Wong showing some power
He’s one homer short this year of career high
With home runs in his previous two games entering the Milwaukee Brewers' game Wednesday against Cincinnati, second baseman Kolten Wong upped his 2021 total to 11 — one shy of his previous career high in 2014, his first full season with the St. Louis Cardinals.
Those homers have come from the top spot in the lineup and five have led off games for the Brewers, who have been impressed by the pop displayed by the 30-year-old sparkplug.
Wong says that power isn't an accident. Instead, it's the natural progression of a player who's reaching the peak of his physical skills nine seasons
into his career.
“Just an understanding of my approach at the plate, the work that I put in this offseason and even spring training,” said Wong, who signed a two-year, $18 million deal with the Brewers on Feb. 5 after being non-tendered by St. Louis.
“After I got let go by the Cardinals, I knew I wanted to change my whole dynamic as a player. I was kind of trying to be that leadoff guy, see pitches, get on base and do the little things. But coming up through the minor leagues, even when I was drafted, I was always known as a hitter. I turned my whole attention to defense because I wanted to be a defender.
“I want to be a full baseball player. Everything is finally starting to come together now. It took eight years to finally happen, but all the work is finally paying off and it’s been fun to see.”
Despite missing a total of 34 games over three separate stints on the injured list — the first two for an oblique strain and the third for a tight calf — Wong is in position to set several career bests offensively.
He is hitting .290 (previous high was .285 in 2017) with an OPS of .828 (.788 in 2017), a slugging percentage of .475 (.423 in 2019) and 23 doubles (28 in 2015).
Wong is also barreling balls at a rate of 5.2% and his average exit velocity is 88.2 — both career bests — and his hard-hit percentage of 34.5 is the second-highest of his career.
Even better, the damage Wong is doing at the plate isn’t coming with the cost of additional strikeouts. He’s averaging one every six plate appearances, in line with where his career numbers were before signing with Milwaukee.
“People look at us and expect us to be heroes out there but at the end of the day, it’s a tough game,” said Wong, who’s still getting the job done defensively with six defensive runs saved through 684 innings at second base.
“You’re competing against pitchers who are throwing 100 (mph), command three or four pitches. Guys don’t really care if you’re in a slump at this level; they’re going to continue to bury you.
“I just understand a lot more now. I understand how hard this game is. My outlook on the game is different. I’m just
Brewers leadoff hitter Kolten Wong has hit 11 home runs this season, one short of his career high.
going out there and competing, trying to do whatever I can to have a good at-bat and the results will take care of itself.
“(Former Cardinals teammate) Greg Garcia told me this once — my stats are going to be what they’re going to be at the end of the season, regardless of how much pressure I put on it or not. That’s something I try to keep in mind every single year and use that as fuel when I’m struggling.”
Adames day to day with quad
As forecast the previous evening by manager Craig Counsell, shortstop Willy Adames was out of the starting lineup with left quadriceps soreness. He left the game in the bottom of the first inning Tuesday night after running the bases with a one-out double.
Counsell said it truly was a day-today proposition with Adames, who has been a huge part of the Brewers’ success since being acquired on May 21 in a trade with Tampa Bay.
“We’ll see how he’s doing tomorrow and keep moving forward,” Counsell said. “Any time you have leg injuries, you can’t be on the field and not use them. (Quad injuries are) unique. It’s different than a hamstring. You can play with them.
“It’s easier to play with them but they don’t go away as well. But you can play with them, so that’s the tricky part about it. He’s got an injury here so we’re going to be careful with it. It’s one of those where he’s going to have to play with it at some point. No matter what we do, we’re not going to resolve this thing (during the season).
The absence of Adames left the Brewers a bit thin in their infield. Third baseman/first baseman Eduardo Escobar went on the 10-day injured list Tuesday with a right hamstring strain.
Peterson always stays ready
Helping the Brewers work through their infield injuries has been veteran utility player Jace Peterson, whose versatility and production has been a big part of the team’s success.
Peterson, who played third base for the second consecutive day, also has made starts at second base, first base, right field and left field during two stints with the team.
“He’s one of those players, when a team has a good season, it’s a kind of player you need to have and teams like this seem to have players that do something like this,” Counsell said. “Jace has been able to fill in, he’s been able to produce without having regular every day at-bats. That’s the thing we don’t give him credit for.
“(Playing time) has been sporadic at times. We’ve sent him down, he went on the COVID list, he came back and was productive again. That’s the ability and the trait you really appreciate. He’s a true utility player, contributing offensively and defensively as well as baserunning at a really high level, at the levels of a regular player.”
Peterson was designated for assignment during a roster crunch in late May and could have taken his free agency but accepted the assignment because he felt there would be room for him again. And, sure enough, he was summoned on June 8 and has been with the team since.
As for always being ready to play, Peterson said, “For me, it comes down to a mindset thing. I’ve always prided myself and going out there and competing no matter how I feel or what the circumstances are. Whether I’m starting or coming in during the game, I’m just trying to compete and have fun and be ready to go, whether it’s going good or not.
“I think time and experience play a role in that. The more you do it and see it for what it is, you get comfortable with it. You’ve got to be willing to go out there and fail and willing to play no matter how you feel. That goes along with being a big leaguer. I’ve played with a lot of veterans, guys like Jonny Gomes, Kelly Johnson, Jeff Francoeur and people like that. I observed them and how they went about it.
“This is my job and I take pride in what I do. I try to get the best out of my ability every day. Being ready is a thing you can control.”