By Eric Pfahler/MLB.com
PITTSBURGH — After losing teammate Pokey Reese to the 60-day disabled list, Pirates shortstop Jack Wilson was far from excited about his new double-play mate. “I just lost Pokey Reese, my boy, my buddy, my partner, so I was feeling pretty upset about that, and they told me Jeff Reboulet was coming up,” Wilson said. “I was like, ‘Isn’t he old?'”
Wilson quickly realized that Reboulet, who is 39 years old, would quietly teach him more about the game.
“He’s (Reboulet’s) just a great guy to have on your team,” said Wilson. “You know when you go up there and there’s a situation where we need something done, and he’s up, he’s pretty much going to get it done.
“And that’s something in the offense that you want to have in all of your players.”
Said Pirates manager Lloyd McClendon, “(Wilson’s) seen the light. He’s seen how good of a player (Reboulet) is.”
This said about a career .243 hitter with 18 homers in 12 Major League seasons, but Reboulet’s presence is beyond box scores.
“You pick up a scouting report on Jeff Reboulet, he can’t hit, he can’t run, he can’t throw, he can’t steal a base, but he does all those things well,” McClendon said. “He’s always doing something positive to win a game.
“If you look at his numbers just flat out, you’d think this guy’s not a good player, but he’s an unselfish guy that will give himself up to move a runner.”
In the second half of last Wednesday’s twinbill against the Montreal Expos, Reboulet entered the ninth as a pinch-hitter and laid down a two-strike bunt for a single. Two batters later, Jason Kendall hit the game-winning double.
“When you’re not overly gifted in talent, I think you’ve got to be fundamentally sound,” said Reboulet, who stands 6-feet, 170 pounds.
“That’s what kept me in the game long enough to make it to the Major Leagues. You’d be surprised at how many guys cannot bunt in the big leagues.”
Learning the fundamentals began early for Reboulet.
“(Reboulet) was an excellent fielder, and he was a great bunter,” said Gary Lammers, Reboulet’s high school coach at Archbishop Alter in Dayton, Ohio.
“I remember him fielding everything that you hit at him.”
Reboulet, who was not heavily recruited out of high school, followed his older brother, Jim, to Triton College in Chicago, Ill. There, he was forced to further his skills.
“You basically started to field ground balls without a glove,” Reboulet said. “You had to get yourself in the proper position.
“You didn’t hit unless you laid down bunts, so you had to get your bunts down or they wouldn’t let you take batting practice.”
“I can remember when (Reboulet) was in Kansas City, we went in there to play Interleague. I remember saying this is a pesky little (guy). He gets on your nerves. He’s always on base. Now, I’m happy I’ve got him here. I’d take a few more players just like him.”
— Lloyd McClendon
From there, Reboulet played at Louisiana State University and was drafted in the 10th round in 1986 by the Minnesota Twins. After six years in the minors, Reboulet made his Major League debut and proceeded to watch other players to improve his own game.
“As a utility guy, you’re watching the game a lot, you’re watching the other team’s players, you’re watching your own players, and I have been fortunate to play behind a lot of great players,” Reboulet said.
After spending the past decade in the Majors, Reboulet took a pit stop in Triple-A Nashville before getting brought up to the Pirates on May 15, one day after Reese was put on the 60-day disabled list with torn ligaments in his left thumb.
“I know I can still play at this level, so it was more of a stopping point,” Reboulet said. “Yeah, it might not have worked out, and I might not have ever gotten a chance to play again, but it’s something that I knew I probably needed to do.
“There are guys who quit every year that can still play, that shut it down, and I could have been one of those guys.”
McClendon said he is glad Reboulet chose to play. Reboulet is batting .316 with 11 RBIs and 13 runs in 79 at-bats this season. This season, he is hitting .414 with runners on compared to .260 when no one is on base. The second baseman also has a .989 fielding percentage this season.
“I can remember when (Reboulet) was in Kansas City, we went in there to play Interleague,” McClendon said. “I remember saying this is a pesky little (guy). He gets on your nerves. He’s always on base. I hated his guts.
“Now, I’m happy I’ve got him here. I’d take a few more players just like him.”
Reboulet has tried to make sure younger players have not forgotten the fundamentals. He still goes to Alter to help teach high school players the basics of the game, said current Alter coach Scott Balent.
“Coaches are always preaching fundamentals,” Balent said. “To see somebody who’s a proven Major Leaguer come back and do the same drills the kids are doing is great.
“His big thing was hard work, and after seeing him, I believe it.”