Indians’ Donald leader at 3B

By Paul Hoynes

The Cleveland Plain Dealer

Goodyear, Ariz.

There’s a line in the movie “Caddyshack” where golfer Chevy Chase tells his caddie: “Stop thinking. Let things happen, and be the ball.”

Chase then hits a blinded-folded wedge shot to within 5 feet of the hole.

Jason Donald of the Cleveland Indians isn’t wearing a blindfold. He hasn’t told himself to be the ball. He is telling himself to be a third baseman.

So far, he’s hitting dead-on wedge shots.

In Thursday’s intrasquad game, Donald hit a leadoff single in the first inning. He ended the second by charging a slow-hit ball by Adam Everett, grabbing it barehanded and throwing Everett out at first to end the inning. In the third, he tripled home a run off Joe Smith and scored on Travis Buck’s infield single.

Last year, Donald played shortstop and second base for the Indians. He’s been a shortstop since he was a kid. He learned second base last year. Now he’s at third trying to plug a gaping hole on the Indians’ roster and start a career for himself.

He doesn’t even have a real third baseman’s glove. He has two on order from Rawlings, but right now, he’s using the glove he wears at shortstop and second base.

“In the 1920s, 1930s, 1940s, 1960s, I think they just had one glove,” said Donald. “As long as it catches the ball, that’s all I care about.”

Donald has a lot of good people whispering in his ear. Manager Manny Acta was a big-league infield coach for five years. Former Gold Glove third baseman Travis Fryman talked to Donald on Thursday. Infield coach Steve Smith worked with him all last year. This winter, Donald went to Smith’s home in San Diego and worked with him for a week.

In their own ways, they are trying to get Donald to be the ball.

“What Smitty and I talk about all the time is that we don’t want to overanalyze things,” said Donald. “There’s more thinking involved if you’re at the middle spots. Third base, you just react.”

Fryman talked to Donald about depth and positioning. He warned about getting caught in middle ground, when a third baseman isn’t playing deep or in on the grass.

“When you’re in the middle, that’s when you tend to get eaten up by balls,” said Donald. “I told Travis, ‘Don’t be afraid of stepping on anyone’s toes.’ We’ve opened a line of communication.”

The job is Donald’s to win. All he has to do is be the ball.

“They want me to play third,” said Donald. “I’m just going to give myself to it. That’s what’s in front of me right now. For right now, my goal and sights are at third base.”