You want to have expectations. I think it makes you work a little bit harder now, and it makes you want to prove to everyone that it wasn't just a one-year thing.

You want to have expectations. I think it makes you work a little bit harder now, and it makes you want to prove to everyone that it wasn't just a one-year thing.

I've gotten stronger, but I don't ever try to hit home runs. I stay with the same approach, just hit line drives. If you get under one and it goes out, it's a home run, but I don't feel any pressure to hit home runs.

It is nice to have the fans recognize you, not because it makes you feel like a big-time player, but because they enjoy watching baseball and they like watching us play. It's going to get even better being here. Pretty soon, the city could be one of the best places to play.

I want to be better every year, just like everyone else does. From what I learned from last year, I feel a lot more comfortable. I know the game and how it goes up here. You get in certain situations the first time, you really don't know what to expect. Now that I've been in them-and I've been in every situation possible last year-there's nothing new to come at me.

But I feel like I can go out there and do what I need to do.

A lot of teams aren't going to let me beat them. I just try to do something each game to help us win. If you do something like that, whether it's a walk or a hit, your numbers will be there by the end of the year.