CINCINNATI, Ohio – Punxsutawney native Devin Mesoraco, the starting catcher for the Cincinnati Reds, is hoping patience pays off for him as he works his way out of an early season slump.
Heading into Friday’s game with the Pirates in Pittsburgh, Mesoraco, who missed nearly the entire season last year with a hip injury, was batting just .140 (7 of 50) with one extra base hit (a double) and one RBI. This after hitting .273 with with 25 homer runs, 25 doubles and 80 RBIs in 2014, his last full season.
But the 27-year old isn’t letting his early-season struggles detract from helping his team win.
“I’ve been trying to swing less and trying to get on base via the walk or any way I can until I really start to feel like I’m where I want to be,” Mesorcao told Cincinnati.com earlier in the week. “I’m just trying to help any way I can. I know it hasn’t been a whole lot offensively up until this point.”
Mesoraco believes his issues are mechanical as opposed to health-related.
“My hands aren’t in a strong position to launch from,” he told Cincinnati.com. I’m kind of pushing at the ball.”
While offensively things haven’t been there yet, defensively Mesoraco is throwing out 27 percent (3 of 11) of the base runners trying to steal against him, a tick above his career average of 25 percent.
View the entire Cincinnati.com article here.
Copyright © 2024 EYT Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. Any copying, redistribution or retransmission of the contents of this service without the express written consent of EYT Media Group, Inc. is expressly prohibited.
