Erceg on the upswing with Shuckers

Lucas Erceg learned Monday that increased success at the plate may come with some minor frustrations.
Milwaukee's No. 3 prospect knocked a solo homer in his second four-hit game of the season as Double-A Biloxi beat Jacksonville, 8-3, at the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville. He reached base five times and scored twice, and the long ball marked Erceg's fourth in six games. The big night boosted his average at the plate to .256, its highest point since May 7.

But none of that overshadowed the Shuckers third baseman's disappointment about breaking two bats, including the one he's used for nearly all of 2018.
"I was kinda [ticked off] about it," Erceg said. "The first one came on my single [in the sixth], so I had to grab the one I've used for batting practice. And then I came up in the seventh and broke that one too. I looked back to our dugout, and all my teammates were laughing at me cause they knew how [ticked off] I was. I take care of them and I'd been using the first one for so long. ... The pine tar on the first one had morphed around the openings in my hands. I always point the label at the catcher and I could pick it up and know if it was right without looking."
The list of downers ended there. The 23-year-old has been on a surge of late after a slow start for the second consecutive season. During the past two years, Erceg's average has hovered just above .200 heading into June, but this summer brought a major change to his approach.
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"I remember talking with [mental skills coach] Blake [Pindyck] about what to do individually to help us keep moving forward, and I've learned a lot of it is about going out and and not expecting anything," he said. "So that's what I've been doing well, not expecting to go 4-for-4. Coming into a game with low expectations and going out and just doing what you can do with all your effort, letting the game take of itself has really worked."
So Erceg walked up in Monday's first at-bat with a clean slate and leaving his recent tear in the past. He battled Marlins No. 13 prospectMerandy Gonzalez into a 3-2 count. There, he found a curveball hung up in the zone and let loose for his 11th homer of the season to give the Shuckers their first hit of the game and a lead they didn't relinquish.
"When you see that, it's a lot of motivation for my teammates," Erceg said. "They all want to go out and have success, especially doing that in my first at-bat. We had 12 hits tonight, which is great. I'm glad I could hit the ball hard for them."
After walking in the fourth, the 2016 second-round pick led off the sixth by lining a single to right and later scored on a wild pitch. He knocked an RBI single in the seventh, plating top Brewers prospect Keston Hiura from second during a three-run frame.

Erceg stepped up one last time in the ninth, trying not to pressure himself while looking for his fourth hit. Looking back after turning on his second pitch and legging out an infield single, the Menlo College product said he can feel the difference a year can make at the plate. Although his numbers are similar, the mind-set producing them is different.
"My mentality is a lot better, even if the stats stay the same," he said. "I'm trusting the process, and I know things will turn the right way as long as I keep with it and work hard, whether it's in 10 games or 240 games. I'm just happy things are coming around now rather than 240 games from now, but that's part of baseball. In order to have success, you've got to find consistency."
Brewers No. 6 prospect Corey Ray went 2-for-5 with a pair of runs scored, while Hiura picked up an RBI double and crossed the plate once. Milwaukee's No. 21 prospect Trey Supak (1-6) gave up two unearned runs on four hits and two walks while striking out six over five frames.