While he has been hit by a pitch a major-league-high 20 times, Carlos Quentin has refused to add padded protection on his left arm, saying recently that "it bothers me when I'm swinging, so I don't wear it."

Hitting coach Greg Walker said: "I heard [Nick] Swisher talking the other day about a friend who had something more streamlined. Some players don't mind it, and some can't stand it. [Quentin] just personally doesn't like it."

Most of the time, Quentin has been hit in the left biceps or shoulder because he actually rolls into the pitch instead of trying to back away from it. He also stands almost on top of the plate.

Walker has feared that one pitch will hit him in the forearm and "those are the ones where they take you back to the X-ray room and they tell you you're done. That's a bad feeling."

But Quentin has refused to back off.

"He's committed to staying there as long as he has to to hit a baseball," Walker said. "He is one tough son of a gun."