He’s a Real Steal : Nixon’s Work on Basepaths Has Been a Key as Braves Make Run Toward Respectability

When the Atlanta Braves stole into first place in the National League West in early May, they rode an Otis elevator to the top.

The Braves have since been caught and passed by the Dodgers and are trying to hang onto third place as the Dodgers open a four-game series in Atlanta tonight. But that the Braves are even a contender is a major surprise this baseball season.

Although Atlanta changed three-fourths of its infield and has a new look from last year’s last-place team, its dramatic improvement is being credited in large part to the April 1 trade for speedy outfielder Otis Nixon.

A 31-year-old veteran of 12 professional seasons, Nixon was a bargain-basement addition, obtained for two minor leaguers to provide late-inning defense and speed.

Instead, the lifetime .228 hitter has worked his way into the lineup by hitting .325 and is battling for the league lead in stolen bases with 36, providing an element of speed in front of the Braves’ power tandem of Ron Gant and David Justice.

Nixon blazed his way into the record books--and into the baseball public’s consciousness--two weeks ago when he stole six bases against the Montreal Expos, the team that traded him in the spring. That tied him with Hall of Famer Eddie Collins for most steals in a major league game. The next day, the Hall of Fame called for his spikes.

In 173 at-bats, Nixon is on the brink of breaking the Atlanta season record of 42 stolen bases and should challenge the all-time Braves’ mark of 57 set by Ralph Myers in 1913, when the team was in Boston.

With 76 steals in their first 63 games and 80 to date, the Braves are also well ahead of last year’s pace, when they didn’t steal their 75th until game 135. Team officials say Nixon’s daring baserunning--he’s the only player on the team who has the permanent green light from Manager Bobby Cox--has been contagious.

“I’ve always liked to play like that,” Cox said. “And Otis has been super. He’s got great defensive skills, he can fly and so far this year he’s hit. Basically we had him in mind for defense. We figured we’d play him in the outfield once in a while and pinch-run. He just kind of eased his way in.”

Nixon has rarely made news in his three seasons in the National League, but he was at the center of another notable incident earlier this month in Philadelphia, where he charged the mound after having been hit in the leg by a pitch from Wally Ritchie. Before the benches emptied, Nixon delivered a spikes-up, karate-style kick to Ritchie’s midsection, shredding the pitcher’s jersey and leaving several welts in Ritchie’s side.

Ritchie’s shredded shirt now hangs in the Phillies’ locker room, and Ritchie is still recovering from the injuries. Nixon was given a four-game suspension--which he is appealing--but the normally soft-spoken outfielder said he would do the same again if he thought a pitcher was throwing at his legs.

“My legs are my livelihood,” he said.

When the same teams played last week, however, there were no further incidents, and Nixon hopes that will help his appeal.

Nixon’s speed apparently runs in the family. His brother, Donnell, younger by two years, set a California League record with 144 stolen bases for Bakersfield in 1983.

Nixon, though, does not get by just on raw ability. He keeps a notebook on opposing pitchers’ moves and subtle habits, and takes a shorter lead than most base stealers, taking off when he sees a sign that the pitcher is throwing to the plate. Cox considers him akin to a coach for the work he does with fellow baserunners.

“He does his homework,” Cox said. “He really helps us with our base stealing.”

The North Carolina-born Nixon, who was drafted three times--turning down the Reds in June, 1978, and the Angels in January, 1979--signed with the Yankees in June, 1979, as a switch-hitting infielder. He was shifted to the outfield to take advantage of his speed and showed a good eye for the strike zone by leading three leagues in walks. While playing for the Yankees’ triple-A team in Columbus, Ohio, in 1983, he led the International League with 94 stolen bases, earning a brief call-up to New York before being traded to Cleveland over the winter.

That began a series of trips back and forth between the Indians and their farm teams. After compiling an American League average of .211, Nixon was released after the 1987 season and signed a minor league contract with the Expos, having never been able to get more than 271 at-bats or hit better than .263 in the major leagues.

But last season, he batted .251 for the Expos in 119 games, stealing a career-high 50 bases in 231 at-bats.

Nixon credits Hal McRae, who was the Expos’ hitting instructor before being hired as manager of the Kansas City Royals recently, for his improved hitting. Nixon said McRae was the first coach to work seriously on his offense.

When traded to the Braves, he got the break he needed when regular left fielder Lonnie Smith opened the season on the disabled list. Smith is back but Nixon has won a regular job for the first time. He needs about three dozen more at-bats to appear among the league batting leaders and ranks among league leaders in runs as well.

“There hasn’t been a time in my career when I’ve played this much,” Nixon said. “The word has been that I’m just a late-inning guy who can pinch-run. I guess I’ve showed otherwise.”

The Braves continue to battle key injuries, and if they manage to remain in the race this much will be clear:

Nixon’s the one.