Pickrel picks it up at plate

By Steve Batterson
Quad City Times

Jeremy Pickrel remembers sitting in the stands at John O'Donnell Stadium as a kid.

"I remember watching a River Bandits game or two, thinking about what it would be like to play on a team like that someday," he said.

Pickrel now lives that dream.

A 10th-round selection of the Twins organization in last June's draft, the former Galesburg, Ill., prep now patrols right field for Minnesota's Midwest League affiliate, Beloit.

Pickrel went 4-for-6 Tuesday as the Snappers completed a four-game series against Quad-Cities, one of several chances Pickrel has to play in front of family and friends from his hometown of Henderson, Ill., and the surrounding area.

"When I was drafted out of Illinois State last year, I was pretty pumped thinking that I might get a chance to play for the Swing and be so close to home, so it was a little disappointing when team changed affiliations, but when we've played here or in Burlington or Peoria, there have been plenty of family and friends in the stands," he said.

Pickrel's support group is watching a player whose offensive game is going through a transformation of sorts as he works his way through his first full season as a professional.

Pickrel has shortened his stroke at the plate, an adjustment that has helped him become one of Beloit's top hitters.

His .545 slugging percentage ranks fourth in the Midwest League, and his .317 batting average leads Beloit. Pickrel also leads the Snappers with four home runs and is second on the team with three triples and 20 RBIs.

"I've always been able to run well, my arm is decent and I've been able to defend, but the one thing I felt like I had to work on coming out of college was getting better at the plate," Pickrel said.

"I knew that to take it to the next level that I had to get better on offense, and shortening up my swing has given me a little more control and allowed me to put the ball in play more often. Those things have really helped me."

Snappers manager Kevin Boles sees a lot of power potential as he watches Pickrel work.

"It's a matter of harnessing that and making it work for him," Boles said. "He's doing a good job of working on that right now. Jeremy's been a good clubhouse guy — always upbeat — and he's a guy that keeps everybody around him going. He's got a lot of tools, but he realizes he needs to continue to work to get better, and that's big."

Boles said Pickrel occasionally struggles to lay off the high fastball, something not uncommon among players at this level.

"He's learning that discipline at the plate is important, and his future is bright," Boles said.

Pickrel said adjusting to the elevated level of pitching he has seen in the Midwest League has been easier than he anticipated.

"I expected it to take some time, but I've been seeing the ball well so far this season, and I feel like I've done a good job producing at the plate the way I want to, although I know I still need to get better," he said.

That's something Pickrel doesn't want to forget.

"It was almost a year ago that I was waiting and wondering if and when I was going to get drafted," he said. "I struggled with the bat a bit last year in college, but when (Twins scout) Billy Milos called and told me that the Twins might take me in the 10th round, I knew that I might have a chance to make this happen.

"I listened to the draft over the Internet with my family and friends, and when I heard my name, it was an unbelievable feeling," he said. "It was like living a dream, and so far, I haven't been disappointed."

SOLID START

Jeremy Pickrel's statistics through 29 games with Beloit:

Batting avg. .317
Doubles 5
Triples 3
Home runs 4
RBIs 20
Slugging pct. .545