One year ago Monday, Hank Blalock was on his way back to Oklahoma, demoted to Triple-A after batting .200 in his first major league trial. Though he was just 21, he appeared nothing like the hitting machine he was billed to be.

He celebrated the first anniversary of his demotion by standing atop the major league batting leaders.

Blalock entered this week with a .387 average, leading a parade of young American League hitters like Rocco Baldelli and Milton Bradley. The best of them could very well be Blalock, the Rangers' left-handed-hitting third baseman, a player whose talent is so respected by his contemporaries that A's third baseman Eric Chavez says Blalock will soon be a better pure hitter than he is.

	Hank Blalock tops the majors with a .387 batting average.

Still only 22, and not ready to start against tough lefties, Blalock nonetheless has inspired comparisons to a young George Brett or Don Mattingly, guys who also could rake out of the womb. I sat down with Blalock last weekend in Texas.

Question: What do you see as the reason for your hot start? What is working for you now?

Blalock: I'm concentrating more. I swing at the pitch I want to hit rather than the pitch the pitcher wants me to swing at. I worked really hard with Rudy Jaramillo, our hitting coach, on doing that. Getting more and more games under my belt, I get used to the major leagues. You learn what pitch you want to hit. As long as you don't have two strikes on you -- then you go into protection mode.

Question: You swung at the first pitch a lot last year. Were you too anxious?

Blalock: It can be a good thing to swing at the first pitch as long as it's a pitch you're looking for. But last year if I swung at the first pitch it might not have been something I should have done.

Question: (Manager) Buck Showalter joked to me that you're so aggressive that he can't give you the green light on 3-0 or 3-1, or even on the bases, because you'll definitely swing and steal. Do you like that kind of game?

Blalock: I like to play hard. If I make a mistake, I want to make it aggressively. They tell me to control my aggressiveness but not lose it, because that's one of the best qualities to have.

Question: You have six home runs this year and are on pace for 26. Is power a part of your game or do you have to relax to let that happen?

Blalock: I don't care about my power. I'm a 2-hole hitter, and there's plenty of guys on this team who hit for power. It's not important whether I hit 10 home runs or 30 home runs. I'm in a situation where if there's a guy on second with nobody out he needs to be on third with one out for Alex (Rodriguez) to come up. That's my role. I'm not really about home runs or RBI. If I'm batting second, I'm more of a runs scored guy. Maybe a couple of more years into my career I can develop into a power hitter. I'm only 22 years old.

	“	I never doubt myself. Confidence is huge in baseball. You always have to come to the park thinking you're gonna get four hits that day. ”
		— Hank Blalock

Question: A-Rod not only gets you better pitches to hit, but also sharper threads, right?

Blalock: Last year, he probably noticed that I was wearing the same clothes on road trips every time. He said, "Come by the house and I'll give you some clothes." So I went over there. He's got a lot of stuff. He gave me a sports coat and some shirts. They're pretty nice. He's a little taller, but the coat he gave me was from when he was younger. I had it hemmed.

Question: Were you rushed last year?

Blalock: Last year was probably the best thing that happened to me. I made mistakes and I made adjustments, and came back this year knowing what I had to do. Last year was just an adjustment period for me. At the time I didn't treat it as a learning experience. I wasn't like, "I stink, but I'm still young." It was frustrating. I was pissed off because I wasn't playing well. But after I was sent down, I was like, "OK, I'm sent down, let's learn from it."

Question: Do you do a lot of video preparation, or do you want to just step in the box and see what happens?

Blalock: They always play the pitcher's video on these (clubhouse) TVs, so I watch the videos for like 10 or 15 minutes. But I try not to overanalyze things. The way I look at it, the guy has to throw me a strike, something I want to hit, whatever kind of pitcher he is, whatever his tendencies are. It's good to see what pitches he has, but as far as your approach goes it should be the same whatever kind of pitcher is pitching.

Question: Buck hasn't started you against some of the tougher lefties in the league, guys like Mark Mulder, Barry Zito and David Wells, in part because you've hit just .067 (2-for-30) lifetime against them. Are you comfortable against lefties?

Blalock: I feel fine against lefties. My statistics obviously show that I hit better against righties, but I don't have nearly as many at-bats. It's not that I can't hit lefties, I just haven't so far.

Question: Are there any type of pitchers you feel most comfortable against?

	Hank Blalock Third baseman Texas Rangers Profile
	2003 SEASON STATISTICS AB R HR RBI OBP AVG 119 24 6 21 .434 .387

Blalock: I feel comfortable against all of them. I don't care who's on the mound. I really don't care who's pitching.

Question: There was some early talk that you might be moved to second base and become a Jeff Kent-type player there. Michael Young's start has shelved that at least for now, but where would you prefer playing?

Blalock: I feel like I'm a very good third baseman. Third base is my first choice. But I'm the kind of player who is open to whatever helps the ballclub, the lineup the manager puts out there every day. Wherever I'm hitting and wherever I'm playing, it makes no difference.

Question: Do you have any goals for this year, particularly after starting off so well and solidifying yourself in the majors?

Blalock: It's hard to set goals for your first full major league season. If I play a full year this year, I'll know what my numbers are and what my goals are for the next year. But without having one under my belt, I really can't make predictions. I'll see what I'm capable of.

Question: Was there any moment this year when you realized, "OK, I learned what I needed to, I worked this good pitcher exactly how I wanted to, I know I'm gonna have a good year?"

Blalock: I never doubt myself. Confidence is huge in baseball. You always have to come to the park thinking you're gonna get four hits that day. If I start doubting myself, I'm gonna (stink).

Alan Schwarz is the senior writer of Baseball America magazine and a regular contributor to ESPN.com.