Gregory Polanco has been in the big leagues for more than a month and while he had one of the more successful starts a prospect could have after making the jump — .288/.374/.749 with two home runs, 10 RBI and 11 walks in June –, he has cooled down as pitchers have learned how to throw to him and Polanco has tried to adjust.
What most overlook though, is a rookie not only has to adjust to the pace and play on the field, but the everyday occurrences that go on before and after the game. Having good teammates can help the learning process become easier, but there are some things a rookie has to learn on his own.
“He’s got relationships out there in the clubhouse that are growing,” said manager Clint Hurdle. “As far as the travel, I think he’s figuring that out. It’s much nicer than AAA, but it’s still challenging from a time consuming aspect. The media is something he can’t control which is overwhelming at times which is more than he’s ever anticipated ever having to deal with. We’re trying to teach him how to say ‘no’ or ‘not now’ or ‘later’ or to take some questions questions and move on. He doesn’t have to meet the demands of every media person, nor every fan. He doesn’t have the responsibility to sign every autograph that he’s asked to sign every night. There’s a lot of newness along those lines that are going with it, but he’s figuring it out.”
One thing that Polanco has already been successful at is separating of the field situations with his play on the field. That is something that some rookies are unable to handle due to the magnitude of everything compared to what occurs in the minors. That inability to seperate sometimes leads to a decline in play throwing development back a step.
“I don’t think he’s taking that on the field,” Hurdle said. “I just think he’s trying to figure the multitude and the volume of what’s going on because there’s more of everything at this level than there has been in the past.”
Another aspect on the field that he is seeming to figure out is the art of breaking out of a slump. In July, Polanco is currently posting a slash line of .207/.275/.604 while striking out 23 times. However, he is sticking to his approach which has allowed him to hit three home runs in the month while knocking in nine.
“I never give up,” said Polanco. “I never put my head down. I just keep it up no matter what. No matter what is happening right now in my life, I keep trusting in myself and I know that I can get by with that, so I just keep believing in myself, trusting in my faith in God and working harder everyday to get out of that and see what happens. I just don’t worry about anything.”
Polanco has one of the smoothest swings in the Majors and while that is key to his successes on offense, he is still fine-tuning his approach which could explain his 36 strikeouts in 40 games. It’s not a trend that is expected to continue as Polanco’s minor league numbers show once he has gotten accustomed to a level, his plate discipline has increased leading to fewer strikeouts. It may take longer against Major League pitching, but Polanco remains patient.
“I just try to keep my head and my eyes more on the ball and I try to keep my swing from going too fast so I can time it with the ball,” Polanco said. “That’s helped me a lot. It is a lot harder here. I just have to keep getting better and try to adjust to the game as fast as I can.”
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(Photo Credit: Getty Images)
