Coghlan collects career-high six RBIs

Chris Coghlan did not get down on himself when he struggled during his first couple of weeks at the Triple-A level. Instead, he adjusted.

Those adjustments have been paying off for Coghlan, who went 3-for-3 with two doubles, a homer and a career-high six RBIs on Wednesday to lead the New Orleans Zephyrs to a 7-3 victory over the Round Rock Express.

The 2006 first-round Draft pick continued the tear that started on April 22, when he picked up two hits and two RBIs. Until then, he was hitting .217 in his first taste of the Pacific Coast League.

"In the beginning of season, the timing just wasn't there," Coghlan said. "I was adjusting to a new league. Here, all the pitchers can throw their off-speed pitches for strikes, doesn't matter what count it was. That kind of got me off-balance.

"Eventually, I adjusted. The last week or two, fortunately, I've been able to see the ball well and hit the ball hard."

That's an understatement. The University of Mississippi product is hitting .556 (20-for-36) over his last 10 games and is 11-for-18 with three homers and 12 RBIs in his last five contests. The surge has lifted his average up to .348, which ranks eighth in the league.

The adjustments that produced the swift turnaround were almost exclusively mental, Coghlan said.

"I've been working with my hitting rover, John Mallee. He talked to me just about approach, not the mechanics of my swing," he explained. "It's about your mental game. My hitting coach, Steve Phillips, talked to me about adjustments and the differences in the league, approach and timing."

The jump from Double-A to Triple-A is not as pronounced as the one from Class A to Double-A, said Coghlan, an All-Star in the South Atlantic League in 2007 and the Southern League in '08.

"I was doing the same thing this year, it just so happened at the beginning of the year, some balls didn't fall," he said. "I changed things with my mentality, got into a little funk. Eventually, I realized who I am and what I need to be doing."

Who he is is someone who's always been able to hit with two strikes.

"I realize I'm able to go deep in the count and be able to see the ball," Coghlan continued. "I was being overly aggressive in the first part of the year."

Last season, the 23-year-old infielder hit .298 with seven homers and 74 RBIs in 132 games at Double-A Carolina. He also ranked among the league leaders with 34 stolen bases and 83 runs scored.

That earned him an invitation to Major League Spring Training, where he struggled early -- for different reasons. He was used sparingly initially, seeing an occasional at-bat off the bench.

"I had never pinch-hit. I had always been fortunate to start," Coghlan said. "When I was able to start, I was able to take the same approach I do now and I had success there."

His success at Triple-A has prompted thoughts about the next level.

"I'd be lying if I said I didn't ever think about that, especially when you get to Double-A because [the Marlins] call a lot of guys up from Double-A.

"But you concentrate on what you're doing and getting better each day. Do I want to get up there before September? Of course, I do. But you have to trust in the front office and let them handle that stuff and just try to continue to improve."