BRADENTON, Fla. - Pittsburgh Pirates first baseman Randall Simon has never before subscribed to the theory that a walk is as good as a hit.

That could be changing this season. Simon, one of the most renowned bad-ball hitters in baseball, has displayed a more patient approach at the plate this spring and said he wants to continue his plate discipline once the season begins.

Simon surprised everyone in Pirates camp last week by drawing a walk in three consecutive games. His three walks heading into Sunday's game against the New York Yankees were tied for second most on the team.

That's unexpected considering Simon went 59 plate appearances last spring without drawing a single walk.

"I've got to be selective," Simon said. "I know I've got to be that way at the plate and look for a pitch to drive. I can't keep going up there thinking I can hit everything."

Two seasons ago, Simon led the American League in the percentage of times he swung at the first pitch. With the Pirates last season, he went through a stretch when he walked once in a 27-game span, and he walked just 16 times in 124 games with the Pirates and Chicago Cubs.

Simon's batting average dropped from .301 in 2002 to .276 last year and he thinks one reason was he swung at too many bad pitches.

"I've got to start focusing more on getting the right pitch to hit," Simon said. "If I've got to take a walk, I'll take it. Sometimes, I have to do that. In the past, pitchers wouldn't come at me and I'd help get myself out."

Simon made the decision to be more selective on his own, but it is endorsed by Pirates hitting instructor Gerald Perry, who has been reluctant in the past to tinker with Simon's approach.

"He feels so good at the plate that he thinks he can hit everything thrown up there," Perry said. "He's definitely showing more patience this spring."

Perry, however, doesn't want Simon to go overboard with his plate discipline.

Simon will bat in the middle of the Pirates lineup, and they want him to provide run production, not a high on-base percentage.

"We want him to swing the bat," he said. "We don't want him looking for a walk. We want him attacking the ball."

Notes:

Shortstop Jack Wilson won't play for at least three days because of lingering tightness in his right arm. Wilson missed a week because of soreness in his right shoulder, but the pain has moved to his forearm and biceps. The Pirates have put him on a strengthening program. ... Former Pirates second baseman Jeff Reboulet, who retired when he couldn't get a major-league contract, visited the clubhouse Sunday morning. He is working as a financial consultant. ... Left-handed reliever Joe Beimel has been unable to pitch because of lower back spasms.