MWL notes: Piscotty finds consistency

Piscotty led the Stanford Cardinal to NCAA Regional action. One day after they missed out on a shot at the College World Series, Piscotty was drafted in the first round (36th overall) by the St. Louis Cardinals. He quickly signed with a reported $1.43 million bonus and picked up a bat for the Class A Quad Cities River Bandits of the Midwest League.

As soon as the season is over, it's back to Stanford to work on his degree.

"It's been a long year, but it's been a lot of fun," Piscotty said. "It's been eventful, finishing my career at Stanford and getting drafted. I haven't played as many games as the guys in Quad Cities who playing a full season. That's something I have to get used to, getting my body to adapt to that lifestyle."

Piscotty, a 6-foot-3, 210-pound right-handed hitter, has transitioned into pro ball exceptionally well. He's hitting .281 in 31 games.

"It sounds cliché, but I try to take things day-to-day," Piscotty said. "My biggest thing is trying to stay consistent. I watch a lot of the players go through emotional roller-coasters, where they tear it up for a week and then they can't get a hit for a week. I feel like that can be negated.

"I think if you take things one at a time, you can stay consistent," he added. "Consistency is what allows you to become a great baseball player. The season is a long time. You can have a great first month and then struggle. But if you stay consistent game-to-game, that's where the results come out."

Piscotty only had one hit in his first nine at-bats. Since then, he's gotten into the swing of things for the River Bandits.

"I hadn't seen pitching in two and a half weeks when I first got to [Quad Cities]," Piscotty said. "It took a little bit of an adjustment to get the rust off after taking a break. I had to get used to the lifestyle of a pro ballplayer. After I got the first few games under my belt, I started playing my game and feeling comfortable in the box and seeing the ball better.

"I also realized, it's just baseball. I've played the game a lot. Players change, but the game doesn't change. I just started to feel more comfortable using the wood bat after using the aluminum bat. I did some little adjustments with my swing to put the ball in play. Line-drive contact is one of my biggest things. I'm just trying to have good at-bats and hit the ball hard."

Piscotty has hit two homers in his 31 games and would like to see the power numbers take a jump.

"The one thing I might like to improve, not that I can control it, is to go out and start hitting more home runs," Piscotty said. "I'd like to have more power, more pop, but I don't want to start trying to hit home runs. That would get me in trouble. But I'd like to improve driving the ball a little bit more."

One of the great values of Piscotty's game is his versatility. He plays third for Quad Cities, but has played shortstop and outfield. And when Stanford needed pitching help, Piscotty stepped up and strong-armed the competition.

"I've always been a utility guy," Piscotty said. "I have no problem jumping around. Whatever gets me into the lineup. That's how I've always gone about things. Third base is definitely a position I need to work at. I need to get better. I'll play wherever the Cardinals want me to play."

In brief