Baseball has been back in the Portland area for about a month now, and the much-anticipated return has, for the most part, been everything it was expected to be. The atmosphere at the newly constructed Hillsboro Ballpark is lively and full of baseball fans of all ages who patiently waited to whet their appetite for their beloved sport.
In many ways, the youth of a short-season team is exactly what was needed to reintroduce baseball to Portlanders. The players are 18-24, excited to be playing and to a certain degree still innocently going about their business. The last thing we needed was a mediocre Triple-A team full of washed up former stars whose passion, accompanied by the cartilage in their knees, disappeared along with their ability to hit a curve ball. The excitement factor tied to the Hops is there, which is the first piece of the puzzle.
Now to the results.
Yogey Perez-Ramos and Zachary Esquerra have each played in 28-of-30 games so far this season, hitting .299 and .279 respectively. Esquerra leads the team in home runs (4) and RBI (21), and the pair has combined to drive in 31 and score 24. But the Hops aren’t winning.
Josh Parr has burst onto the scene, batting .306 with four extra base hits, seven runs scored and four RBI in his first 10 games. His on-base percentage is a whopping .432 and he has handled the shortstop position masterfully, committing just one error. But the Hops aren’t winning.
Ben Eckels has struck out 28 batters in 28 innings, and newly-appointed starter Austin Platt has mowed down 26 in 31 1/3 innings, one of his two starts being the Hops’ lone complete game of the season. But the Hops aren’t winning (the pair is a combined 1-5 in eight starts).
Ask a big league scout what is most important about the minor leagues – short-season A-Ball in particular – and he’ll undoubtedly say individual performance over team results. It’s true; the Hops are in a developmental league with players getting their feet wet. Players who, before long, will realize either their dream of advancing through the ranks of professional baseball, or the crushing blow of hanging up their spikes.
To these players, every game must feel like their last and the pressure to put up individual numbers must be immense. I would understand if, perhaps, that No. 3 hitter swings for the fences with runners on first and second with no outs rather than laying down a bunt. Anything less than advancing both of those runners in that situation is as good as a Ben Revere home run, but no one made it to the big leagues cause they led the Northwest League in sac bunts (well maybe Juan Pierre did, but that’s another story).
To a certain degree, developing a winning mentality while players are still green behind the ears has value to it. Any big league manager will tell you the best players are those that know how to win. Accordingly, those who develop through the minor leagues as part of winning franchises will at least be familiar with regularly convening behind the mound after the ninth inning into a high-five line.
Sure there’s value in being part of a losing team. Players exposed to difficulty and defeat are forced to prove their resilience and survive only so long as they find ways to overcome and progress. The current stretch of 26 consecutive games will prove to be a major trial in itself for players and fans alike, and the next month of the season will be even tougher than the first.
Welcome to professional baseball.
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