This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Nearly lost in the craziness that has been Salt Lake's start to the 2011 season has been the offensive assault of Bees infielder Jeff Baisley.
Released by Oakland during the winter and signed as a free agent in the winter by the Los Angeles Angels, the 28-year-old is smacking the ball like someone in a hurry to play big league baseball. In seven games, Baisley has driven in 14 runs with four homers and a batting average near .500.
Thursday, Baisley smacked a pair of two-run homers and drove in five three total RBIs. Still, it was not enough as Tucson (3-5) defeated Salt Lake 12-9 in Spring Mobile Ballpark. It is the third time this season that Baisley had already driven in three or more runs in a game for the Bees (4-3).
"I haven't hit like this in a long time. It's nice, it's fun," said Baisley, who appeared in 14 games with Oakland in 2008. "They started pitching me inside yesterday. I figured they'd try to do that."
Baisley figured right.
"His offense has been a pleasant surprise so far," Salt Lake manager Keith Johnson said.
Baisley's debut featured a 3-for-3 performance. He followed that two days later by knocking in four runs.
The former Sacramento River Cat has something to prove. Surprised by the released - he drove in 32 runs in 49 games - Baisley signed with Los Angeles three days before spring training.
"I've been seeing the ball well," he said. "I've been calm at the plate."
martyr@sltrib.comTwitter: @tribmarty.com —
Padres 12, Bees 9
R Salt Lake outfielder Chris Petitt collects four hits and drives in two runs.
• Salt Lake travels to Tucson to begin an eight-game road trip.
• Padres catcher Guillermo Quiroz drives in four runs.