Texas notes: Trevino doubling down behind dish

In 2014, Jose Trevino had just finished his first full season of professional baseball when he was pulled into the team office. 
A utility player, he had played second base, third base and catcher during his first season in the Rangers' system. But the Rangers were ready for him to make a permanent change. 
'You don't need your infield glove anymore -- you're a catcher now," he said they told him. 

"They asked me -- well, they told me, they didn't ask me," Trevino said. "So, that was it, or I could go find another job."
Trevino, a Texas native, was receptive to the idea, mostly because if the Rangers sought him out for the position they must have thought highly of him. A promotion to Class A Advanced Hickory sweetened the deal as well. If that wasn't enough to convince him of the organization's confidence, Double-A catcher Jorge Alfaro was sent to the Phillies in July 2015 in a package that helped the Rangers acquire Cole Hamels. 
Trevino took notice of the move's meaning.
"[Alfaro] was supposed to be one of the next guys to the big leagues," he said. "And I took pride in that. I was like, 'You know what? They believe in me. So I'm going to try and pay them back.'"
Two years later, Trevino is making good on the Rangers' decision. He's caught over 250 games since the move and said he no longer feels he's transitioning. He also doesn't miss playing infield. 
"I'm a catcher," he said. 

This year Trevino was named a Texas League All-Star, sporting a .255 average with 7 homers and 38 RBIs, 18 of which came in July. And while he acknowledges he won't get where he wants to be without a good bat, Trevino said it's not atop his list of priorities. His ability to handle a pitching staff and defend behind the plate is his biggest concern. It's also the reason why he's the No. 13 prospect in the Rangers system. 
Handling a pitching staff has been the toughest adjustment, Trevino said, but he feels he is getting better. 
"Just knowing what [the pitchers] are going to do," he said. "Some guys' curveballs come down, one guy's curveball stays up. Some guys' change-ups come down, some guys' change-ups stay up, so it's just knowing that. It's all different."
And when it does come time to produce at the plate, Trevino banks on a simple approach. It's worked lately, considering he had 25 hits and three homers in July, both season-bests.
"Just good at-bats," he said. "Hit the ball hard, and once it leaves your bat there's nothing you can do about it. I feel like I've made some good contact."

In brief

New leader: A hot July has helped Matt Beaty take over the top spot on the Texas League's hitting charts. Beaty, an infielder for the Tulsa Drillers, entered Thursday's games hitting .327, best in the league, powered by a 16-for-32 start to August, which came after he hit .320 in July. Beaty was held hitless on Tuesday night at Corpus Christi, which snapped a string of seven consecutive multi-hit games.
Back for more:Chase De Jong didn't get a win, but his return to the Texas League went well Thursday night. The right-hander struck out three batters and held Frisco to two runs over eight innings in the loss. De Jong is back in the Texas League after struggling with the Mariners and Triple-A Tacoma. He went 0-3 with a 6.35 ERA in seven appearances with the Mariners and 3-6 with a 6.00 ERA in 15 starts at Tacoma before being sent to Arkansas this week. 
Finally a cycle: Corpus Christi catcher Jamie Ritchie homered in the second inning of Sunday's loss at Frisco before singling in the fifth, doubling in the seventh and tripling in the eighth. It was Ritche's first triple of the season and the first cycle in the Texas League since Northwest Arkansas' Bubba Starling did it on July 28, 2015 in a game against Arkansas.