PIO notes: Fukofuka does more with less

Last August, while playing at Rookie-level Burlington in the Appalachian League, Amalani Fukofuka was mired in a deep slump. He finished the season with a .183 batting average and 66 strikeouts in 180 at-bats.

It was hardly the type of performance that made Fukofuka a fifth-round Draft pick by the Kansas City Royals out of high school in Union City, California, in 2013.

Fast-forward one year and Fukofuka has completely reversed his fortunes. Now playing in Idaho Falls, the 19-year-old boasted a .340 average through 45 games, which ranked in the top 10 in the Pioneer League.

A number of factors have played into his renaissance, not the least of which was a commitment to a rigorous offseason regimen with noted hitting instructor Matt Brown (who is also the agent of New York Mets outfielder Curtis Granderson).

"We clicked," Fukofuka said. "He told me to come back whenever I wanted and he wouldn't charge me, so I came back every day for four weeks in a row and just worked my butt off. I kind of got my mechanics going."

Restoring confidence was also integral. When the Appalachian League season ended last year, Fukofuka was lost at the plate. But these days he's seeing the ball and hitting the ball, and the results speak volumes.

Never mind his batting average -- Fukofuka's on-base percentage is 140 points higher than it was in 2014, his RBIs are up and he already has more than 30 hits than he did all of last season.

"Now I go to the plate with confidence every time," Fukofuka said.

The speedy center fielder is a throwback in that he doesn't wear batting gloves, a tip he took from Idaho Falls pitching coach Andre David. That has also paid dividends.

"In the beginning of the season I was hitting a lot of ground balls and wasn't feeling the bat enough," Fukofuka said. "So Andre said, 'Go ahead and hit during batting practice without the gloves.' So I did it, and I'm telling you, I was squaring balls up left and right. I tried it in the game that night and I went 3-for-4. Ever since that game, I haven't worn batting gloves."

Fukofuka's father is Tongan and his mother is Portuguese, a heritage he takes pride in. He said he is one of only two players of Polynesian descent active in professional baseball -- the other being Sam Tuivailala, a right-handed pitcher in the Cardinals organization.

Regardless of the rarity of his lineage within baseball, Fukofuka knows the one rule that truly applies: If you can play the game, it doesn't matter who you are.

And he's not changing what's worked to this point.

"I'm just going to try to keep my approach at the plate and try to see the ball well," Fukofuka said. "Put a good swing on fastballs. Just go up there with confidence every time and try to keep it going."

In brief

Homecoming parade: Ogden right-hander Andrew Sopko knew he'd have a chance to pitch in his home state of Montana at some point, and it finally came Aug. 9 when he made a start in Billings (4 IP, 1 H, 8 K, 0 BB). Sopko, the league's reigning Pitcher of the Week, is a Missoula, Montana, native and was a seventh-round pick of the Dodgers in June.

Team(mate) effort: Orem duo Michael Pierson and Kyle Survance Jr. are leading the race for the league batting title. Pierson was hitting .394 through Aug. 11, while Survance Jr., who topped the league through most of the early part of the season, was second at .363. Missoula's Isan Diaz ranked third with a .350 average.

Mowing them down: Billings left-hander Ty Boyles has continued his mastery of Pioneer League hitters. In his last outing Aug. 9, the 270-pound Boyles allowed two hits through five scoreless innings and struck out five to earn the victory and lower his ERA to 1.70. Boyles has since overtaken Great Falls' Tanner Banks (1.79) in the race for the league's ERA title.