Indianapolis Indians
play-by-play man Will Flemming summed up Andy Wilkins’ last two weeks as well
as anyone this past Wednesday.
“You - have - got - to be
kidding me,” Flemming muttered following a Wilkins’ third-inning grand slam
against his Indians.
The home run was Wilkins’
second of the game – he hit a three-run shot in the first – and his
double-take-inducing ninth in seven games.
“That one was the
craziest,” said Wilkins on Tuesday, a day after earning his second consecutive
International League Batter of the Week Award. “You hit a home run in the first
inning of that game and then you hit a grand slam after that. I remember
thinking that things just can’t get any better than that.”
In 13 games since the
All-Star Break all Wilkins, 25, has done is hit a measly .538 (28-for-52) with
10 home runs and 24 runs knocked in.
The 6-foot-1-inch
220-pound first baseman’s 26 long balls and 70 RBIs this season, currently top
the league.
“It’s been incredibly
shocking,” said Wilkins. “For a week there, I just kept hitting home runs. It
was like, ‘Good lord, what is happening?’ So I’ve enjoyed it and had a lot of
fun.”
Wilkins, who hit .252
before the break, credits his recent assault on Class AAA pitching to an
improved timing mechanism.
“I’ve figured out this
little toe tap and it’s just helped my timing a ton and finally gotten me to a
consistent place at the plate,” said Wilkins, whose average now sits at .291.
“In baseball, you’re not going to get a hit every time, but I at least feel
like I’m giving myself the best possible chance to be in a good hitting
position when it’s time to swing.”
With an IL-high 150 home
runs hit at BB&T BallPark entering Tuesday, it’s been suggested that
Wilkins’ power surge might be the result of hitting in a place fans have begun
to affectionately dub, “The Catapult.”
However, Wilkins has
split his 26 long balls straight down the middle, with 13 at home and 13 on the
road.
Over the last couple
weeks both Baseball America and MLB.com have come out with their updated
versions of each Major League team’s top 20 prospects. Nowhere on either list
will you find Wilkins’ name.
While acknowledging that
it’d be nice to be on such a list, Wilkins said that the omission hasn’t changed
the way he approaches the game.
“I’m just trying to put
up the best numbers I can while I help my team win,” he said. “At the end of
the day, I think everything will take care of itself. If me being on a prospect
list is the only way I’m going to get to the big leagues, then there’s a flaw
in the system. It doesn’t bother me, or motivate me any more or less."
With the non-waiver Major
League trade deadline set for this Thursday and September roster expansion
quickly approaching, there will be a handful of Knights making the jump to the
big leagues.
Should Wilkins continue
to hit like he has, the no-fly list is the only one that could keep him from
Chicago.
“It would be a dream come
true (to be called up),” Wilkins said. “It’s something you think about as a
kid.
“Growing up, you feel
silly. I can remember when I was in school and having people asking me what I
wanted to do when I grew up. I wanted to play baseball and people just kind of
looked at me. It’s been my dream forever.”
Extras that didn’t make the paper:
Wilkins
on hitting at BB&T BallPark…
“The stadium is such a
hitter friendly park, but I find that the harder you try to hit a home run, the
less likely it is to happen. I’ve tried to keep the same approach being at home
and on the road and I think that’s why I’ve been able to hit the same amount of
home runs (13) here as I have on the road (13).”
Wilkins on his aggressive approach at the plate…
“Well, for me, I’m just trying to look for a good pitch to
hit. In the past, I’ve noticed that I’ve walked a lot more, but then if you
look back on some of those at-bats I maybe missed some key pitches that I could
have done some damage with.
“I’ve just been looking to find a good pitch out over the
plate that I can drive and if I don’t get that, then I’m fine with taking the
walk. A lot of these guys are good pitchers and sometimes it’s best not to get
behind and let them go to their nasty stuff. If I can try to be selective in
the zone and get something to drive, I try to do that.”
Any superstitions?
“I guess you could say I’m pretty boring. I’m not a big
superstition guy. It’s funny. There’s been days in the past, not this year,
where I’ll have a really good game and I’ll be like, ‘Ok, what did I do that
day?’ and try to recall everything, but I just can’t do that. It just gets
exhausting. I just try to stay the same mentally every day. “
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