From walk on to prospect, Hendrix is hitting all the right buttons
TRENTON » Jeff Hendrix is getting crash course on life in Double-A baseball.
So far so good for the 24-year-old outfielder.
Hendrix entered Tuesday night’s series opener against Altoona riding a seven-game hitting streak in which he’s batted .555 (15-for-27).
“I don’t know if anything has really clicked,” said Hendrix, who went 4-for22 in his first six games at Double-A. “I got a few cheap hits and then I’ve been swinging at strikes. It’s been a good last couple games and anytime you can do that and end up scoring, it helps your team get wins.”
A fourth-round pick in 2015 out of Oregon State, Hendrix shook off a hamstring injury at the start of the season and posted a .271/.408/.335 slash with 13 steals for High-A Tampa that earned him a promotion to the Thunder.
He’s batted .388/.426/.429 in 13 games since arriving on Aug. 1 along with second baseman Nick Solak.
“It’s always fun going to a new team that’s having a lot of success,” Hendrix said. “It also helps to come in with someone who you are already really comfortable with and you’ve played with for a while. A lot of the guys here I’ve played with the last couple years or got to know in spring training. It’s a lot of fun being with this team.”
Manager Bobby Mitchell, a center fielder with the Dodgers and Twins, was quick to get in Hendrix’s ear, especially since he’s sees similarities to himself.
“He’s been a good leadoff hitter because he can get on base a lot and steal some bases,” Mitchell said. “We’re still working on that and there’s a lot we’re throwing at him. He’s one of those guys who is engulfing everything. It’s kind of a crash course right now. With me playing the same position, I’m trying to get him up to speed with how he’s supposed to play.”
Said Hendrix: “I love that so far. I haven’t had many managers that were prominently an outfielder, so it’s awesome to have that perspective and have a little extra focus on the defensive end and the mindset that goes into it.”
Mitchell has also been working hard with Hendrix on his baserunning. Hendrix has above average speed, but he’s just 14-for-22 (63.6 percent) on stolen base attempts this season and 48-for62 (77.4 percent) in 242 MiLB games.
“We’re trying to get some more aggressiveness in him,” Mitchell said. “He’s a little bit hesitant to go sometimes, but he’s got the ability, you just have to put that in him. That’s how we play here, aggressive. If he’s going to fit in with the time he’s here, he’s going to have to be that.”
All part of the learning process. “There’s never a day when you can’t have something to work on,” Hendrix said.
Hendrix, admittedly, has probably exceeded expectations getting this far. He was a three-sport standout at Santiam Christian School in Corvallis, Ore., and then walked on at hometown Oregon State.
“It’s been fun to kind of see everything develop the last couple years,” Hendrix said. “In high school, I was a three-sport athlete and never really focused that much on baseball, but now I’m putting all my efforts into it.
“It’s been a crazy ride and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”