Hinshaw drills two-run double in Solar Sox win
Angels prospect collects pair of hits to raise AFL average to .364
Chad Hinshaw may not be scouring the box scores or stat sheets after each game, but he doesn't need to to know he's been performing at the plate for the Mesa Solar Sox.
Hinshaw -- the Angels' 13th-ranked prospect, according to MLB.com -- turned in another solid performance Saturday, batting 2-for-4 with a double and two RBIs as his Solar Sox bested the Scottsdale Scorpions, 5-1, in Mesa, Ariz.
"I don't look at stats or anything like that because that'll drive me nuts during the season, but I know I've been swinging it well," Hinshaw said. "I'm happy with it, but I'm not going to be complacent. I know I can still work on some things."
The Solar Sox came away with the win behind sound pitching and a steady dose of offense in the middle innings, plating all five runs in the fourth through sixth.
Mesa starter Jake Esch (1-1, 4.58 ERA) limited Scottsdale to one earned run on four hits, striking out three. He outdueled the Twins' No. 13 prospect Taylor Rogers (2-2, 2.88), who was tagged for two earned runs on four hits and a walk.
"It was a good team win," Hinshaw said. "Pitching did unbelievable. It made it easy for us hitters to not feel pressure or anything and just stick with our approach and not do too much."
Hinshaw, the Angels' 15th-round Draft pick out of Illinois State in 2013, is off to a hot start in the Arizona Fall League. Through 13 games this fall, he currently leads his team with a .364 batting average (20-for-55). The 25-year-old outfielder has racked up three doubles, two homers and 12 RBIs.
He credits much of his offensive success this year to his work with Mesa's hitting coach Brenton Del Chiaro.
"I'm feeling really good at the plate, just slowing things down, making the ball look bigger than it really is," Hinshaw said. "Just taking things one step at a time, not doing too much. The little things sometimes people overlook. [Del Chiaro] has been a huge help to me, so I've got to give him a lot of credit."
There's still work to be done, however, as Hinshaw attempts to rise among the Angels' Minor League ranks. Specifically, he'd like to improve his power hitting and "not just be a singles guy." He flashed a hint of that would-be power in the fourth inning Saturday, firing a line-drive, two-out double to right field, driving in Mesa's first two runs.