Inside the Padres' clubhouse this spring, Wil Myers is occupying two adjacent lockers, a space that previously belonged to Matt Kemp and, before him, Carlos Quentin. The assignment is an indication of Myers' standing on a youthful team. The 26-year-old first baseman last month signed the largest contract in Padres history, a six-year, $83 million extension that cemented him as the franchise's face.
If not for some well-timed advice, it might never have come to pass.
Before he embarked on a torrid June that led to an All-Star berth and lasting security, Myers experienced a period of trepidation. Near the end of last May, the Padres were in Phoenix on an off-day. Myers, because of a slight strain in his left forearm, had not started either of the last two games. He was hitting .262 with seven home runs. Though he maintained his ailment was not directly related to past wrist problems, he was leaning toward the side of caution. He called his agent, Jeff Berry.
"I was like, 'Dude, this thing is hurting,' " Myers recalled. " 'Should I go on the (disabled list)? I don't know what to do. Another fricking wrist injury.'
"Jeff was like, 'If you can play through this and it won't make anything worse, I think you should play.'
"I got pissed at (Jeff). Why does he want me playing hurt?"
Two days later, Myers had a conversation with James Shields, a veteran pitcher who hadn't missed a start since the end of 2007. Essentially, Myers said, Shields told him to "quit being a baby."
"Out of high school, I signed for $2 million," Myers said. "I was a bonus baby. When I was in the minor leagues, if something was bothering me, it was just like, 'OK, take a day.' That's the way I came up. That's the way I thought you played the game.
"I wasn't a wuss. I just didn't know any better. ... It took James Shields telling me three years into my big league career, 'You've got to stop being a wuss and get out there and play every day because that's what you do here. You're at the highest level now. There is nowhere else to go. You're here. So it's about showing up every day, doing your routine and playing every single day.'"
Myers, who was limited to 147 games over the previous two years, never did go on the DL. On June 1, he went 3-for-4 with a double and a home run. He homered again three days later and the day after that. He finished June hitting .327 with 10 doubles, 11 home runs and five steals. He was named the National League Player of the Month.
On June 4, amid Myers' tear and the Padres' rebuilding effort, Shields was traded to the Chicago White Sox. Myers continues to hold his former teammate in high esteem.
"I'm a huge fan of James Shields," Myers said. "He's a guy I would want on my team any day of the week. If that guy is telling me to do that, I better listen. He's the epitome of going out every day."
Now, Myers, despite his age, could be considered a veteran next to many of his current teammates.
"That was the greatest advice I've ever gotten from anyone that would be one thing I specifically talk to these young guys about, about going out there every day and grinding it out," Myers said.
In August, Myers recalled his phone call with Berry.
"Man, I was this close to not being an All-Star," Myers remembers thinking. "I was this close to not being in the Home Run Derby. Now, looking back on it, I was this close to not signing a contract. I was this close to, really, who knows what would have happened if I went on the DL.
"If Jeff tells me, 'Yeah, you should go on the DL,' I'm not an All-Star. None of this stuff happens. It took Jeff telling me to suck it up."
