SPOTLIGHT
Most hitters relish the opportunity to play in the high-octane Class A California League, where batting averages and home run totals rise quickly. Brandon Bednar enjoyed his time in that league but couldn’t wait to get out.
Bednar, who was a seventhround pick by the San Francisco Giants in 2013, has found greater success with Richmond (Va.) of the Class AA Eastern League than he ever did in the Cal League. The utility man was hitting .316 through 23 games with the Flying Squirrels, collecting 14 RBI. He hit .284 through 59 games with San Jose, and in 207 games over parts of three Cal League seasons he hit .252 with 80 RBI.
“The field at Richmond is a lot bigger and it plays to my strengths,” Bednar said. “I’m usually a gap-to-gap, line-drive, baserunning type of player. The big outfield here plays a key role for me. A lot more balls fall, so I like the big field out here. My style is to put the ball on the ground and hit line drives. That is what I intend to do. In Richmond, they play deeper because they don’t want any balls hit over their heads.”
Bednar was hitting .349 through 13 home games and .273 on the road since his promotion.
He also credits his success in the Eastern League to seeing better pitching. Bednar says in A ball there are many who are “throwers and not pitchers.” Because the pitchers are around the strike zone more in Class AA, he has better pitches to hit.