Bogusevic feeling growing pains in first full season

CHICAGO -- When the Astros drafted Brian Bogusevic, they were in a middle of a season that would result in their only trip to the World Series. That was 2005, when Bogusevic was a two-way superstar who led Tulane to the College World Series.

Bogusevic's future as a pitcher fizzled after he went 14-21 with a 5.11 ERA in 77 career Minor League games, and the Astros moved him to the outfield in 2008. This season will mark the 28-year-old's first full year in the Majors, and the growing pains are still evident.

"I had expectations for myself that I didn't really play up to, but at the same time, I feel like it's been a good learning year, and I've gained experience," he said. "It's my first full season, so there's a lot of stuff I haven't seen before. You have to take it as a learning experience and move on."

Bogusevic entered Wednesday hitting a disappointing .214 with six homers and 23 RBIs in 304 at-bats, which are 100-plus at-bats more than he had coming into this season. The Astros rewarded him with a job in the outfield to start the year after he batted .287 with four homers and 15 RBIs in 164 at-bats last year.

"Honestly, there's the experience of just facing that level of pitching day to day, but at the same time, there's things I learned about myself and what I need to do to keep my swing right and things I need to work on to be ready," he said.