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Cardinals Notebook
By Derek Glanz
June 27, 2001
Cards second baseman Fernando Vina -- and his entire family -- felt they were robbed of a Gold Glove last season, when Pokey Reese took home the honors.
Not only may Vina be lavished with those honors this season, but he has been tabbed by La Russa as "as good as I've ever seen." The Cards skipper's verbal offerings take on a tone of incredulity when discussing his "second-sacker," his exclusive reference to Vina.
"The more you watch Fernando play the more amazing he is," says La Russa. "The shortness and strength of his throw. Some guys have quick hands, but it's just that his throw is so quick and strong. . . Nobody turns the double-play like him."
Vina has set his sights.
"It's not something you can control, but it would be a dream come true for me," he says. "I work hard on my defense every day. I take a lot of pride in it, same as hitting. I try to be a complete player, so if I was able to achieve that, God-willing, that would be awesome."
Vina's been no slouch at the plate, either. At the rate he's going, he'll set a career mark for runs batted in. After a five-RBI night on Tuesday, Vina has 28 RBIs and is on pace to drive in 60, which would shatter his career-best of 46. Vina is batting .323 with runners in scoring position, in addition to doing a dandy job as a leadoff hitter -- his OBP leading off innings is .455.
What would prevent the donning of these accolades is injuries. He has been on the DL five times as a Major Leaguer in his first six seasons, mostly because of his reckless hustle. He played just 123 games last season. Vina has played in 73 of the Cardinals' 76 games this season, but sat out Wednesday's game with a bruised thigh and a bug.
The Official Site of the St. Louis Cardinals
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