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Sounds’ Schafer would run through walls to reach majors

As David Cooper's blast sailed toward the wall in right-center field at Cashman Field, Logan Schafer was in a high-speed pursuit of the ball.

The Nashville Sounds' center fielder just missed snagging Cooper's shot, and he collided with the laminated wood fence, the ball trickling away from him. While a dazed Schafer tried to get his bearings, Cooper scooted around the bases for an inside-the-park three-run homer, breaking a 6-6 tie in what would be a 10-8 51s win Monday.

Two days later, Schafer was still miffed at not having tracked down the ball, which had traveled approximately 425 feet.

"I should have had it," he said. "But I play the game hard. I just try not to be reckless."

Schafer, a third-round pick of the Milwaukee Brewers in 2008 and one of the organization's top prospects, knows he has to play that way if he intends to gain a permanent spot in the major leagues.

"When I got called up last September, I got five at-bats," said Schafer, who went 0-for-4 with a walk Wednesday in the Sounds' 5-3 victory in the third game of a four-game series that concludes tonight. "But the real stuff I got out of it was learning how the guys up there approach their job."

Schafer is learning an important job - that of a leadoff hitter. He is batting .260, and his on-base percentage, the more critical statistic for leadoff men, is .317. Schafer would like that number to be higher. So would Nashville manager Mike Guerrero.

"I'm trying to work counts better and draw more walks," Schafer said. "The thing I've had to adjust to most is taking pitches and not swinging at pitches I know I can hit. I'm getting more comfortable with it, but it's something I have to keep working at.

"It's a fun spot, but it's also an important position in the order. If I can get on and give our big boppers a chance to do their thing, then I'm doing my job."

Guerrero doesn't need Schafer to walk more to improve his on-base percentage.

"I think it's about being selective and having a plan up at the plate," Guerrero said. "The other thing is knowing how aggressive to be in a given situation. But he has a good feel for the game, and he's getting better."

Schafer, 25, would like to fulfill the lofty expectations Brewers fans have for him. He's trying to stay patient, knowing Milwaukee's outfield is crowded.

"My focus is strictly on getting better every day," said Schafer, who played two years at Cal Poly and had been drafted by Boston in 2006 (31st round) and Colorado in 2007 (47th round). "It's all about putting in the work."

Schafer's biggest challenge has been staying healthy. He has had injuries the past two seasons, suffering a left groin strain and breaking his right foot in 2010 and breaking his right thumb last year. And running into walls can be hazardous to one's health.

"It was absolutely scary the other night," he said of his Monday collision with the wall. "I felt a numbness and a tingle in my kneecap. But after a couple of minutes, it was all right.

"Would I do it again? Absolutely. I don't know how to play the game any other way. I'm still mad I didn't make that catch."

Contact reporter Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2913. Follow him on Twitter: @stevecarprj.

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