runs and 78 RBIs, he was rewarded with a five-year, 13 million contract in spring training last season.
And that was the end of the good news. Batting in the key No. 3 hole, Peralta struggled at the plate and was steadily dropped in the order, even batting ninth at one point. He finished the season hitting .257 with 13 homers and 68 RBIs with 152 strikeouts.
Peralta's defense also came under fire. While his error total dropped from 19 to 16, his lack of range led to too many ground balls shooting through the infield.
Peralta admits the criticism, some of which came directly from manager Eric Wedge, affected him.
"It bothered me," he said. "People don't understand how much I tried to put into my game. I care a lot about my teammates and I try to win every game."
Two sides
It's natural to wonder which version of Peralta is the genuine article, the player who seemed to be a core part of the team's future two years ago or the one who looked lost last season.
"He's given us every reason to believe he'll be the player we need him to be," Wedge said. "We don't have to put numbers on it. Jhonny worked hard during the winter and he's working hard down here."
Peralta spent time in Cleveland in the offseason working to improve his agility with the Indians' conditioning coaches. He also thinks problems with his vision affected his play last season, especially in the field where he had trouble picking up the catcher's signs. Peralta couldn't adjust to wearing contacts and had Lasik surgery during the winter.
"If I can see the signs better, it might help me lean the right way and I can get a half-step jump on the ball," he said.
Not much depth
While a Peralta turnaround is crucial, the Indians don't have a lot of options if he starts slowly again. Prospect Asdrubal Cabrera is only 21 years old and needs more time at Triple-A Buffalo. The Indians have four utility infielders in camp -- Hector Luna, Joe Inglett, Mike Rouse and Luis Rivas -- but none is a natural shortstop.
It's also natural to wonder if the security of a big contract made Peralta complacent last season. He says that's not the case.
"It wasn't because of my contract," he said. "People are going to bring stuff up. They're going to talk about you if you're not playing good."