Fresh duo providing spark atop lineup
Trenton >> Jeff Hendrix and Nick Solak arrived in DoubleA under unique circumstances.
Both were promoted in the hours after the Yankees’ trade deadline dash and travelled together from Tampa, where they were with the High-A club, to join the Thunder for the remainder of the season.
Friends off the field, the duo have been a 1-2 punch on it for the first-place Thunder, who haven’t missed a beat with Hendrix and Solak at the top of the order.
“When we got here, we kind of jumped into a really good lineup,” Solak said before Tuesday night’s game against Portland. “Guys are going to compete and battle every at bat and it’s fun to come into a lineup that competes like that offensively. Over the course of the season, even with all the changes, there weren’t many hiccups because there have been a lot of wins.”
Both Hendrix (.388 in 20 games) and Solak (.306 in 18 games) were batting over .300 since arriving. That they’ve done it mostly from the No. 1 and 2 spots in the lineup is an added bonus.
Hendrix got the night off against Portland lefty Trey Ball, but has hit safely in 13 of his last 14 games, including eight of the last 11 with at least two hits. He’s also posted a .425 OBP, an important stat for a leadoff batter.
“If I can progress to be a better base stealer that can make situations where the pitchers are more inclined to throw more fastballs with the treat of stealing the base,” said Hendrix, whose swiped a pair of bags with the Thunder. “That can be something we work on.”
Count his good buddy Solak as on who benefits from that.
“It opens up a lot of holes,” Solak said. “You just like hitting with a runner on whether it’s advancing him to the next base or driving him in if he’s in scoring position. It opens up a lot of opportunities to hit behind a guy who always seems to be on base.”
There’s also a chemistry between the new 1-2 punch, which makes sense since they were both high picks — Hendrix in the fourth round in 2015 and Solak in the second round in 2016 — with similar characteristics.
“Nick’s always just been a really good hitter,” Hendrix said. “He’s just punching balls around the entire ballpark, using the whole field, hitting for power. It’s been fun to hit close to him (in the order), and he’s been hitting me in a lot this year.”
That’s not lost on Solak. “His energy and his leadership. He’s a really hard-working guy. Those three things about him as a player in general on top of his skills are great attributes about his game,” Solak said. “Since he’s been up here, he’s really swung it, too. He’s made some nice diving plays in the outfield. … Every time he steps into the box, I’m getting ready to hit with a runner on base.”