Cone continues power surge for Mavericks

Zach Cone missed all but seven games in 2013 after tearing his left Achilles tendon. Last season, the former first-round pick posted a .207/.313/.356 slash line across three Class A levels. Now, healthy and armed with refocused approach at the plate, he's turning a corner in the California League.

Cone homered for the fourth straight game Sunday, continuing a blistering stretch at the plate and powering Class A Advanced High Desert to a 7-5 win over visiting San Jose to earn a split of their four-game series.

"I guess I'm a little more locked in," Cone said after lifting his 2015 slash line to .303/.354/.529 through 60 games. "It's just confidence, I guess. I feel good. I do the same thing, have my routine every day, and I just try to do the same thing."

With a runner aboard and two outs in the bottom of the seventh, Cone cracked his fifth homer in four games to left-center field, giving the Mavericks some breathing room. During a five-game hitting streak, during which Cone has four multi-hit performances, the outfielder is batting .524 (11-for-21) with five homers, three doubles, 12 RBIs and seven runs scored.

Cone cited his work regimen outside of game action as a factor behind his resurgence.

"It's pretty basic, tee work and flips and all that, but it's changed this year working with Bobby Rose, the hitting coach here, and (infielder and No. 12 Rangers prospect) Ryan Cordell," Cone said. "Me and him do the same thing. He kind of put me on it a few weeks into the season. It's just basic tee and flip, but I guess it's the approach with it. We take it into BP and, hopefully, it correlates in the games."

The power has been a welcome facet during Cone's streak. Prior to June 10, the 25-year-old hadn't homered in 13 games.

"[Rose] does a really good job helping with my approach going into a game or going into an at-bat, having a plan," he said. "I give a lot of thanks to him for that."

The 2013 injury cost Cone nearly an entire season, and last year's struggles dropped him off the Rangers' prospect radar.

"Last year was just a tough year for me," he said. "I didn't play every day. I'd go through streaks of playing every other day or every third day, which is tough to get in a rhythm. I didn't have a good year last year."

After spending 50 games with Class A Advanced Myrtle Beach in the Carolina League over the last two seasons, an offseason affiliate change gave Cone a clean slate. But he's not concerned with the next move in his career, however close it may be.

"I just try to take it day by day and control what I can control," he said. "I try not to get too caught up in moving up or anything like that. I play the game to play in the big leagues one day, not Double-A or Triple-A. That's the ultimate goal, so I try to go out there every day with a positive attitude and have fun because it's baseball wherever I'm at."

Cone's roommate, Royce Bolinger, doubled, singled and scored twice for the Mavericks on Sunday. High Desert starter David Ledbetter (1-5) earned his first win since Aug. 17, allowing four runs on seven hits over six innings.