When Amed Rosario hit two triples in two of his first three games, it seemed like his adjustment to the major league level might be smoother than expected. Unfortunately, Rosario went hitless for a few games and seemed to be heading for a slump.
Determined not to slip, Rosario showed maturity and approached hitting coach Kevin Long to try and address whatever issue was standing between him and some hits.
“I approached him, because I told him I was feeling a little bad that I could not connect bat to ball,” Rosario told reporters through a translator. “So together we worked on some adjustments.”
While after speaking with Long he didn’t have a 4-for-4 day, but he did knock a base hit in the eighth inning of Wednesday’s 5-1 loss to the Rangers.
“That was big for him,” Mets manager Terry Collins said. “That’s good. I thought that was a big hit for him to get him going. I liked the fact that he hit it to center field, he didn’t try to pull it. I thought it was certainly something that hopefully he understands is a good way to stop slumps. Just cut your swing down and use the field to hit.”
“I think Amed Rosario will be a better player down the road when he realizes what it takes to deal with failure,” he continued. “You have to fail to understand how to get through it. I’ve been through this for a long time where guys, the game was easy for them as they were coming up. When they all of a sudden struggle at the major-league level and got home, they didn’t know how to deal with it. So this is a great learning experience for him, to go through a tough time and realize this is a pretty good league.”
Rosario has shown on multiple occasions he is susceptible to chasing out of the zone, so hopefully that is one thing Long helps him address. The 21-year-old is now 5-for-28 (.179) on the season with two triples, one RBI and one stolen base.
