A Game of Adjustments

CORPUS CHRISTI - "Baserunning group! Baserunning!"

The words bounce off empty seats at Whataburger Field during batting practice, two and a half hours before first pitch on a mid-April day. The shouts are coming from outfielder Leo Heras, a 23-year-old Mexican outfielder the Houston Astros signed last August.

Yelling these words has become sort of a daily ritual for Heras. He lovingly mocks Hooks hitting coach Tim Garland, who yells "base running group" four times a day, every day, during batting practice to call for players to get in their work on the bases.

Eight months ago, Leo never would have been the center of attention in the hours leading up to a ballgame. Now, he is one of the class clowns on the 2014 edition of the Corpus Christi Hooks.

"It's part of the acculturation process with the English program, getting him comfortable there - on and off the field - and you can see it starting to translate over," Allen Rowin, Astros assistant director of player development, said. "He's comfortable with his teammates; he's comfortable with the coaching staff; he's comfortable with the game itself."

Heras made his Hooks and Astros debut on August 23. He struggled in limited time with Corpus Christi, hitting .205 with one home run and five RBIs in 10 games, though he did go 4-for-10 in three postseason contests.

"You could tell he was trying to make the adjustment and trying to show why he was the best player in the Mexican League and probably trying to do a little bit too much," Rowin explained. "Now you can see he's backing off a little bit. Mentally he's kind of settled in."

"When you play your whole life (in Mexico) and you sign and play your first year in the states, you feel weird," Heras said in his quickly-improving English. "It's not the same. I need to play more - maybe this year is different for me."

Despite his age, Heras is a Mexican League veteran. He made his debut with the Potros de Tijuana as a 17-year-old in 2007 and appeared in 11 games. Two years in Tijuana, his hometown, followed by two years in Reynosa led to nearly three full seasons with Diablos Rojos del Mexico, historically the top ML team.

It was with the Red Devils that Heras broke out, batting .342 in 2011 with 18 home runs, 60 RBIs and a league-leading 152 hits. He followed it up with a .323-24-64 season in 2012 before the Astros plucked him from Mexico City after 91 games last summer.

Finding hidden gems in the Mexican League is a priority for Mexican-born Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow, who speaks fluent Spanish.

"Finding and acquiring the best Mexican talent is a priority for us," Luhnow told MLB.com in August. "We have increased our scouting of the Mexican baseball leagues and believe there are many players that can help the Houston Astros in the future."

Listed at 5-foot-10 and 210 pounds, Heras looks more like a small tailback than an outfielder. It's something he works hard to overcome.

"I'm short, you see that. I play hard every day, because I have no talent, really," he said "That's my game, I play hard every day."

While claiming to have "no" talent may be an overstatement, Heras' work ethic and effort are without question. He can often be seen walking off the field after batting practice wearing a shirt that is a darker shade of blue than most of his teammates. That's because he has soaked it through with sweat.

"This guy's a machine, there's no doubt about it," Rowin said. "He's high intensity, always at the ballpark early, always wanting to get extra reps and always picking the staff's brain about how to get better."

"He's going to do whatever it takes to be a major league baseball player," Hooks manager Keith Bodie said. "I wouldn't count him out."

If the Astros scouted and signed Heras, then Bodie's job is to help develop him - not just on the field, but off.

"We do everything we can, we go out of our way, we talk to the (Spanish-speaking players) daily, we include them in everything we do and we don't treat them any differently. They don't want to be treated differently," Bodie said. "But at the same time, we're very sensitive to the challenges for someone from another culture here in the United States."

Learning English is a challenge for Heras, despite growing up in Tijuana, minutes from the California boarder. He thinks Corpus Christi is the perfect place to acclimate to the US.

"I feel great because there are a lot of Mexicans here. I feel like I'm at home here," Heras said. "I think the teammates, the staff, the manager, the people - everybody here is like family."

Heras runs the bases aggressively and plays standout defense in left field, but he started the 2014 season 1-for-23 at the plate. He was recently placed on the disabled list, but has hit .262 since April 11. He's started to adjust not only to a new country, but a new style of pitching. In the United States most hurlers use their fastball to set up their off-speed pitches, while in Mexico the strategy is often reversed.

"In the Mexican League, in a fastball count they might come with a secondary pitch and it's going to be soft and (the hitters) are looking to adjust and go the other way," Rowin said. "Now he needs to learn how to drive the fastball and hit off the fastball, which is all part of the adjustment."

Bodie said he is not worried about Heras picking it up offensively as April turns to May.

"You come to spring training, you're in major league camp and you don't get any at-bats. Then you start the season. It takes about 80-90 at-bats to get your timing down," Bodie said. "He's one of many that are getting their feet on the ground and getting their timing down."

While Heras continues to acclimate to life in a new country away from the diamond, on the field Rowin said the Astros view him as at least a fourth outfielder and a potential everyday left fielder.

"The sky's the limit with what he's going to do with his bat," Rowin said. "He's got great potential. He's got a great swing. He runs well. He plays the outfield well."

If his bat continues to develop, he could find himself doing all those things in Houston sooner rather than later.