It didn’t take long for Jace Jung to adjust to Double-A baseball.
After going 0-for-3 and being hit by a pitch during his first game July 25 with the SeaWolves, Jung has caught fire at the plate.
“It has been an adjustment for sure and I think I’m handling it well,” Jung said. “I’m just trying to stay where my feet are and not trying to do too much at the plate.”
Jung, 22, is currently listed as the No. 2 prospect for the Detroit Tigers according to MLB.com. After a tough opening game, Jung had two hits, including an RBI single, in his second game to go with another hit on Thursday and his first Double-A home run on Friday.
More: A top Tigers prospect earned a promotion to Double-A Erie. His big brother played a part.
A two-homer day
After days of the SeaWolves scuffling at the plate, Jung launched two home runs Sunday to make sure Erie split the six-game series with Akron with a 7-1 win.
“It’s nice to get it out of the way and I was just trying to put good swings on good pitches and let the rest play out,” said Jung about his first multi-home run game with Erie. He had two games with two home runs earlier this season with West Michigan.
In the bottom of the third inning, Jung hammered a pitch 105 mph off the bat for a line-drive home run that left the ballpark in no time.
With the SeaWolves hanging on to a 4-1 lead in the seventh inning, Jung jumped on a fastball and crushed it 416 feet for a two-run homer.
“The first guy was a lefty and hung a slider and I put a good swing on it,” Jung said. “The next one was on a fastball in. He threw it the pitch before so I had an idea he might go back to it and when he did it worked out.”
How did Jung do in his first Double-A series?
In six games with the SeaWolves, Jung is 7-for-24 (.292) with three home runs and seven RBIs. He has also made several strong defensive plays at second base.
“I’ve learned a lot since I’ve been here and I want to keep learning along this journey,” Jung said. “I want to learn as much as I can from these guys.”
The SeaWolves (52-42) are 15-11 in the second half and sit 1½ games back of Richmond in the Southwest standings. If the SeaWolves were to win the second half, the team in second place in the second-half standings would make the playoffs.
The ‘Wolves remain home this week to take on Harrisburg for the final time this season. The series includes the SeaWolves playing as the Erie Pinatas on Tuesday, the final weekday day game on Wednesday at 12:35 p.m., fireworks on Friday, a James Conner bobblehead on Saturday and the ‘Wolves will play as the Erie Pepperoni Balls as well.
Five bold predictions for 2023: How will the Erie SeaWolves do this season?
Contact Tom Reisenweber at treisenweber@timesnews.com. Follow him on Twitter @ETNreisenweber