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Former Philadelphia Phillie can&rsquo;t seem to get on track at the plate with his new team.



 

 
New York Yankees designated hitter Raul Ibanez has struggled at the plate this spring.
 
 AP PHOTO 
 

TAMPA, Fla. &ndash; A couple of high choppers, a strikeout, a few lazy fly balls.
This is what passes for accomplishment when hitting a baseball becomes the monumental struggle that it has for Raul Ibanez this spring.
&ldquo;Progressing,&rdquo; is the way Ibanez described his struggling swing.
The former Phillies fan favorite-turned Yankees designated hitter would take anything resembling a hit these days.
He entered Sunday&rsquo;s game with Detroit batting just .075. And although he blasted his first home run of spring training Saturday, it was just his third hit in 40 at-bats through 14 spring games.
So Ibanez spent Sunday morning honing his stroke with the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees, now known as the Empire State Yankees, during a minor league camp day - when Yankees minor leaguers squared off in exhibition games against each other.
His final four trips to the plate during the session were telling.
Ibanez showed he still has the hustle and desire, barely beating out a bounder to first base for an infield hit.
But does he still have the pop in his bat?
Ibanez followed that single by topping another pitch just foul of first base before taking a called third strike. He then finished out his minor league session by poking two easy flies to left and center field.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s all right,&rdquo; Ibanez insisted afterwards. &ldquo;As long as your progressing and getting better. I&rsquo;m getting the barrell of the bat on balls.&rdquo;
His words expressed hope, but his actions revealed frustration.
After each easy out, Ibanez shook his head, solicited advice from coaches and teammates and went back to practice his swing - trying to straighten it out on his own in the dugout.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m on top of the ball and under the ball,&rdquo; Ibanez said. &ldquo;But I&rsquo;m hitting it on the barrell. That&rsquo;s what you want.&rdquo;
What the Yankees want is the guy who spent most of the past three years as a formidable force in the middle of a Phillies lineup that won three consecutive National League East titles, played in two National League Championship Series&rsquo; and went to a World Series while he was there.
Ibanez hit a combined .274 with 50 home runs and 176 RBI during his first two seasons with the Phillies. His batting average dipped to .245 last season, but he also slugged 20 homers and drove home 84 runs after overcoming a slow start to 2011.
Now he&rsquo;s looking forward to a new start, after joining the Yankees as a free agent.
Ibanez carries a .280 batting average over his consistent 16-year career, with 252 lifetime homers and 1,054 RBI.
That&rsquo;s the type of production the Yankees are expecting, after signing Ibanez to be their lefthanded-hitting designated hitter and part-time platoon player in the outfield.
Ibanez said they&rsquo;ve gone out of their way to make him feel accepted.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s been great, a great place, great people,&rdquo; said Ibanez, who will turn 40 in June. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m really excited about playing for this organization.&rdquo;
If only his bat would start showing the same kind of enthusiasm.

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