By JACK MAGRUDER
FOXSports Arizona.com
Feb. 21, 2011
Russell Branyan comes to the Arizona Diamondbacks with a reputation.
His nickname -- Russell the Muscle -- says it all.
"Huge power," said Geoff Blum, who played briefly with Branyan in San Diego after crossing paths with him as an opponent years ago in the minor leagues.
"His power prowess precedes him, and then he shows up and backs it up."
Have-bat-will-travel Branyan arrived in Diamondbacks camp Sunday, throwing another bat into the ring for the first-base competition after making Seattle's Safeco Field play like a miniaturization the past two seasons.
Branyan had 56 homers the past two years, mostly with Seattle, which according to home/road run figures is the second-most difficult place to score runs in the major leagues.
"I had a lot of fun there, and I had a lot of fun with the ball club," Branyan said.
The D-backs are Branyan's ninth team, although Seattle is the first that really gave him a regular opportunity when he joined them to play first base in 2009. At the same time, Branyan always has been seen as a good fit in a lineup because of his power. D-backs general manager Kevin Towers reached out to sign Branyan for San Diego's stretch drive to the NL West title in 2006, and St. Louis did the same thing in 2007.
A .234 hitter with 189 career home runs, Branyan had four or five interested parties in the offseason, but when none could guarantee a place on the 40-man roster, he opted to return to the familiarity of a Towers-run club.
"Just looking at the makeup of the ball club and what was going on, I liked what was going on here," Branyan said. "I played for San Diego when KT was there, and I had a lot of fun with that ball club. And I saw the type of guys that KT goes after, the type of teams he builds. I saw the moves he had made over the winter and was really excited about it."
Branyan, Brandon Allen and Juan Miranda are the first-base candidates in camp. And while it seems as if Branyan's recent resume would move him to the top of the list, the Diamondbacks insist that is not the case.
"Nobody jumps to the head of it," Towers said. "Me being new to the organization, I had only 10 days to evaluate our big-league club. I'm looking at everybody here with fresh eyes."
That is OK with Branyan.
"Competition is the game. I've been doing it the majority of my life and look to continue," he said.
Although no job is guaranteed, Towers knows what he is getting in Branyan.
"It's an experienced bat," Towers said. "He's been pretty productive. His presence alone can intimidate some people. Russell the Muscle. Paul Bunyan. He's a pretty intimidating figure. I think he's matured a lot as a player from his early days in Cleveland, to even when I had him in San Diego. He's grown a lot."
Branyan, 6-foot-3 and 230 pounds, has played first base exclusively the past two seasons, but he has played more games at third base than at any other position in his career after reaching the majors with Cleveland in 1998 at age 22. He also has played quite a bit of left field, but first and an occasional turn at third are seen this year.
"It's definitely doable," Branyan said. "I think I'll be fine getting over there. Definitely have to work a little bit more, but definitely up to the challenge."
He called his travels "a great experience."
"I've learned a lot about people, about life," he added. "You come to a different team, and each team has a little bit different to offer, from a personnel standpoint to the way things are run.
"I look forward to enjoying my time here, having fun, and if things go well, look forward to spending the summer here."
For a team that lost a lot of power with the departure of Mark Reynolds and Adam LaRoche, he could fill a role. Blum knows.
"Any time you can have power in your lineup anywhere like that . . . you don't want to sit back and rest on a three-run home run, but knowing that you have a chance of one is always a good thing, too," Blum said. "His power isn't limited at all in this league. You'll see."
