Carolina notes: Altmann regains his rhythm

Josh Altmann has seen time at every infield and outfield position during his first two professional seasons, but he never had an opportunity to establish a steady rhythm last year as nagging injuries hampered his development.
The Wood Ducks' super-utility player appeared in only 79 games between Class A Hickory and Class A Advanced High Desert in 2016. Instead of spending the offseason in his hometown of Homer Glen, Illinois, Altmann showed yet again he can play almost anywhere -- he took his game to Australia.

Suiting up for the Adelaide Bite of the Australian Baseball League, the 23-year-old worked to reestablish his rhythm at the plate and in the field.
"Just with being hurt for a little bit last year, they knew I missed some at-bats and some playing time," Altmann said. "[The Rangers] really wanted me to go over there and, I wouldn't say catch up, but really get me back into rhythm. It was a great opportunity. I got to play a lot of different positions and kind of just utilized my versatility throughout the field and just pick up those at-bats, so when you come into Spring Training and get ready for the season, you're not really dusting off any of the offseason rust."
The 6-foot-3 Altmann played nearly every infield and outfield spot in a team-high 40 games with Adelaide. He hit .255/.355/.379 with eight doubles, two triples, two home runs and 21 RBIs. His plate discipline improved with the Bite as he struck out 18 times in 145 at-bats.
Steve Mintz, Down East's pitching coach, was Altmann's manager in Adelaide.
Mintz's relationship with the Rangers organization allowed him to keep a close eye on the prospect's progression and give Altmann every opportunity to make up for the time he lost during the 2016 regular season.
Altmann, the Rangers' 22nd-round selection in the 2015 Draft out of Olivet Nazarene University in Illinois, also served as a mentor to others on the roster, which featured players from South Korea, the Netherlands, Canada, Australia and the United States.
"It was kind of cool to learn and be the teacher. We had a lot of young guys on the team, especially from the South Australia area," Altmann said. "It was cool to be a teacher to those guys, but also just learning from the guys playing in Japan, playing in different countries and even pro ball here in the States. Just kind of soaking up the sponge to what they have to tell you, and those guys are really there for you to learn from. That was pretty cool to talk to them just about what it's like playing those different locations, different atmospheres and how you can develop as a ballplayer."
Altmann has used what he learned in Australia in his first full season at the Class A Advanced level.

He's hitting .231 with a career-high eight homers while primarily playing at the corner infield positions. His 14 doubles are three shy of matching a career best, and he's five RBIs away from equaling the number he drove in all of last season. Altmann even suited up for the South in last month's Carolina League All-Star Game and participated in the Home Run Derby.
"I think every hitter can tell you that they go through some ups and downs, some roller coaster rhythms," Altmann said. "I'm just really trying to stay at those high points as long as I can and keep those low points as short as I can. Just trying to stay as consistent as I can at the plate. Hopefully I see the ball well, put the ball in play hard whenever I can."

In brief

Walk-off wonders: Wilmington has picked up a lot of ground in the Northern Division standings thanks to last at-bat victories. The Blue Rocks claimed three consecutive walk-off wins against the first-half champion Lynchburg Hillcats and then added another walk-off triumph Sunday night against Potomac. The quartet of victories featured a walk-off wild pitch, a walk-off walk and a pair of clutch base hits from Nick Heath and Chase Vallot.
McKenzie keeps rolling: Lynchburg right-hander Triston McKenzie, the No. 47 prospect and Indians' No. 2 prospect, needed only two pitches to retire the lone batter he faced in the recent MLB Futures Game at Marlins Park. He was equally as dominant in his first start following that appearance. McKenzie took a no-hitter into the seventh inning and finished with nine strikeouts. He's struck out at least eight batters in eight of his 17 starts this season.
Nice recovery: Salem southpaw Dedgar Jimenez had one his worst starts of the season June 28 against Lynchburg when the Hillcats touched him up for five earned runs on seven hits in 2 1/3 innings. He's been nearly unhittable since. Jimenez has thrown 15 scoreless innings over his past two starts, lowering his ERA to 3.07 while becoming the first Carolina League pitcher to reach 10 victories.