KANSAS CITY, Mo. — One day off may be a rest. Two days a “reset.” But, on Tuesday, Josh Jung’s third straight as a passenger on the Rangers’ playoff jalopy, it became an inflection point.
This is no longer about a bad week, month or even season. This is about his career.
It’s a warning. Make adjustments or else.
“There are times in your career where you have a year like Josh is having, where you’ve been optioned down, when you get a little break like he’s had here, that you have to find a way to be a little more consistent,” manager Bruce Bochy said before the Rangers game with the Royals. “You have to keep those peaks and valleys from going as deep and as long as they have. You have to do what you have to do.
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“I think this can be a good learning experience for Josh on what adjustments he’s got to make at the plate to keep it from happening. That’s what is going to be critical for him. He’s going to have a great career … ”
And then Bochy’s voice trailed off. He didn’t say anything else. Didn’t need to. What was understood with the silence was the point: He’s going to have a great career … unless he doesn’t.
It’s now in Jung’s hands. No more is the talk about injuries. It’s about performance, the lack of it and what he’s got to do going forward to be more of a threat even when he’s not on a heater at the plate and to be less of an automatic out when he’s got two strikes on him. It may make all the difference between Jung being a mainstay in the Rangers’ lineup at third base and just a guy who passed through.
The question now is how well Jung grasps the moment. Though he doled out opening day gifts like a generous vet, he is not vested at the position long-term. He has the generosity and spirit to be a team leader. Those are great attributes, but the first rule of team leadership is to produce.
It’s also a moment where Jung, perhaps for the first time as a pro, must acknowledge that his will and stubbornness may not be enough to solve his struggles. Stubbornness is often what separates a bench player from a major league starter; players must know and trust their own swing. Self-awareness to know when to be willing to take help is what often separates stars from mere starters.
All of which brings us to this: Jung’s state of mind in the wake of all this. On Tuesday, perhaps the best way to describe it was “fragile.”
“Not gonna answer that question,” was Jung’s response about his state of mind. “I’m just going to do the best with my opportunities to try to have better at-bats.”
How exactly? Well, he’s not answering that, either.
Jung acknowledged there have been some “differences” in philosophy or perception, but didn’t detail it. Jung and Bochy acknowledged they’ve had “dialogue,” but not much more than that. To Jung’s point, there has been improvement in his swing percentage outside the zone, his overall swing rate and his on-base percentage since a two-week trip to the minors in July. In a later text, he emphasized that he’s worked to rebound and improve his process after a rough June.
None of this is meant to indicate petulance or uncooperativeness, but rather to illustrate how difficult this whole process must be for Jung. It’s hard to acknowledge that one must change from the philosophy that made him a first-round pick in the first place and got him on the fast track to the majors. To take the next step, though, it’s going to require some changes.
He can’t swing as often at pitches outside of the strike zone as he has. Needs to take more of them for either advantageous counts, to up a pitcher’s work load and to mix in a few more walks. Yes, Adolis García swings at more pitches outside the zone than Jung and hasn’t lost playing time the way Jung has. But García also isn’t part of the club’s future plans. He is what he is. Jung is still part of the future if corrections are made.
Jung can’t swing as freely at two-strike pitches as he does. It’s just not a team-centric approach. Too many of them are off the zone to start with and he’s hitting just .120 with two strikes. Among the 182 batters who have seen at least 400 pitches with two strikes, it’s the 10th worst. His .180 OBP at two strikes? It’s 178th.
On Tuesday, asked to pinch hit in a tie game against lefty Angel Zerpa, Jung fell into the same pattern. Swung at the first pitch from Zerpa, which was below the zone, then took two pitches to get ahead. And instead of looking at a 3-0 count, he swung over a 2-1 sinker at the bottom of the zone for a ground out.
“Change is never easy,” Bochy said. “You’ve had success. But it also makes you a better player, a better hitter. It’s important to get that consistency now. If you are hitting 40-45 homers that’s one thing, but if you aren’t doing that, then hopefully you are doing some other things. A little more contact. A little more consistency with the contact on the barrel. Where you are hitting the ball.”
Jung will be back in the starting lineup on Wednesday, Bochy said. Might start every game the rest of the way, too. A lot of that, though, depends on whether or not Josh Jung is willing to take the uncomfortable plunge into the world of change.
If not, he’s firmly on notice.
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