Durham slams out of early slump

Hillcats manager Jeff Branson answered before the question was even finished.

“He’s going to be fine,” he said, getting to the point about outfielder/first baseman Miles Durham’s first-week struggles at the High-A level.

Forty-eight hours later, Durham had two game-winning hits to his credit, including a walk-off home run (or so it was ruled) in Thursday’s game, the fourth of what entering Saturday was five straight wins for the Hillcats.

And just like that, Durham’s first-week hiccup (or “speed bump” as he called it) was over. The slugger had been hitless in his first 21 at bats with Lynchburg, with nine strikeouts.

Contrast that with his last month at Low-A Hickory, where he hit .430 in June with 13 doubles, five home runs, 16 RBIs an otherworldly OPS of 1.246, numbers that earned him a South Atlantic League all-star nod and a promotion to Lynchburg early in the second half.

He couldn’t shake the weeklong goose egg in the hit column, though, from the stat sheet or his mind.

“It was kind of weighing on me after a while,” Durham said.

“When you get that first one out of the way, then that takes pressure off you. You’re like, ‘OK, now relax,’” Branson said. “One doesn’t always seem like it’s a big deal, but it really is. He’s new to the team and I’m sure he’s trying to come up here and impress some of the guys. It puts a little more tension on him. We just tell him relax and come out and play.”

Durham went 2-for-6 with a double and a very generous 12th-inning home run against Salem on Thursday. The next night, he went 3-for-4 with the game-winning hit in the eighth.

The key? Consistent playing time.

It’s something Durham didn’t have his first few years in the Pirates’ system. Drafted in the 22nd round of the 2006 draft out of Northwestern State (La.), where he batted .291 with nine home runs and 49 RBIs his final season, Durham got caught in a logjam at the short-season level.

He platooned in the outfield with a host of players that first year in Williamsport (a group that included current Hillcats Alex Presley and James Barksdale) and struggled with a .201 average in 189 at bats.

He was sent back to a short season in 2007 (this time in State College) and faced similar playing time issues, splitting outfield duties with Austin McClune, Marcus Davis and Erik Huber. Durham actually got fewer at bats (141) and played in 41 of 75 games, batting .255 with just one home run.

Then came the breakthrough. He moved to first base this year and for the first time in his minor league career played every day, getting in 72 games in Hickory.

“For me, it helps a lot,” Durham said. “Because I’ve been a guy since college where I have to be out there every day to kind of get in a groove, get in a streak. It helps tremendously when coaches have confidence in me and are throwing me out there every day.”

His power started to show up. Though never a slugger in college (“I was just a raw hitter then,” he said. “I just went up there swinging.”), the 6-foot-3, 216-pounder showed significant pop in Hickory, hitting 14 home runs while batting .348 with 57 RBIs.

Durham’s home run on Thursday gave him 15 this season, five times his minor league total during his first two seasons. But it did much more than that.

“It just kind of took a load off my shoulders,” Durham said. “Now I can play my game.”

Another newcomer

Durham wasn’t the only midseason call-up to join the Hillcats. Jose De Los Santos (a different one than played on the team last year), came up to fill Brian Friday’s void at shortstop and in the leadoff spot.

Like Durham, De Los Santos was an all-star in Hickory, hitting .270 with 38 runs and 14 steals for the Crawdads in his first year at the full-season level.

And like Durham, he’s overcome a slow start at High A. After going 3-for-18 in his first five games, De Los Santos went 7-for-11 in the three games prior to Saturday. He also had four steals, including three in Friday night’s win.

“He’s kind of like (Pedro Powell) was last year,” Branson said. “When De Lo gets on base, he wreaks havoc. It puts pressure on the defense. They’ve got to worry about him stealing bases, the pitchers are losing command to the hitter and leaving balls over the plate.”

One concern is his fielding. At Hickory, De Los Santos committed 19 errors. In eight games in Lynchburg, he already has three.

But he does have range, as shown on the ball he got to near the outfield grass up the middle Friday night. He flipped it to second in time for a force out, getting the Hillcats out of a bases-loaded jam.

“He’s going to get to balls that you don’t think he’s going to get to because he’s so quick,” Branson said. “Again, there’s a lot of room for improvement, but he’s improving every day.”