Faces on the Field: Elvis Andrus

ATLANTA -- It's easy to forget Elvis Andrus is still a kid. Maybe it's the cannon the shortstop has for an arm, or the confidence ringing in his voice when he talks about his big-league plans.

Then he comes off the diamond at State Mutual Stadium in Rome cracking jokes and wearing a jaw-cramping smile, and you remember that, oh yeah, he's only 17.

"Yeah, you can tell in the clubhouse he is [young]," said teammate Eric Campbell. "We need someone like that here. But when he's out on the field, he plays much older. I guess when you get on the field, age doesn't matter anymore, but it's amazing what he does at 17."

Campbell is not the only one who has come to that conclusion. Scouts have pegged Andrus as the next Omar Vizquel or Miguel Tejada. And expectations have followed Andrus since Atlanta signed the then-16-year-old shortstop from Caracas, Venezuela, in January 2005.

Andrus isn't about to shy away from those expectations either. Rather, he has put up productive numbers from the No. 2 spot in the order in this, his first season playing for the Class A Rome Braves.

Through the first 82 games, Andrus batted .263 with 18 doubles and 41 RBIs. Add his 16 stolen bases in his line of statistics and Andrus had himself a ticket to the midseason Class A All-Star Game.

Though he didn't get a hit in his one at-bat, being invited to the All-Star Game in Eastland, Ohio, was what Andrus viewed as a byproduct of his hard work.

"That's what you want when you play in the USA -- to hit .300, to play good, to play in All-Star Games," Andrus said. "People who say, 'Oh, you're just 16. It's OK if you don't hit good.' I don't think that. In the big leagues you see guys that are 21-22 years old and hitting 40 home runs, and I say I can do that."

But Andrus' youth has shown this year. There are the 24 errors he has committed in the first 82 games of the season. And now there is the fatigue factor.

After playing only 52 total games last season between the Gulf Coast and Danville Braves, Andrus is in the midst of a 140-game season. It's a demanding five-month season for a player who has never experienced the need to play that many games in such a compact amount of time.

While most baseball players his age labor through a 50-game high school schedule, Andrus is adapting to living in a foreign country while grinding through the laborious daily routine of a Minor League player.

"It's my first full season, so I feel good," Andrus said. "But sometimes since, you know, I'm young, I feel a little tired. It's really different because you can't play really, really hard every game you start because when the season go, go, goes, your body gets really tired. It's really different, but a good chance for me."

Andrus is still developing, and an arrival in Atlanta likely is still a few years away for the young Venezuelan. Andrus said he believes he has the potential to develop into a five-tool player, though his defense and power numbers still reflect his immaturity.

But even with his defensive struggles, it's hard not to admire the attitude Andrus takes as he works to improve his fielding.

"You know, I make little errors for a young guy, for a rookie," Andrus said. "But when you play, you make errors. I know I've got a little problem, but I have good hands. I know I'm going to be a good shortstop."

The Braves will be patient with Andrus, and they are not about to rush his track to the Majors. Andrus already may possess the tools and he may have the makings of a star, but he is still a kid, a teenager growing into his body and beginning to understand just how much talent he has.

"Yeah, he's just making the adjustments that you need to make," Campbell said. "If he can keep that approach when he's 20-21, he'll be up there a long time."