The Real Scott Hairston Reappears
After an injury-plagued season, Scott Hairston reappears in the Arizona Fall League as a contender for a slot on the Diamonbacks next spring.

Will Kimmey

Arizona - 11.21.03 - It hurt. It hurt to swing, to run, to get out of bed in the morning. Scott Hairston wasn't going to make excuses. He couldn't even take a full cut, but he wasn't about to show weakness and ask out of the lineup.

He kept playing, even as the muscles in his lower back conspired to shoot pain through his body.

Soon enough, Diamondbacks player development officials could tell something was wrong with their prized second base prospect.

Prospect Production Pauses for Problem

Hairston was still producing at the plate for Double-A El Paso, with a .309 average through 47 games, but he had just 24 extra-base hits. He wasn't hitting with the same authority that allowed him to lead the minors with 73 extra-base hits in 2002, or win the Arizona Junior College triple crown in 2001.

"The game is hard enough as it is," Hairston said. "To go out there knowing you have to play in pain, it's not a state of mind to really concentrate. I was playing far below my standards."

Hairston had pulled a muscle in his lower back while taking a cut earlier in the season, and just figured it would go away.

It kept flaring up as the season went along. Over the course of the month, he was only swinging with about 60 percent of his normal effort at the plate. The altered stroke had caused the discomfort to spread upward into the middle of his back.

It was the first time the 23-year-old Hairston had suffered a baseball-related injury in his life.

On May 29, both sides decided some time on the disabled list was the right course of action. Subsequent MRIs determined there was no structural damage; the problems were all muscular and rest was the only cure.

Hairston returned in early July and took some time to shake off the rust after sitting out for more than a month.

He finished his first season in Double-A with respectable numbers, a .276 average with 10 home runs and 47 RBIs, but it didn't quite match his monster stats from 2002.

He hit .345 with 22 homers, 46 doubles and 98 RBIs between low Class A South Bend and high Class A Lancaster. He drew favorable comparisons to Gary Sheffield.

Finding New Life in Finishing School

Hairston rested for a month at season's end before heading to the Arizona Fall League, a place some in the game call a finishing school for prospects. There, he got back to his old ways, ranking third in the league with a .360 average and adding four homers and 14 RBIs in 22 games.

"He played this season when he shouldn't have been playing," Diamondbacks player development director Tommy Jones said. "The real Scott Hairston is the guy who showed up in the Fall League."

The real Scott Hairston is one whom scouts are confident can be an impact bat in the majors right now.

"He has the ability to be a power and average guy," Jones said. "He's got a great knowledge of the strike zone and amazing bat speed. When he walks to the plate, he's got a game plan. He does not give away many at-bats."

Major League Work Ethic is a Family Affair

In fact, Hairston takes as many at-bats as possible, often showing up at the park early to spend extra time honing his swing in the batting cage.
Unlike a lot of other minor leaguers, he doesn't use pre-game batting practice to showcase his 35-home run potential. A right-handed hitter, Hairston works on keeping his down and shooting ball to right field.

He learned that work ethic from his father, Jerry Hairston, who spent 14 years in the majors with the White Sox.

Hairston's baseball gene is a little more dominant than that however. His grandfather Sammy spent most of his career in the Negro Leagues before getting five at-bats in 1951 for the White Sox.

His older brother, Jerry Jr., has been the Orioles second baseman since 2001. His uncle John even got four at-bats for the Reds in 1969.

"It helps having all that experience in my family, especially when you're going through (an injury)," Hairston said. "My dad told me when you play a sport as a job, you have to go through injuries. It shows what you're made of, how you handle them.

"When you're not 100 percent, it's hard. Although you fail more, you learn from it."

Jerry Jr. also struggled through the first major injury of his career in 2003, a broken foot that forced him to miss more than 100 games. "We talked a lot," the younger brother said, "but in no way did we panic."

That's one of the lessons learned from their father.

"He taught us to keep the game simple," Hairston said. "You sign a contract every year, and your job is to perform on a daily basis, one day at a time. You can't dwell on your past or get down on yourself."

Defensive Skills Still Need Sharpening

While Hairston's balanced, quiet approach at the plate gives him a chance to offer Jeff Kent-like production at the plate, he also comes with Kent's defensive liabilities.

Hairston shows just average range and struggles turning the double play and making throws from the different arm angles required of a middle infielder. He makes the occasional highlight reel play because of his baseball instincts, but then boots the routine one.

"We want him to focus and put as much effort in his defense as he does offense," said Arizona scouting director Mike Rizzo, who drafted Hairston out of Central Arizona Junior College in the third round back in 2001. "He's a tireless worker; he's at the cage early and late, but he's working on his strength rather than his weakness."

Hairston plans to address that this off-season as he works out with his brother, an above-average defender.

"He's a very good teacher," Hairston said. "I'm all ears when he talks. I want to be a complete player and I don't want to have any doubts when I go to spring training."

D-Backs Logjam Might Slow This Bat's Delivery to the Major Club

Hairston hints about making the major league club this season. While the Diamondbacks already have middle infielders including Junior Spivey, Matt Kata, Craig Counsell and Alex Cintron, none pack the offensive punch of Hairston.

A potent bat is much needed on a club where Brandon Webb posted the fourth-best ERA in the National League in 2003 but amassed just a 10-9 record, which likely cost him the rookie of the year award, because of a lack of run support.

If Hairston can't cut it defensively at second, he could always move to third base or left field. Each position comes with a logjam, however, as Arizona has two more years of Luis Gonzalez in left and Shea Hillenbrand and rookie Chad Tracy are competing at the hot corner.

"We'd never rule of a guy who can hit like he can," Rizzo said. "He's as good a hitter as there is in the minor leagues, and he's ready to hit in the big leagues now. His bat will carry him to the big leagues, and if it's not second base, maybe third base or left field or right field."

Hairston has never worked out at any position other than second since his Little League days, and would prefer to stay in the infield. He would move if asked, especially if it would expedite his trip to Arizona.

"I feel like I'm ready now to play at the big league level," Hairston said. "I'm confident I can make a contribution for the Diamondbacks where ever and whenever they need me."