'Riders' Cordero homers twice, plates seven

Andretty Cordero had a career night on Tuesday, thanks to just two swings of the bat.
The Rangers prospect homered twice and drove in a career-high seven runs, powering Double-A Frisco to a 12-4 victory over Corpus Christi at Dr Pepper Ballpark.

Cordero's first homer was a three-run blast in the fourth inning off starter Jose Hernandez-Urquidy that gave the RoughRiders a 4-3 lead. He came right back in the next frame and took Gabriel Valdez deep for another three-run shot, part of a six-run inning that put the game out of reach. The 21-year-old also had an RBI groundout in the third.
The homers were the first of the season for Cordero, who moved into second place in the Texas League with nine RBIs, one behind Amarillo's Brad Zunica. The native of the Dominican Republic hadn't hit for much power in his career, totaling 32 homers across six Minor League seasons. He had 10 last year in 119 games with Class A Advanced Down East, including his only other multi-homer contest, which came on May 20 against Winston-Salem.
 Gameday box score
Don't be fooled by those numbers, though. The power Cordero displayed on Tuesday has always been there, whether his statistics show it or not.
"It's definitely there," Frisco hitting coach Jason Hart said. "He's got a really good swing and he definitely doesn't hold back when he swings. He lets it rip. He's not trying to hit singles."
And as he gets more comfortable and continues to build on those tools, Hart believes the raw power should continue to reveal itself.
"The kid has a really good swing, really good hands," Hart said. "He's been really starting to slow it down a little bit, swing at good pitches. You put ... a nice plan and approach with that swing and good things will happen."

The RoughRiders' big night also was fueled by Eliezer Álvarez, who went yard twice and tripled in a run. He's batting .300 and is tied with six others, including Cordero, for the third-most homers in the Texas League.
Starter Pedro Payano (1-0) got the win, allowing three runs on four hits and three walks with six strikeouts in five innings. Locke St. John followed with three one-hit innings before Jairo Beras gave up a run in the ninth.
Ronnie Dawson went 3-for-5 with a homer, two doubles, three RBIs and a run scored out of the leadoff spot for Corpus Christi. Hernandez-Urquidy surrendered eight runs -- five earned -- on six hits and two walks with a pair of strikeouts in four innings.