Bello continues strong start for Vibes
Micah Bello had quite the opening weekend for the Pioneer League's newest franchise.The Brewers' No. 21 prospect went 3-for-5 with two homers and a career-high five RBIs to power Rookie Advanced Rocky Mountain to a 13-10 victory over Orem on Sunday at the Home of the Owlz.
The Brewers' No. 21 prospect went 3-for-5 with two homers and a career-high five RBIs to power Rookie Advanced Rocky Mountain to a 13-10 victory over Orem on Sunday at the Home of the Owlz.
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"I don't think anybody could think they'll be this successful right away," Bello said.
The 18-year-old took an 0-1 changeup from reliever
Bello credits Vibes hitting coach Nick Stanley for working with him during extended spring training, where he spent 2 1/2 months before heading to Colorado Springs.
"Just learning how to stay inside the zone and getting a good pitch to hit and doing damage with it," he said. "We really just focus on getting reps, seeing more pitches, learning how to see the ball out of the hand."
Bello thanked Stanley for helping him with his tactical approach at the plate.
"Staying up the middle, keep your hands in and just drive the baseball into the gaps," he said. "It's been working so far."
After going 0-for-1 with three walks in the Vibes' opener on Friday, the 18-year-old had three hits, including a homer, and three RBIs on Saturday.
Bello said after waiting weeks for the Pioneer League season to open, it was tough to stay patient in his first game.
"It was hard to take those pitches," he said, "but at the end of the day, Nick Stanley told us that if it's not your pitch, just let it go. None of those were my pitches, so I let it go."
A Hawaii native, Bello was the 73rd overall pick in last year's Draft. He spent his first professional season in the Rookie-level Arizona League, batting .240/.324/.325 with eight extra-base hits, including a homer, 15 RBIs and 10 stolen bases in 39 games.
Angels No. 8 prospect
Shlomo Sprung is a contributor to MiLB.com. Follow him on Twitter @sprungonsports</a