FLUSHING, NY - So this is what he can do. After two years of injuries and disappointments, New York is now seeing the real Cliff Floyd.

The outfielder has started the season at a torrid pace and is hitting .386 (third in the NL) with seven homers (also third) and 23 RBI (fourth in the NL). Those numbers are not a surprise to Floyd.

"You haven’t seen it for two years," Floyd said. "I am seeing the ball and I am getting myself into a good hitting position. And I am rolling with confidence. When I get one hit then it’s easier get another hit."

Floyd says he changed his batting stance this season, which brought him closer to the plate. That has allowed the outfielder to see the ball better when it came out of the pitcher hand. And, it also gave him better judgment of the strike zone.

"You probably seen me break a lot of bats," Floyd said. "But when you move up closer to the plate, it’s going to happen a lot more, because I am not use to being in that situation. That’s why I go down to the cage, to get my hands through when guys throw me balls inside. But when they do throw me inside, they are balls anyway. Instead of me thinking, I have to get to that ball, they are probably balls, so I take it."

Because of his success, manager Willie Randolph has switched Floyd with Mike Piazza and moved him into the cleanup spot. That has also boosted the left-handed hitter’s confidence.

"In that situation, I am thankful because it shows I’m producing," Floyd said. "On the other hand, wherever you are in the lineup, you have to hit. Whether it’s fourth or fifth, you have to produce runs."

At the same time, he feels that Piazza’s demotion is not a sign that the future Hall of Fame catcher is not finished either.

"Mike, in my opinion, has had tough luck," he added. "If I hit the ball the way he is hitting, I would probably get outs. He’s been hitting the ball hard and had some tough luck."

But it has given Floyd some better pitches to hit.

"No matter where you are hitting, the first thing the pitcher does is look who is on deck," Floyd said. "And I hope they think, 'I better get Cliff.' I hope they think that, because I don’t care how old they say he is and how beat up his body is, Mike can still hit."

Floyd feels that this is just the tip of the iceberg and he can do more, but he is thankful for what he has produced so far in 2005.

"I am happy what is going, but I never feel everything is ok," Floyd said. "The more I work, it feels like I can get better. I want to hold onto it since it’s precious."

And that’s the real Cliff Floyd.