Infielder Taylor Motter having fun in Princeton
"I like to lighten the mood," Motter said. "If you take life too seriously, it passes you by. I try to show up every day with a smile on my face.
" Through Motter's first 32 professional games, his numbers have given him something to smile about. The 21-year-old is hitting .324 (36-for-111) and despite missing a large chunk of August to date (through August 16), he is still third on the team in runs scored (25) despite playing 16 less games than the the two P-Rays in front of him in that category (Ryan Brett and Drew Vettleson). He is still among the leaders in the Appalachian League in stolen bases while clubbing 16 doubles, three homers, and 16 RBI. Not bad for somebody that was playing college ball a couple of short months ago.
The Palm Beach, FL native spent three years in Myrtle Beach, SC playing for Coastal Carolina University. There, Motter led the Chanticleers to two appearances in the NCAA Tournament. Then, the June, 2011 MLB draft came, and when the Tampa Bay Rays selected Motter in the 17th round, his lifelong dream had been realized.
"It was very overwhelming," Motter revealed. "I was in Myrtle Beach with my family. You just think back to when you were a kid in the park and you want to hear your name called. It was surreal."
Thus far, Motter has been anything but overwhelmed at the plate for the Princeton Rays. He credits his success to his approach at the plate.
"Right now, I'm a one-pitch kind of guy," Motter confessed. "I sit on the fastball. I wait on the fastball. At this level, the pitchers are trying to develop their fastball more so I sit on it. I know that as I move up in the system, I will have to adjust my approach to the breaking stuff more. It's a lot easier to hit a hard, straight pitch than a soft, breaking pitch, though."
Motter is also having similar success on the basepaths. He was never really a stolen base threat until his junior year of college, but he says that since he got to Princeton, things have changed even more.
"The key for me is being relaxed on the bases," Motter said. "My confidence rises after I have proven I can steal a base. There was a lot more pressure on me in college to have to go steal a base. Here, I just think about how I'm going to help the team win on the day in question, and if that involves me stealing second or third base, I'll do it."
Motter had his first multiple home run game as a professional on July 24 at Bluefield when he drove two pitches out of Bowen Field. Motter admitted that that has been his top achievement thus far for the P-Rays.
"That is the best feeling you can have," Motter said with a smile. "You feel like you're hitting the ball as well as you can. There was a lot of self-confidence that came with that, knowing I can hit."
When Las Vegas-area high school shortstop Jake Hager signed with Tampa Bay and the first rounder was sent to Princeton, it meant that Motter would have to move around a bit on the infield. He has since seen a lot of playing time at third. While many may have sulked and questioned their fate, Motter lets it roll off him, completely unfazed. "If you take little (things) and turn it into something big, nothing will come of it," Motter advised. "You have to turn everything into some sort of a joke. You have to have a smile and be funny."
Nobody has to remind Taylor Motter how to have fun.
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