Jesús Made put on one of the loudest nights a prospect can have on Friday, ripping five hits, two homers and seven RBIs in a game that kept pushing his ceiling higher.
The Brewers’ No. 1 prospect was already having a special season, but this was something else entirely. Made finished with career bests in hits, RBIs and total bases, piling up 11 total bases in a perfect night at the plate. It was also his 30th multihit game of the year, along with his 13th game with at least three hits and his third with at least four.
He also joined MLB’s No. 2 prospect Leo De Vries as the only teenagers to put together a full-season Minor League game with at least five hits, two homers and seven RBIs since 2005.
The big moment came before his final at-bat, when teammate Andrew Fischer asked him, “Are you going to hit a ground ball here?” Made grinned and answered, “No chance.”
He backed that up in a big way.
Against Montgomery, Made started his night with a chopper up the middle on the second pitch he saw from right-hander Gary Gill Hill and beat it out for a single. Two innings later, he sent another bouncer back through the middle, and when it kicked off Hill’s glove, Made hustled out an infield hit before the pitcher could recover.
In the fifth, he kept the line moving with a single past a diving Cooper Kinney at second and into right field.
Kevin Martir, the Shuckers’ hitting coach, said Made’s confidence has been obvious all season.
“His confidence has really come through this year and I think that's what everyone is seeing,” Martir said. “He was very confident going into that last at-bat and he's really been confident for some time now.
He actually told me before the game that he was feeling three hits tonight and went out and got five with two homers. It's remarkable to see.”
Made then showed the kind of power that makes him such a dangerous hitter. In the sixth, he got to a pitch low and away and turned it into a 364-foot, 95 mph three-run homer to right, his 11th of the season.
Then came the knockout blow in the eighth. After three straight walks opened the inning, Made stepped in with the bases loaded and no outs and hammered an 86 mph offspeed pitch from Tommy McCollum. The ball left the bat at 109 mph and flew 380 feet into right-center for a grand slam, his third career grand slam and second multihomer game, with the other coming on May 16.
Made’s season numbers keep matching the eye test. Still the youngest player at Double-A, he ranks second in the Southern League in average at .287, hits with 104, RBIs with 74 and runs scored with 69. He’s also third in total bases with 168 and triples with five, while his 35 extra-base hits are seventh in the league and his 29 stolen bases rank ninth.
Martir said the work behind the scenes is just as important as the results.
“What really allows him to separate himself is his discipline and preparation on a daily basis,” Martir said. “He comes in every day, gets his activation in, he's consistent with his routine, he's constantly challenging himself with his training. There's a reason he's only 19 and playing at this level.”
He added: “The main thing we've worked on together all year is staying under control and staying behind the baseball,” Martir said. “He's 19, this is essentially his second full year in pro ball and he's not just adjusting to a new level of baseball but also to a new culture. So we give him space and work on helping him develop his game planning and his approach.”
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