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How Peter Bourjos became one of baseball's hottest hitters

PHOENIX — Three weeks ago, when Pete Mackanin said Peter Bourjos had to make a "drastic approach" at the plate, the veteran outfielder considered everything. He batted .192 as one of the worst hitters on a bad-hitting team.

"If you don't start hitting," Mackanin told Bourjos, "I can't play you."

Bourjos thought. He had worked tirelessly in the batting cage with no positive results. So he ceased all analysis.

"I'm not going to swing hard," Bourjos said. "I'm going to stop trying to hit."
"In a sense, I had put some pressure on myself," Bourjos said. "I wanted to get up there and get hits. To force it. Now, if it happens, it happens. I'm not trying to do too much. Honestly, it's just not trying to over-swing. Just be as free and easy as I can."
"I've been trying to stay on the ball and stay in right-center," Bourjos said. "Keep everything in there. A lot of it too has been about not over-swinging. My BP, my flips, it's been trying to hit the ball almost as soft as I can and get the barrel to it. I think that's helped me."

Sometimes, the simple solution is the best one.