Kotsay a veteran of great spring numbers

PEORIA, Ariz. -- With three hits Saturday, Padres outfielder Mark Kotsay raised his Cactus League batting average to a robust .800 in 10 at-bats, which essentially rates as a miniscule sample-size.

It also means next to nothing to Kotsay, 37.

"I don't [weigh] the Spring Training numbers," Kotsay said Sunday. "I've had great springs before and I've gotten off to bad starts in April. For me, it's just focusing on the approach."

Kotsay trails only Kyle Blanks (nine hits) among those hitters in camp, and while he's not dissatisfied with his start, he's not going to read too much into it.

"It's having a quality plate appearance and how my body feels ... that's it," Kotsay said. "So far, so good. I'm just trying to stay consistent and focus on the approach."

While with the White Sox in 2010, Kotsay hit .382 in the spring with 21 hits. The following spring with the Brewers, he hit .340 with 17 hits. Last season, he hit .345 with 10 hits for the Padres, his second tour of duty with the team.

"For him, I think he had a good offseason, feels good physically, is in a good place mentally," said Padres manager Bud Black. "So to have it translate into base hits in spring is a good thing."