Jun. 23--Jim Negrych changed his swing, fortune changed his health and now he's enjoying more success than he could have imagined.
Stashing aside a power-happy mindset he cultivated at the University of Pittsburgh, the former St. Francis star is leading the Pittsburgh Pirates organization in hitting this season and will start at third base in Tuesday night's Class A California/Carolina League All-Star Game in Myrtle Beach. S. C.
"I knew I'd be successful if I was healthy, but maybe not to this level," Negrych said. "I just hope I can keep it up and hopefully make this season a special one."
He's done a good job so far. Negrych, the Pirates' sixth-round draft pick in 2006, is batting .360 with 21 doubles and 55 runs scored in 72 games at high Class A Lynchburg this season.
Chalk it up mostly to him finally staying injury-free. After torn thumb ligaments put an early end to his first professional season and a torn oblique muscle caused him to miss part of last year at Class A Hickory, Negrych said his health is this year's "only big difference."
But the lefty-batting Negrych also overhauled his swing and approach at the plate, today favoring drives into the gap over yanking homers down the right-field line.
"Jim is really starting to learn what type of player he is," said Kyle Stark, the Pirates' director of player development. "The reality is he is a much different guy than he was with an aluminum bat at
Pitt."
Not that anything was wrong with the guy at Pitt. There, in just three seasons, he became one of five players in school history to record 200 hits, and his 34 homers rank second all-time at Pitt. What's more, Negrych's power at second base was a factor the Pirates cited in drafting him.
But these expectations, formed partly by a short right-field porch at Pitt's home field, soon became a burden. Before his season-ending injury in 2006, he hit .267 with two homers in 146 at-bats at Class A. It was Negrych's first dose of baseball disappointment.
Following the season, the Pirates told Negrych to forget about the long ball and focus on getting on base. Part of this makeover was modifying his swing. But mostly, it was a mindset.
The new approach: "Using the big part of the field, not trying to jerk the ball out, going the opposite way," Stark said.
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