Bordick could stay a starter

Mike Bordick won’t take anything for granted when he reports to spring training next season.

“I’m still going to have to work for a spot on the big league team,” said Winterport’s Bordick, the former Hampden Academy and University of Maine standout who was the Oakland Athletics’ starting shortstop for the second half of the season. “Nothing is etched in stone.”

But after this year’s experience, in which he filled in for the injured Walt Weiss, Bordick said, “I think I established myself. I know in my own mind that I can play every day in the big leagues. And now they (Oakland) know I can.”

In 90 games, Bordick hit .238 (56-for-235) with 5 doubles, 1 triple, 21 runs batted in and 21 runs scored. His on-base percentage was .289. He struck out 37 times and walked 14 times. He was 3-for-7 in stolen bases. Defensively, he made 11 errors.

Bordick hit .350 over the final week of the season and .295 over the final month.

“I left with a good taste in my mouth,” said Bordick. “I was happy with the way I swung the bat this season. I could have done a couple of things better. My on-base percentage could have been higher. I could have drawn more walks. But over the first month and a half, I was so anxious at the plate, I wanted to hit a home run every time up instead of being patient.

“I’m an up-and-down kind of hitter,” added the 26-year-old Bordick. “But I found that I can hit major-league pitching. It’s a matter of being patient and disciplined, getting your pitch and taking advantageit.”

Bordick proved he could bunt and hit-and-run.

“I thought being a situation-type hitter would help me get to the big leagues and I showed I was able to do it when I got there. I led the team in sacrifice bunts,” said Bordick.

Defensively, Bordick felt “I held my own out there.

“I played well,” said Bordick. “But there are a lot of things that come into play for a young player. You’ve got to learn the hitters and where to play them and you’ve also got to get to know your own pitchers and their tendencies.”

Bordick is going to spend some time with his family in the Bangor area and “recuperate a little.”

He will lift weights and hopes to again work out with the University of Maine in the field house “because I did it last year and it was really beneficial. I got a lot of quality work in.”

Weiss (.226 in 40 games) will be back next year but 2B Mike Gallego could become a free agent. Bordick has one year on his contract before he becomes a free agent.

As for his future, he said, “It’ll depend on Oakland’s needs. If they want me as a utility player (instead of as a regular), I’ll be that. You never know what’s going to happen down the road. They (Oakland management) know I can play every day in the big leagues and so do other teams. And there’s expansion down the road.”