Iglesias – sittingstill.net’s Kelly O’Connor
Perhaps the question now is when, and not if, Pawtucket Red Sox shortstop Jose Iglesias will get the call to Boston without a ticket for a return trip to McCoy Stadium.
In 88 games played through August 24 (he was on the disabled list from May 25 through June 26 with a back injury), the 22-year-old Iglesias was hitting .266 – which was 31 points higher than his 2011 average with the PawSox. In fact, it’s his highest batting average since he was hitting .269 on May 25, prior to his injury. And now, he’ll be in the major leagues for what appears to be the rest of the season as the Sox enter into 2013 mode.
During a nine-game hitting streak in August, Iglesias raked the ball to the tune of a .385 average (15-39) replete with a .321 OBP.
“This is player development and he’s developing,” said Pawtucket manager Arnie Beyeler. “He’s getting more reps. He’s seeing better pitching. He’s making adjustments. He’s learning how to let the ball get to him and he isn’t chasing pitches like he has in the past.”
Beyeler’s point about Iglesias not chasing pitches as much as in previous years is underscored by the fact he’s struck out only 46 times in his first 353 at-bats.
“He’s putting good at-bats together,” said Beyeler. “He’s moving runners. He’s barreling up balls. His outs are harder outs. Again, the kid’s got good eye-hand coordination. He’s going to put the ball in play. It’s just a matter of learning how to barrel up balls and learning how to play the game … hit-and-run, move runners.
“He’s drive some balls this year. He’s even hit some doubles (a modest nine which still equals his 2011 output in this department). He’s hit some balls over guys’ heads. But like I’ve said, we’ve got to be patient and we’ve got to let him develop. And he’s starting to develop.”
Iglesias also has developed into a proficient bunter. For example, in a 4-1 victory on August 19 over Buffalo, he beat out a third-inning bunt which scored a run.
“He has bunted successfully which is one reason why his average is where it’s at,” said Beyeler. “If you watch him play throughout the season, when he bunts and moves runners his average goes up. When he doesn’t his average comes down.
“When he barrels up balls on a consistent basis on line, it gets caught by the outfielders. So, when he can move runners and bunt balls and get that extra hit (see the above bunt single), that’s his game. He realizes what his game is and he does a good job.”
Iglesias, who defected from Cuba and signed with Boston as an international free agent on September 8, 2009, has his own take regarding why his hitting’s improved.
“I’ve been having a pretty good year so far,” he said in an understatement. “I feel pretty good at the plate. Hopefully, I’ll keep that approach. There isn’t anything simple about this game. It’s just work, discipline and experience.
“I’m trying to be disciplined and take every at-bat pitch-by-pitch. The bottom line is that I have to make adjustments on my own because I’m the only one hitting. I’m trying to get deeper into counts and I’ve been trusting my hands more than in the past. But I know I still have work to do.”
In Beyeler’s opinion, Iglesias’ stats notwithstanding, the PawSox manager feels his young shortstop’s approach has zero to do with his being more aggressive at the plate.
“It’s not about being more aggressive or being less passive or anything like that,” said Beyeler. “It’s just a matter of getting a pitch to hit and barreling up the ball and playing the game.
“That’s what he works on … just being more consistent at the plate and making pitchers work more and grinding out at-bats and not giving at-bats away. That makes him successful.”
If Iglesias continues to be successful with a bat in his hands for the rest of the season at Pawtucket, what might he need to hit in order to stick with Boston next season?
“I just think that’s a matter of the need of the team,” said Beyeler. “If it’s a fit, and we’ve seen that this year when (Will) Middlebrooks got a chance to go up there and play because they needed him and he took advantage of the situation.
“I think ‘Iggy’s’ in the same boat. When he gets an opportunity and gets his chance, he’ll go up there and take advantage of the situation. I don’t think it’s a matter of saying ‘He has to hit this or he has to hit that.’ When the time is right and he gets an opportunity to go up there and play, I think when you see the needs of the team you’ll see how it works out.”
Iglesias last season had the proverbial cup of coffee with Boston when he got the call and played in 10 games. At the risk of stating the obvious, the experience was invaluable – especially for a neophyte like Iglesias.
“It was a good opportunity to be with the big league team,” he said. “You have a lot of guys with experience who’ve been there for a while. You watch those guys play and you always learn something.”
What everybody who’s observed Iglesias play has learned is this youngster can flat-out pick it at shortstop. In fact, Baseball America in a mid-August issue rated him the best defensive shortstop in the International League.
“You’re born with talent but you have to work on it,” Iglesias said of his defensive proficiency. “You have to get better every single day. You never stop learning something.”
Interestingly, Iglesias already has made 13 errors in his first 88 games this season as compared with 12 miscues in 101 games last season. Might this be a product of his being able to reach more balls because of his range than your average shortstop?
Not in Beyeler’s opinion.
“You can take the errors stat and do what you want to do with it because the bottom line is he’s going to make some errors,” said the skipper. “But with that, you’re going to get some pretty good plays.
“As long as they’re not routine errors and things like that, that’s the goal. He’s done a good job this year of cleaning up the routine error, the self-forced error. I don’t think a lot of the errors he’s made have been throwing errors.
“Those are what you talk about when you make throwing errors that allow a guy (to take) the extra base,” continued Beyeler, “or the throwing error on a routine ball that’s a self-inflicted error.”