PHNX Arizona Diamondbacks Podcast - Diamondbacks top prospect Ivan Melendez talks keys to recent success, adjusting to third base & more

Starting point is 00:00:00 Hey, everyone. I'm Jesse Friedman here from the PHNXDBACs podcast in a special segment. As we have a special guest here on the show, it is none other than the Diamondback's second round pick from the 2022 first year player draft, Ivan Melendez. Ivan, appreciate you joining us. I know you guys just played a game. So I imagine these days are a little long for you. But hey, if you're a baseball player, long days are what you sign up for, right? Exactly.

Starting point is 00:00:27 We're out here every day playing every day. so can't complain about that, but thank you for having me once again. Absolutely, yeah. So I want to start with just the month of May for you. I know it was pretty impressive across the board from a number standpoint, obviously winning the Diamondbacks organizational player of the month award. It's obviously a huge accomplishment. Congratulations on that.

Starting point is 00:00:50 What do you feel like was just the biggest contributing factor for you in getting you to have so much success that month? First off, thank you. Second off, I started my season pretty slow. Couldn't get a hit for like the first two weeks. And then I took a fastball to the face. So I was out probably roughly about a month or so. So I just felt like my attitude going to the ballpark every day was like,

Starting point is 00:01:17 I need to get things going. Like I got to turn something around quick. And I didn't want to be satisfied with like a good game, two good games, three good games because of how big of like a hole I was in. and I just thought, like, I had to bring it every single day. And I guess time flew by, you know, before you know it, a month goes by. And, you know, we're playing every day. Can you identify any specific swing changes or anything you did mechanically that may be unlocked that new level of success for you?

Starting point is 00:01:46 Yeah. I think my timing, I didn't really have, like, a full spring training because I was dealing with some hand problems. So I didn't really get as many A-Bs as everybody who broke. camp on time. I was I was off late swinging under. I had a big leg kick. So my leg was my leg was in the air for for quite some time. I couldn't recognize the pitch. I couldn't see it as early and now I'm thinking just kind of like toe tapping and not really having a big leg kick and it's been helping me see the ball a lot better. I think it would be an understatement to say you had some success in your in your last season at the University of Texas at Austin.

Starting point is 00:02:27 obviously the Golden Spikes Award put up just incredible historic numbers there. What has it been like going from that environment and having all of that success to entering professional baseball and maybe going through some bumps in the road here in the early going? Yeah. Well, that season I had, sometimes I still surprised myself. Like, how did I do that? Like, it just seems kind of random. But when I first started Pro Bowl, I started off struggling in low way.

Starting point is 00:02:57 I was just kind of pressing. Like I felt like I had to do too much. I was a high draft pick. You know, a bunch of people knew my name, who I was. And so I felt like every day, like, or every game I had to get a hit. Every bad I had to get a hit or try to hit a homer. And that's just, that's not how I want to go about things mentally. Like when I was at my best, I was just doing it, like, you know, stress free, like just playing the game.

Starting point is 00:03:21 And I felt like I was trying to force things. So I got into the mode of like, I wouldn't want to say not caring as much, but, you know, just just relax, take a step back and play the game. Just compete, pitch by pitch and at bat by a bat. Defensively, I know that's another thing that certainly is a big factor here, kind of adjusting to the professional level and whatnot. I know it was primarily first base for you in college, but as you've moved into the deback system, you've kind of split time at first base and at third base. What is it?

Starting point is 00:03:53 What has it felt like getting some time at third base under your belt and how have you felt over there? Yeah. Last year when I first started playing third, I felt like the speed of the game was so fast. It had been like two years since I was at third base because in college, Texas, I was at first base because Power 5 programs, you know, like they have their starters and that's what they play. And now in the minor leagues, you know, we're alternating because it's more about like the development and stuff, you know, trying to prep guys for the big leagues in the future. And just talking to Barfield, he said that it's just going to help me later down. the road just adding versatility because the higher you go up in the minor leagues and all that um the way you perform is how you hit so if you hit and you can play different positions then it's it's really good for your free cheer in your career so you mentioned josh barfield i had a chance to talk with him at the end of last season just to kind of a farm system in review we talked about a number of players in the debaq's farm system and including you i remember last year at the end of the season. He talked about how, although some of the surface numbers for you might not have

Starting point is 00:04:59 looked as good as maybe you would have liked, he cited some expected stats where you actually had a 900 expected OPS or something like that toward the end of the season. What has it been like just working with Josh Barfield and the conversations that you guys have had and the relationship that you've been able to develop? It's been good. You know, I really like him as a person, and how they're running things, you know, front office-wise in this organization. I love just how, like, they've treated me during spring training and giving me, like, priority in practice and at batts and all that, you know, it seems like they're really pushing me to get better.

