Milone’s long journey continues in Double- A
Nobody ever said this professional baseball thing would be easy.
Thomas Milone is finding out it’s a lot tougher than perhaps he thought it might be when he was selected in the third round of the 2013 MLB draft by the Tampa Bay Rays.
Certainly, Milone knew he was in for a long road when he signed straight out of Masuk High, eschewing a UConn scholarship. After all, there hasn’t been a Connecticut- born position player to reach the majors without first going to college since Brook Fordyce in 1995.
Over the ensuing six seasons, for every milestone ( the home run in his first New York- Penn League game with Hudson Valley at age 18, a championship in Australia, of all places), there have been struggles, self- doubt and setbacks.
Milone has spent this entire season with Double- A Montgomery. His numbers aren’t great, but they’re not that bad, either. Perhaps most important, Milone has matured over these past six seasons of minor- league ball. He’s developed the even- keel perspective that players need in order to get through the ups and downs, the grind of the regular- season.
“When you’re hot, you don’t worry about the tough stuff, you don’t worry about anything, you keep it simple,” he said by phone last week. “When things aren’t going as well, you try to overanalyze. Sometimes, you have to simplify things down.”
Here are Milone’s numbers for the Biscuits entering the weekend: .247, four homers, 25 RBIs, nine steals, eight doubles and 11 triples. That may not jump off the page at you, but take a closer look.
Milone’s 11 triples lead the Southern League — by a lot — and is testament not only to his speed but a little more pop in his bat. Sure, four homers don’t sound like a lot, but it’s his career- high at any level, with about two weeks left on the schedule.
While .247 may sound pedestrian, it’s actually in the middle of the pack among the leaders in the Southern League, where only three hitters are batting over .300 and .270 gets you in the top 10.
“I feel like I’m doing well at the plate,” he said, “trying to keep everything simple, bringing it back to ‘ see ball, hit ball,’ and make good contact. The ball’s gonna go where it’s gonna go.”
And then, of course, there’s his defense, which has always been Milone’s strong suit. He’s made just two errors, with seven assists, as a centerfielder this season and has posted a solid 2.44 range factor ( dividing putouts and assists by innings or games played).
“I feel pretty good,” Milone said. “There have been ups and downs, but that’s the game of baseball.”
Perspective, indeed.
FINISHING STRONG
Milone had the biggest struggle of his career two seasons ago at High- A Charlotte, where he hit just .206. The following spring, he stayed behind at the Rays’ minor- league complex for extended spring training to iron out some kinks in his swing. Ultimately, he returned to Charlotte at the end of May and wound up hitting .242. He finished the year strong, though, hitting .306 in August, and was “rewarded” by joining Montgomery as a non- roster player for the Southern League playoffs.
Milone got off to a strong start this season with the Biscuits, hitting over .300 into late April, went through a prolonged slump but has picked it up a bit lately, including a two- triple game last Sunday against Birmingham.
Had Milone been a bit more productive, he might be playing a lot closer to home this weekend, in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, with the Durham Bulls, the Rays’ Triple- A affiliate. Alas, Milone is probably right where he needs to be, trying to finish up his first season in Double- A on a high note.
“We’re trying to make the playoff push,” he said of the Biscuits, who currently sit on top of the Southern League North standings for the season’s second- half, “and hopefully try and win it all. That’s the goal.”
After that, who knows? Two years ago, Milone went down to Australia and helped the Brisbane Bandits win the Australian Baseball League title, hitting .380 in the playoffs.
“That was a really cool experience, getting to see a lot of parts of Australia, a different country, and meet a lot of cool people over there,” he recalled.
Last winter, he stayed home in Monroe, working out with friend and ex- bigleaguer Darren Bragg at The Hit Club in Thomaston.
Milone doesn’t know what the Rays have planned for him when this year is over. He’s in an organization that values speed and defense in the outfield ( Kevin Kiermaier, Mallex Smith, etc.). He’s 23, which is about the median age for Double- A, so he’s still on the right track. Don’t forget, Fordyce didn’t make it to the majors until he was 25.
If all goes according to plan, Milone will return to spring training in January and perhaps begin the season with Durham, his latest and final step towards the big leagues in a journey that hasn’t been as easy as it might have seemed when he was a third- round draft pick five years ago.
SHORT GOES LONG 1
Sacred Heart alum Zack Short, one of the rising prospects in the Cubs’ organization, hit a grand slam and drove in a seasonbest five RBI on Thursday at Birmingham.
Manchester’s Tim Cate, the former UConn ace lefty taken by the Nationals in the second round of this year’s draft, has been promoted to Class A Hagerstown. Cate had a 4.65 ERA with ClassA short- season Auburn.