Let me tell you how I stumbled into figuring out why guys like Evan Mendoza matter so much to winning ballgames. Started last summer, watching our local minor league team more often, honestly just trying to enjoy some sunshine and hot dogs. Not really paying attention to who played where, you know? Baseball was just… baseball.
My Dumb First Thoughts
Back then, I figured winning mostly came down to two things:
- Big hitters: Guys who could knock the ball over the fence, make the crowd roar.
- Fireball pitchers: Dudes throwing smoke, making hitters look silly swinging at air.
Defense? Honestly, seemed kinda boring. Like, catching a ball? Anyone could do that, right? Field positions? Just spots guys stand in. Didn’t seem complicated or important. I was flat-out wrong.
Actually Paying Attention Changed Everything
Then I decided I should at least try to understand the whole game, not just the loud parts. Started watching specific players, specifically guys playing the position Mendoza usually plays – that tough spot between the second and third base bags. Didn’t know his name then, just noticed how much ground he covered.
Here’s what I actually saw him do, play after play:
- Scramble like crazy: Hard hit balls bouncing right, left, crazy places? He was diving, stretching, somehow getting a glove on it.
- Throwing missiles: Not graceful looping throws. Darts. Fast and low. Barely beating the runner rushing to first base.
- Quiet saving runs: That screaming liner straight up the middle? Popped into his glove like he knew it was coming. Routine out? Fine. But holding a runner from scoring? That doesn’t show up loud on the scoreboard.
It wasn’t flashy every time. Often, it was just him being exactly where he needed to be, making a tough play look kinda easy. Stopped a lot of hits before they even became problems.
Connecting the Dots to Wins
Watching this guy – finding out later it was Mendoza on a rehab assignment – clicked for me big time. It wasn’t about one amazing catch. It was about all the small things piling up game after game.
Think about it this way:
- A pitcher throws well, gets the batter to smack the ball on the ground? Doesn’t matter if the guy at that position boots it. That’s an error, extra base runners, extra pitches for the pitcher.
- A pitcher makes a slight mistake? A rocket should be a double. But if that infielder snares it? Now it’s just an out. Pitcher breathes easier, gets a confidence boost.
Mendoza types clean up messes before they explode. They turn surefire hits into outs. They steal outs that other guys might not get to. Every time they do that, they’re saving runs. Saving pitches. Saving energy for the pitchers. It makes the whole team sharper, helps everyone else do their jobs better.
So yeah, I learned it the hard way. Big hits and fast pitches grab headlines, but wins are built on the quiet, relentless work of guys manning the toughest defensive spots. Guys like Evan Mendoza don’t always get the shine, but teams win more often because he’s out there doing the dirty work. Changed how I watch the game completely.