Starting point is 00:05:38 So, you know, I really appreciate that. And just keeping it real and honest and what they want out of you. So I think that's a great part. But at the end of the day, like, I just take you day by day and try to do my job and come to the ballpark and win and, you know, compete every pitch. I noticed looking at some of the numbers, at least entering today. I think you had, I want to say it was 17 hit by pitches entering today so far in your minor league and your minor league career out of like 250 plate appearances, which is kind

Starting point is 00:06:09 of a lot. I mean, that's almost like 10% of the time you're getting hit by a pitch. I know that was maybe sort of a thing for you in college looking at the numbers there, but what do you attribute that to? And I don't know, is that sort of an asset for you? I wouldn't want to say asset. I would just say it's more like they're trying to pitch in and, you know, balls kind of ran away from them and they hit me. I doubt it's intentional. But when I was in low-way, I got hit probably that 10 times that first month I played just because guys are throwing hard and balls are going all over the place. You know, I've never seen so many guys get hit in the head and all kinds of

Starting point is 00:06:48 things. So I don't, I don't think it's intentional. I don't think it's part of my game. I don't think I'm on the plate. I feel like I'm off a little bit, but I know sometimes they're going to try to throw in and try to break my bat and sometimes it runs away. So that's probably why the number's so high. Being in Hillsborough, obviously your manager, Ronnie Gajonik, she's made a lot of history in a number of ways this season taking over as the manager there. What has it been like just doing your job under her leadership every day? I love it. She treats us like, you know, we're, she doesn't treat us normally because, you know, she's a woman manager. She knows a lot about the game.

Starting point is 00:07:28 She throws batting practice. She hits bongo. It's, you know, I don't really see, like, a difference or anything. So I just, I think it's amazing what she's doing and how she's running the team and the energy she brings every day. And, you know, when she throws out the lineup the night before, she sends, like, a little message that's motivational and everything. So I kind of, I like that a lot. And she's been good so far for us. Do you have any specific stories that stand out about just your relationship with her,

Starting point is 00:07:55 having her as a manager, maybe any of those motivational messages that you just mentioned? She's just, she's really funny. Like, sometimes she throws out, like, some jokes that you don't get. Like, when I came back from getting hit in the face, I went 0 for 4 with, like, two punchouts. and my second day back, she was like, hey, guys, it's Ivan's opening night, like, cracking jokes, because I guess I wasn't there yesterday, like, I didn't do much. So, you just, her humor is pretty funny. That's, people have to get to know her to see her humor. Absolutely. Yeah, I'm the same way, Ivan. People,

Starting point is 00:08:36 people don't understand any of my jokes unless they at least know me a little bit. I think, I guess a lot of us are like that. I'm curious. Just, as far as your career in general and kind of your continued development here in the DBAX farm system, it seems like cutting down on some of the swing and miss, some of the strikeouts might be a bigger point of emphasis moving forward. What conversations about that have you had with hitting coaches? And what do you think might be the keys for you to trying to accomplish that? Yeah, I think we all know that's, I wouldn't want to say like a problem, but I do need to cut down on that. I'm not trying to do that. It's just hard.

Starting point is 00:09:15 It's hard to hit that ball. But a lot of the hitting coaches say they're not really too worried about it because when I do put the battle on ball, then, you know, some damage is going to be made and runs will be driven in. So they're not too worried about it as long as I'm staying aggressive, maybe a shoring up with two strikes, you know, try to put the ball in play and everything. But I'm trying. It's just, I don't know.

Starting point is 00:09:37 I don't know if it's like sometimes I struggle or it's just, yeah. I'm trying to get out of it myself. I don't want to think about it because when you think about it, that's what causes it. But yeah, definitely moving forward, cutting down the strikeouts because if I put the ball in play, I'm going to hit the ball hard. You know, usually on a barrel, I hit the ball 100 plus miles an hour. So if I could just learn how to put the ball and play with two strikes a little bit better, I think my numbers and everything and helping the team win, everything will just go up.

Starting point is 00:10:10 I guess it turns out hitting a baseball is fairly hard. At least that's what I've heard. I don't know if you can, I don't know if you can confirm that. But yeah, I guess strikeouts are just sort of a, sort of a natural, a natural part of the game.

Starting point is 00:10:24 And obviously there's a number of hitters in the big leagues who, you know, strikeouts are maybe part of their game. And yet there's some of the best hitters in the game anyway. Speaking of guys in the big leagues, is there anyone at the big league level that you sort of fashion your game after or who's swaying, you're kind of trying to,

Starting point is 00:10:40 imitate with what you do? I really like a combo of Mike Trout and Nolan Aronado. I know they're kind of different, but just I like Aeronado when he hits off speed. I like how he keeps his length and his swing and he sticks his head through. Like, I know it looks kind of funny, but the result you want to get is what he does on off speed. And just Mike Trout, his bat speed is, it's electric. like and he's been doing it since the day he stepped foot in the big league so i try to just see like how he goes about his at-bats and his routine and everything i watch all those videos but probably in the

Starting point is 00:11:19 past growing up uh probably Alex Rodriguez and many amares just uh I loved how uh they wanted to do damage in every count whether it was a oh-o count or whether they had two strikes on them they were trying to do damage they weren't just trying to put the ball in play so I like that all right last thing here for you, Ivan. If you had to give your Mount Rushmore of hitters in the big leagues right now, you got four guys. Who do you think they would be? Okay.

Starting point is 00:11:48 Give me one second to think about this. Paul Goldchman, Nolan Aeronado, Mani Machado, and Mike Trow. Well, Diamondbacks fans love you already, Ivan, the fact that you said Paul Goldman. I watched Paul a lot when I was like 12 through 14 because I played a bunch of

Starting point is 00:12:07 travel ball out in Phoenix a lot. There you go. There you go. All right. Well, thank you so much for your time today, Ivan. We really appreciate it. Thank you guys for having me.

PHNX Arizona Diamondbacks Podcast - Diamondbacks top prospect Ivan Melendez talks keys to recent success, adjusting to third base & more

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