Cougars outfielder Joey Armstrong learned quickly how competitive professional baseball can be.
Drafted in the 10th round out of UNLV by the Diamondbacks last year, Armstrong struggled to a .205 average between short season Class A Hillsboro and rookie level Missoula.
In the performance-based world of pro baseball, if you don’t produce, your chance can disappear. Suddenly, Armstrong was stuck without a full-season assignment coming out of spring training this year, toiling away in extended spring training, just waiting for a shot.
“Last year was disappointing for me,” Armstrong said. “It’s nice to be able to jump back into this and have some success. I just have to keep doing my thing and stay focused and not take my at-bats for granted.”
After a three-week stint at advanced Class A Visalia, where he started once every four games, Armstrong arrived in Kane County on July 4 for his second stint of the season with the Cougars. He’s been a stalwart in the outfield ever since.
Over 29 games with the Cougars coming into Sunday’s 3-0 loss to Clinton, Armstrong hit .307. He’s especially effective against left-handed pitching. Though it’s a small sample size, Armstrong is 12-for-25 against southpaws.
“I think he sees the ball well against left-handers,” Cougars hitting coach Jonathan Mathews said. “When his timing is right, he’s able to be ready for a fastball but also allow himself time to hit the changeup. I think he’s done a really good job of that, which has allowed him to have some success against left-handed pitching.”
Armstrong took advantage of his time in extended spring training, incorporating a leg kick to try to get his timing back on track.
“That was kind of my idea,” Armstrong said. “I needed to find a different timing mechanism because I was getting beat by fastballs. You have to be ready for fastballs. I decided to do it on my own and I had people that were supportive of it. In extended, I worked with a lot of guys that had a leg kick before. It’s just more consistent than my other load was.”
Count Mathews among those impressed with how Armstrong has incorporated his leg kick.
“When he’s right, his swing is about as clean as anybody we have,” Mathews said. “When his timing is good, the trajectory off his bat is really, really good. It’s a pretty thing. It’s short, it’s clean, it’s compact. I couldn’t be happier with how Joey has gone about his business and the success he’s had. I’m happy for him.”
Being from a baseball family doesn’t hurt, either. His older brother Pat, who was also his teammate at UNLV, played in the Angels organization. His father, Mark, played on Maine’s 1976 College World Series team.
“I’ve been around the game since I was four years old,” Armstrong said. “My dad’s always worked with me and always talked with me. To have my brother, it’s awesome, just having that to fall back on, not even talking about mechanics, just talking about the mental side of the game. Shoot, my mom (Teresa) knows a lot about the game, too. Everyone in the family is really supportive.”
Paul Johnson is a freelance writer
Up next: Clinton (Ronald Dominguez 2-2) at Cougars (Sam McWilliams 1-3), 6:30 p.m. Monday, WBIG-AM (1280), kccougars.com.
