Ewing Shows Signs Of Busting Out Of Slump With Home Run

A.J. Ewing hit a home run for the New York Mets yesterday, and unfortunately this has become something of an event for the New York Mets rookie outfielder. It was his first home run since July 8, when he hit three homers in four day. 

But Ewing was a different hitter back then. He was hitting .279 when he crushed that last homer, and now the Mets outfielder has been struggling to get back up to .240. 

He has had a couple of good days in addition to yesterday as he tries to make his way back, however. Ewing had an extra base hit last Sunday, and a two-hit game after that. 

“It felt good to feel that contact again,” Ewing said about the home run in a piece written by Anthony DiComo of MLB.com. 

From the outside looking in, it’s fairly easy to see what’s happened to Ewing. He’s been chasing, and pitchers expand the zone accordingly. The result is a strikeout rate of 27.9 percent and a walk rate that’s dropped to 7.4 percent over his last 46 games, per DiComo. 

When Ewing first came up, it was his advanced ability to read the strike zone that was the most impressive thing about him. He would take his walks, go the other way and hit the ball where it was pitched. Interim manager Andy Green correctly said that he was more impressed by the walks yesterday than the home runs, as they’re a better sign that Ewing is getting back to the hitter he’s supposed to be. 

“It’s definitely hard not to go up there and try to chase hits, but that’s kind of the mental side of the game where you really just have to be zoned into your approach,” Ewing said. “Take it with an attitude that I’m on a 20-game hitting streak no matter what.”

That approach is part of the problem, though. Ewing was been far too aggressive, and there are times when it looks like he’s fallen in love with those rare home runs. The Mets have dropped him in the lineup, and they’re using their spot in teh standings to give him the time to find his way out on his own. 

“I think you get stronger from going through adversity if you use it appropriately,” Green said. “We try really hard as an organization to instill that in guys. We don’t look at tough stretches as losses or failures. We look at it as learning that you stand on to go to your next level of greatness.”