Two fastballs. Two home runs. And, yes, they came in Jace Jung’s first two at-bats Friday at Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
This isn’t necessarily what the Tigers expected last July when they made Jung, 22, and a left-handed swinging second baseman for high-Single A West Michigan, their first prize in the 2022 MLB Draft.
But a couple of homers in back-to-back at-bats Friday, blasts of 404 and 422 feet, weren’t going to be anything particularly out of character for a hitter — emphasis on hitter — the Tigers thought would find his way to Detroit, fairly expediently.
Jung arrived Sunday at Veterans Memorial Stadium, hitting .262, with a lush .392 on-base percentage, which when paired with a .462 slugging percentage equates to a meaty .854 OPS.
That can get you a promotion. Rapidly. Jung can probably prepare for one, soon enough, and new digs at Double-A Erie — if the good stuff continues. His manager is betting on it.
“Doing pretty good,” Brayan Pena said Saturday after the Whitecaps had just put down Cedar Rapids, 4-0, despite Jung’s absence after he got conked with a pick-off throw later in that Friday night game (no serious effects, the Tigers believe).
“He employs a mature approach. At the plate, he’s recognizing good pitches, and he’s using the entire field — maybe more than most hitters. That’s what’s impressed me the most.
“He has a short, compact swing, and doesn’t try and do too much. He’s trying to prolong at-bats and wear down pitches. Eventually, he finds mistakes.”
Jung a year ago was wrapping up his junior season at Texas Tech and waiting for early picking in the 2022 MLB Draft. The Tigers got him with the 12th overall turn, a nice find when Jung was pegged pretty much as a Top 10 talent.
He got a 30-game cameo last summer with the Whitecaps (.232 batting average, .706 OPS) then got set for what figured to be a more meaningful return trip in 2023.
That’s the way it’s going through 18 games. There’s a lot to learn in this professional baseball realm. And, at the same time, room to show how much progress a man might make as he bids for that Double A ticket, and maybe, a fluid path to Detroit.
It’s a matter of weaponry — his bat. And how it evolves in the eyes of his bosses.
Pena talked about those first two bombs Jung dropped Friday.
“Those were pitches he was ready for, every time,” the skipper said. “He’s hunting fastballs and good pitches to hit in hitters’ counts, and he’s making them (pitchers) pay.
“He’s recognizing pitches and making good decisions.”
Pena believes part of the good stuff has come by way of school — with Kenny Graham, the Tigers’ development director, and CJ Wamsley, West Michigan’s hitting coach, acting as Jung’s classroom professors.
“It’s fun to see them talking about hitting,” Pena said. “I don’t want to speak for (Jung), but I can tell you he’s understanding what they’re trying to do with him. He’s going out there and sticking with a game plan — and that says a lot about his maturity, who he is as a hitter.
“It’s about understanding the pitches he can do damage with, so that he can get some ISO,” Pena said, referring to the metric for measuring power and extra-base hits. “He knows ISO always will be part of his game.”
“And he’s got that unique stance,” Pena continued, speaking of Jung’s slightly open set-up, with hands held high, bat at a 45-degree angle. “Those hands are in a special position to attack. But, at the same time, it works for him. We just want him to feel comfortable and at home with his swing.”
These were points that squared Sunday with Ryan Garko, the Tigers vice president of development, who has at-large responsibility for farm-system teaching and grooming.
“He’s swinging at strikes and walking quite a bit,” said Garko, alluding to Jung’s 13 walks (he has 18 strikeouts). “It was good to see the power coming this week.
“I think it’s been a pretty tough environment for everybody in the Midwest League the last couple of weeks,” he said, talking about some frigid and wet April days and nights. “But it’s definitely been good to see him get some balls out front and in the air this week.
“He’s one of our hardest workers. And when you combine passion for the game, with work and talent, that’s obviously a nice combination.”
Now, about that other task: defense. Jung ostensibly is a second baseman. Unquestionably, a second baseman, if you ask the Tigers. But the knock from his days at Texas Tech through last season was that defense and range needed to get better — if he were to stick at second and not be a man inexorably bound for first base or designated hitter.
“Honestly, right now, he’s playing very well at second,” Pena said. “He’s moving well, making some turns on the double-play, and his arm is better than a lot of people think.
“He understands he needs to work to get better, especially on the glove side. But he moves well. He’s been showing us he can get to some baseballs we felt might be challenging. But he’s working on his agility, working on his body, and I see him every day moving better.
“Kudos to Garko and his strength-and-conditioning staff for putting a program together. Because he’s getting to some baseball that we felt might be tough ones.”
Let the weather warm. Let the bat evolve. Let the defensive tutoring continue. The Tigers might be more patient than a prospect with taking in a farm-system’s curriculum.
What matters is getting better, which a 22-year-old hitter, and defender, appears to be handling satisfactorily.
Lynn Henning is a freelance writer and retired Detroit News sports reporter.