Despite his individual success last season, Red Sox third baseman Bill Mueller remains a hard-nosed, team-first ballplayer.

09:46 AM EST on Friday, February 27, 2004

BY STEVEN KRASNER
Journal Sports Writer

AP photo SILVER ISN'T GOLD: Winning a World Series, not a batting title, is what matters most to Red Sox third baseman Bill Mueller.

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- The Boston Red Sox' clubhouse is filled with many big names this spring.

Pedro Martinez. Nomar Garciaparra. Curt Schilling. Manny Ramirez. Derek Lowe. Tim Wakefield. Keith Foulke. Trot Nixon.

And then there's the nondescript-looking, 5-foot-10, 193-pound third baseman who, by the way, happens to be the reigning American League batting champion and Silver Slugger Award winner.

His name is Bill Mueller. And while it would be accepted and almost expected for him to walk in with a bit of a swagger, demanding he be given some attention, too, based on his award-winning 2003 season, Mueller has no problems yielding center stage to his more well known teammates.

"I prefer to be under the radar screen," said Mueller after the Red Sox completed their first full-squad workout at Boston's minor league complex.

For most of his career, that's where Mueller has resided. But last season, after signing with Boston as a free agent, Mueller surprised everyone by not only winning a batting title with an average (.326) that was 40 points above his career mark, but also with his power.

Mueller established career highs in home runs (19) and RBI (85), smashing his old records of 10 homers and 59 RBI. Included in his big year was a record-setting performance in Texas on July 29 when he hit three home runs and drove in nine runs, becoming the first player in Major League history to hit a grand slam from each side of the plate.

"Obviously, doing something like that is just ridiculous," said Mueller, 32, a seven-year veteran. "I was glad we won the game. It was nice to think about and to talk about after the game. That was a pretty special day."

But to get him talk about his personal accomplishments is not easy. As he said upon arriving in Boston's camp for the first time a year ago, it was the name on the front of the jersey (Red Sox) that was more important than the name (Mueller) on the back.

Mueller, a hard-nosed player who doesn't mind getting his uniform dirty, is all about the team, he says over and over again. He gave credit to his teammates for helping him win the batting crown.

"The guys were so talented in front of me," said Mueller, who moved around in the batting order. "I was definitely a product of those guys. That was a great group of guys we had. Any time you get a group of guys together like that it makes it a fun year."

He called winning the Silver Slugger Award at third base in the A.L., which goes to the best hitter at each position was "nice." But it wasn't his main goal.

"I don't care about individual things. I'm playing to capture a World Series title and ring. I think most people would trade in individual accomplishments for a World Series ring," said Mueller.

Mueller's outlook is so glass-half-full, that he can even find positives in Game 7 of the A.L. Championship Series, a game in which the Sox blew a late 5-2 lead and lost a World Series berth to the New York Yankees.

"My first thought was that I had the chance to go to a World Series, and that's how I left it," said Mueller. "Sure, we didn't win. But the positive was that I had that chance."

Mueller didn't contribute much offensively to the Sox' pursuit of a World Championship. He batted .105 against Oakland in the first round of the playoffs, and .222 in the ALCS, though he said he would have been happy if he had batted .040 had the team won.

Now, it's a new season. He's more comfortable in camp this year, surrounded by many of his teammates from last year. He's also healthy once again. Last year he was able to bounce back from problems associated with a fractured left kneecap he suffered in 2001 while playing for the Cubs.

Mueller also will be playing for a new manager in Terry Francona.

"My first impression is that I'm happy to be part of his ballclub," said Mueller.

Francona seems just as happy to have Mueller to count on at third base.

"When he was with the Giants and I was with the Phillies, I hated him," said Francona. "You'd look up and his uniform was dirty. If he went 1 for 4, that one hit came in the eighth and beat you. He's a guy you love to have on your team. He plays the game right. He's a pro.

"When he came over here last year, a lot of things came together for him, not just his health," said Francona. "I think he felt he had something to prove. He's a manager's dream. Just crank him up and send him out there."

That's what Francona will do. And while it's probably unfair to expect that Mueller will duplicate his offensive numbers from a year ago, it is safe to say that he will do all he can offensively and defensively to help get the Red Sox back into the playoffs without once seeking the spotlight.