Pompey raps out five hits in doubleheader
Hopefully, Tristan Pompey hasn't gotten too comfortable in any locale since the Marlins selected him in the third round of this year's Draft. The Marlins' 16th-ranked prospect is four games into his tenure with Class A Advanced Jupiter, which completed a sweep of Friday's doubleheader with Daytona at Jackie Robinson Ballpark.
Hopefully, Tristan Pompey hasn't gotten too comfortable in any locale since the Marlins selected him in the third round of this year's Draft.
The Marlins' 16th-ranked prospect is four games into his tenure with Class A Advanced Jupiter, which completed a sweep of Friday's doubleheader with Daytona at Jackie Robinson Ballpark. Pompey doubled, singled twice and scored twice as the Hammerheads won the opener, 7-1. He added two hits, a walk, a stolen base, an RBI and a run scored in the 6-5 victory in the nightcap.
"Really, for me, it comes down to the first couple of at-bats in the first couple of innings," he said. "If the first couple are comfortable [at-bats], the day usually goes pretty well. If I'm seeing the ball well, I'll have a good sense of the plate and where the calls are."
Gameday box score
After striking out in his first at-bat of the day, the Toronto native singled in the fourth inning of Game 1 and doubled to center field on the first pitch he saw from reliever
"I'm just playing the game the same way, having fun with it," the outfielder said. "I'm not putting any extra pressure on myself. I'm just doing what I do best and letting the game come to me, kind of 'See the ball, hit the ball,' mentality."
Pompey notched a hit in his fourth straight at-bat by pulling a 3-2 offering from
"Every at-bat is an opportunity to get a hit," the 6-foot-4 prospect said. "My speed's definitely an asset. I like to show it off whenever I can. Just keep playing hard."
After flying out in the fourth, the 21-year-old switch-hitter tied the game at 5-5 with an opposite-field single to left in the sixth.
Pompey spent four games in the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League before heading to Class A Greensboro, where he batted .314/.422/.430 with two homers and nine RBIs in 86 at-bats.
The Marlins promoted him to Jupiter on Tuesday and the University of Kentucky product is off to an 8-for-13 start after Friday's twinbill.
As the younger brother of Blue Jays outfielder
"I talk to him quite a bit," he said. "Baseball-wise, he's been telling me to just go out there and play your game. This game is all mental and it can break you down if you let it."
Pompey entered his 2018 campaign with the Wildcats as a projected first-round pick. He hit .335 with a 1.005 OPS as a junior.
"[Pro ball is] a lot faster. That's the one biggest thing," Pompey said. "The speed of the game is a lot quicker. Coming from an SEC school, I've seen the top guys. The pitching's the same, but you're seeing it day in and day out."
And if the younger Pompey continues playing the way he's been, he'll continue moving cities with the swiftness that's carried him to the Hammerheads.
"You've just got to be yourself," he said of changing teams. "You can't really be shy. Just be yourself from Day 1. Everyone on the team knows the process. You get used to it. You come in right away and find your crew; next thing you know, you're friends with everybody on the team."
Daytona's
Chris Bumbaca is a contributor for MiLB.com based in New York. Follow him on Twitter @BOOMbaca.