Eastern notes: Tellez taking off in May

With a heavy piece of lumber seemingly attached to his hands as he prepares for another game, Rowdy Tellez is not overly concerned about the start to his Double-A career from an offensive perspective.

With Tellez ever confident in his abilities when he steps to the plate, a .143 average through his first 27 games with the New Hampshire Fisher Cats was not cause for panic as he had been in a situation like this before in his career.

"You come from big league camp and you come up here and you have expectations for yourself and it's just not panning out as expected," said Toronto's No. 8 prospect. "But it's nothing that I hadn't been through. I went through a stretch in rookie ball where I think I went 2-for-75, then ended up hitting .300 that year. So it's not something I'm pressing. I'm putting good swings on the ball, getting good at-bats and sometimes the balls aren't falling."

The rookie ball slump was not quite as bad as the 6-foot-4, 220-pound slugger had let on -- although he did go 3-for-32 to start his career with the Gulf Coast Blue Jays -- but in working his way out of that, he gained confidence in what he is capable of at the plate.

He has already managed to pinpoint some issues this year, and in switching his hands back a little lower on the bat, the turnaround has already begun.

"I've just got to swing my way out of this one," said Tellez, who has hit .417 with three home runs and eight RBIs over his last six games. "I'm always comfortable with my hitting. I've always been confident in understanding the type of hitter I am and the type of hitter I will be and can be. I'm not saying I neglect my offense, or my defense, but I'm just most confident in hitting."

Which is why he has made extra efforts to work on becoming the best defender at first base that he can be, knowing full well it will ultimately write his ticket to the next levels.

New Hampshire manager Bobby Meacham has seen first-hand the work that Tellez has put in at the position as he has watched him make great strides from when he first saw him in Spring Training a few years back.

"He's gotten better and better it seems every time we go out there," said the Fisher Cats skipper. "[He's got a] long way to go, but he's doing very well right now and I expect him, when it's all said and done, to be at least a Major League average first baseman."

Like his offense, Tellez's defense is rounding into form as he has committed just one error in 214 chances this season, helping New Hampshire to a .978 fielding percentage, second-best in the league.

But Tellez knows the best way for him to keep developing is to stay grounded and not let either high or low moments dictate the player he knows he is, one who is confident and willing to work hard to get better.

"His improvement over the last couple of years, from when I saw him in just Spring Training alone, shows you he's willing to put in work to get things done to get to where he needs to be," said Meacham. "So I think the future is bright for Rowdy."

In brief

Taking extra: Reading outfielder Dylan Cozens is the first player to double-digit home runs, leading the league with 10 long balls in 36 games played. Pairing that with 10 doubles, he leads the league in extra-base hits, advancing past first once in every 6.8 at-bats. The Phillies' No. 23 prospect, who has 19 singles on the year, also leads the pack with a .581 slugging percentage.

The safe bet: Behind a pair of eight-game hitting streaks, and having gone hitless in just seven of 28 games, Orioles No. 4 prospect Chance Sisco sits atop the batting leaders with a .333 average. The Bowie catcher has 10 multi-hit games on the season and is hitting .351 for the month of May. Sisco has also collected 19 free passes and is second in the league with a .439 on-base percentage. Behind the dish he has thrown out 16 of 39 would-be base stealers.

Getting a whiff: Through its first 35 games, the Trenton Thunder pitching staff is averaging 8.6 strikeouts per game. The 2013 Binghamton Mets staff averaged 8.4 per game over the course of a 142-game season, the highest average over the last five seasons. This year, the Thunder have also allowed the fewest home runs (14) and are second in the league with a 3.12 ERA.