Zimmerman downplays all the hype

VIERA, Fla. -- A few weeks before the Nationals selected third baseman Ryan Zimmerman with their first-round pick in the 2005 First-Year Player Draft, general manager Jim Bowden compared Zimmerman's defensive skills to Brooks Robinson, Mike Schmidt and Scott Rolen -- all former Gold Glove winners.

Almost a year later, Washington hitting coach Mitchell Page compared Zimmerman's work ethic to Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols, the National League's Most Valuable Player last year. Page worked with Pujols for several years in the same capacity and can see the similarities.

"Ryan doesn't fool around," Page said. "He is always working hard on his swing. He always works with his hands in batting practice and in a game."

Despite all the hype, Zimmerman has flown under the radar this spring, primarily because plenty of attention has been on Alfonso Soriano and whether or not he will play the outfield. Zimmerman doesn't mind being unnoticed. He said he is not the type of person who needs his ego stroked.

"I'm not going to be someone who needs to be in the limelight and needs to be in the paper or on TV every day," he said. "I'm perfectly fine going about my business the way I go about it and not worrying about anything else."

Zimmerman hasn't had to worry about his game since he entered the big leagues last Sept. 1 -- he hit .397 (23-for-58) with six RBIs during the last month of the season. By the third week of September, Bowden decided that Zimmerman was ready to be the everyday third baseman, and the GM told the media such on the last day of the season.

Bowden backed up his words when he traded Vinny Castilla to the Padres for right-hander Brian Lawrence and cash in November.

While Zimmerman is penciled in as the everyday third baseman, manager Frank Robinson isn't expecting him to play like Schmidt or Pujols.

"I always try to look at it and judge an individual on his own merits," Robinson said. "This kid has a chance to be an outstanding defensive third baseman in this game over the years, and watching him in his at-bats in September, he has a pretty good feel for what type of hitter he is -- what he's capable of doing."

How does Zimmerman feel about being compared to great players? He is honored but is just trying to be himself.

"It would be ridiculous for me to go out there and try to be Mike Schmidt or Brooks Robinson," Zimmerman said. "I'd play worse then. I just have to go out there and do what I did to get here. If 10 years down the road, I've had some good years and they're still comparing me to those guys, then I think you can talk about it. But first I'm just trying to do whatever I can to help us win."

In his first exhibition game on Wednesday against the Kia Tigers, Zimmerman did just that. In the fourth inning, he made a defensive play that would have made Brooks Robinson proud. Zimmerman ran quickly toward the mound and grabbed a slow roller off the bat of Yong-Kyu Lee, throwing him out by a couple of steps.

Zimmerman even showed he could be a patient hitter like Pujols. He worked out a walk in the third and hit a sacrifice fly to drive in Nick Johnson an inning later.

As good as Zimmerman is, Robinson plans to be patient with the rookie, like he was with Terrmel Sledge in 2004. That year, Sledge started the season in a 1-for-34 slump, but Robinson never thought about sending him to the Minor Leagues.

"We're not going to let him stay here and drown or get in a rut where he cannot (recover), but we're also not going to have a quick trigger with him," Robinson said. "He's going to get a real good chance to play this year and perform here and be here. So don't look at him after a month -- I don't care if he's hitting .080 -- to be out of the lineup."