GA’s Coyle climbing through minors
Chalfont native heating up with Tampa Bay’s Double-A affiliate
Tommy Coyle has progressed one rung up the organizational ladder each season since he was selected by the Tampa Bay Rays out of North Carolina in the 16th round of the 2012 draft.
After advancing through three levels of Single-A ball, the former Germantown Academy standout is spending this season with Tampa Bay’s DoubleA affiliate in Montgomery, Ala.
The lefty-swinging Coyle headed into the weekend hitting .218 with six home runs, 31 RBIs and 14 stolen bases. The second baseman was in the midst of a nine-game stretch in which he was hitting .285 with an on-base percentage of .390.
“My numbers are not where I want them to be, but I feel as though I have been playing pretty well lately,” he said from Montgomery prior to Friday night’s game against visiting Tennessee, a Chicago Cubs affiliate. “The first half was a lit- tle bit of a disappointment, but I feel that I made some adjustments after the all-star break when I had a couple of days to step back and reflect on what I wanted to accomplish in the second half.”
Coyle, who is from Chalfont, played three seasons at North Carolina and experienced deep postseason runs, including a trip to the College World Series as a sophomore. The experience of playing with a successful ACC program greatly
helped Coyle’s transition to the professional ranks.
“I could not have asked for a better experience,” the 24-year-old said of his time in Chapel Hill. “I definitely was not ready for pro ball out of high school, so I was fortunate enough to get a scholarship to UNC. I developed as a player and did well enough to get drafted. Playing with a high level program kind of gets you ready a lot quicker for pro ball. The transition is easier because of the competition that you face every day.”
Since turning pro the competition has had to be on its toes when Coyle is on base. After being drafted he was assigned to Hudson Valley (N.Y.) of the short-season New-York Penn League where his 20 stolen bases tied for fourth in the league. With full-season Bowling Green (Ky.) in 2013 he swiped 40 bases to place sixth in the Midwest League, and last season with the Rays’ Port Char- lotte-based affiliate in the Florida State League he was fifth with 30 thefts.
“Speed is a big part of my game and it needs to be since I am a smaller guy,” said Coyle, who is listed at 5-foot-7 and 170 pounds. “The stolen bases are something that I need to be able to do. Overall, I think I can do a little bit of everything, including hit with occasional power. I take pride in my defense, which has been getting better over the years.”
In fact, Coyle committed only five errors in his first 73 games this season and was sporting an impressive .985 fielding percentage.
He is having a more productive season than his brother, Sean, who has been battling injuries this season with Boston’s Triple-A affiliate in Pawtucket.
Tommy, who is older by 15 months, played shortstop at Germantown Academy while Sean was stationed at second base. Tommy moved to second when he started playing at UNC and, being a year ahead, would talk to Sean about life as a college baseball player. A year later, Sean turned pro out of high school and was educating Tommy on life as a professional.
“We talk a lot and try to help each other as much as we can,” said Tommy. “He has meant a lot to me i n my career and we played next to each ( on the infield) pretty much my whole life. We bounce ideas off each other and in the off-season we train together and hit together. We do everything together in the off-season. We are in the same boat as professionals so it definitely makes it easier.”
Tommy was able to bounce a memorable experience off Sean last winter when he played Down Under. The Rays sent him to Brisbane so that he could play winter ball i n Australian Baseball League. It was an experience he will not soon forget, and not just because he hit .343.
“It was definitely one of the coolest experiences of my life, being somewhere halfway around the world,” he said of a lifestyle that included games mostly on weekends. “We did a lot of
sightseeing and we had a lot of time during the week to explore. We checked out the Great Barrier Reef and stuff like that. The baseball was very competitive and those guys take great pride in playing for their cities.”
Though the days are
scorching and the evenings are soaked in humidity, Coyle has enjoyed playing in Montgomery this season. A historic city, the Alabama state capital is where he is hoping his recent success at the plate continues.
“I feel I have made some
of the adjustments that I needed to and that I am playing a lot better,” he said. “It is all about making adjustments each day. It has been a bit of grind, which comes with the territory. But we have a fun team here and a good group of guys.”