Jose Acosta has made contributions both on and off the field for the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers over his two seasons with the club. In this edition of T-Rat Talk, Kyle Lobner talks with Acosta about his mindset, his work day, and his goal for the rest of the season.

Timber Rattler infielder Jose Acosta hasn’t always been in the lineup for Wisconsin this season but his infectious smile and positive attitude make him a noticeable presence around the ballpark even when he’s not on the field.

Acosta joined the Timber Rattlers following a midseason trade in 2022 and appeared in 67 of their final 81 games. Despite not joining the club until near the midway point of the season he made the most of late opportunities and finished seventh on the team in games played and fifth in home runs.

When he returned to the Timber Rattlers to start the 2023 season, however, the circumstances had changed a bit. Acosta, who had primarily been a middle infielder across four prior seasons in the minors, would now share a roster with fellow middle infielders Eric Brown Jr. and Robert Moore, two of the Brewers’ top three picks from the 2022 draft. The result was that playing time was sometimes hard to come by: In May and early June Acosta got into just eight of the Rattlers’ 38 games.

Despite limited opportunities to see game action, however, Acosta remained one of the most active and visible Timber Rattlers on the field during pregame activities and in the dugout during games. Instead of getting frustrated or down on himself, Acosta maintained a positive attitude and energy level that earned him the “good teammate” label from those around him.

“I’m always dancing, because it’s all about mindset. It’s a mindset. So I just want to be happy, I just want to have fun, so I’m always dancing, I’m always [messing] with my teammates, but I apologize, you know. I support the guys, so maybe for that reason they say it,” Acosta said.

While the impact varies from player to player, it’s commonly accepted around baseball that playing off the bench adds extra challenges to an already difficult game. Even the best professional baseball players still make outs more often than not even when they’re regularly seeing pitching in games and have had the opportunity to “get into the rhythm” of a game before stepping up to the plate, and it makes sense that it would be even more difficult for a player who isn’t getting those opportunities every day or who enters the game late after being on the bench for hours.

In 2006 baseball researchers Tom Tango, Mitchel Lichtman and Andrew Dolphin attempted to quantify this effect in The Book, and more than a decade later Ben Clemens of FanGraphs all but replicated their results in 2020. Acosta, however, said that it’s not an issue for him.

“They see that, I don’t see that. I just… if I go to the home plate, I’m going to swing. It’s just the mindset. I’m ready for that. I don’t care if I don’t play every day. If I get the opportunity, I try to keep the mindset, if that makes sense. This is what I do. I hit. If I can hit, I will hit,” Acosta said.

Even on the days when he’s not in the lineup, Acosta is busy. On the days when he’s not starting he still described his typical day as “a lot of work.”

“Normally when I don’t play I go to the weight room, but I always have in my mind that I’m going to play,” Acosta said. “If I’m not in the lineup I stay on the bench, but my mind is like ‘hey, I could go in.’”

His patience has been rewarded recently, however, as changes to the Rattlers roster have again opened the door for him to play more frequently and he’s taken advantage of the opportunity. Since July 6 Acosta has appeared in 18 games and batted .290 with a .338 on-base percentage and .629 slugging. Twelve of his 18 hits during that span have gone for extra bases, including home runs in three of his last five games.

Acosta hits a bomb to right field and it's OUTTA here!🔥⚾️#tratnation

T-Rats 3⃣ | Kernels 0⃣ pic.twitter.com/XsgdFEeeWW

— Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (@TimberRattlers) July 30, 2023

“I started slow but now I’ve got it, so I think it’s been really good,” Acosta said. “I’ve been focused on doing less. Just putting the ball in play.”

Acosta has always shown the potential for above average power as a middle infielder, slugging .419 across 300 career minor league games and hitting 24 home runs. He’s been hitting the ball especially hard lately, though, including a home run in the first game of Sunday’s doubleheader against South Bend. He attributed the change to pitch selection.

“Now, I look at my pitch at specific times so I can do damage at specific times. I look for that pitch,” Acosta said.

It’s fun to watch almost anyone hitting home runs, but even before his recent power surge Timber Rattlers manager Joe Ayrault praised the way Acosta goes about his business on the field.

“He’s twitchy, man. The kid gets after it. He loves to play, he’s high energy, and he’s a fun player to watch,” Ayrault said of Acosta on the July 7 edition of the Timber Rattlers Review podcast, after a game where Acosta had gone 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles.

Even when he’s not on the field, however, Acosta is playing an important role with his teammates. When asked for his biggest point of pride from this season, he mentioned a lesson he recently shared with two of them.

“Two days ago I talked with (Timber Rattlers infielder Eduardo) Garcia and (first baseman) Ernesto Martinez. We talked about how I learned to keep my mind right. I just learned that if I think negative, other times negatives happen. So I learned to keep focusing on the positive, just thinking positive. That’s the biggest thing I learned from this year,” Acosta said.

The power of positivity isn’t a new revelation for Acosta, however. He tied it back to his favorite baseball memory, which happened during his time on the Reds’ Dominican Summer League team at the beginning of his career.

“It was a tie game, and that one scout, I tell her ‘hey, I will hit a walkoff,’ and I did. That’s what I say: That words have power. If you keep your focus, you can do damage,” Acosta said.

Acosta also adds value to the Timber Rattlers by being bilingual, a relatively rare skill in clubhouses in the lower levels of the minor leagues. Players who speak both English and Spanish are often in high demand to translate for their teammates, but Acosta said it’s not a big deal for him.

“It’s no extra work for me. I have to be able for my teammates. So if anybody needs translation, I can do it,” Acosta said.

Part of the challenge of minor league life for many players is the large volume of things that are outside of their control. Acosta’s goal for the rest of the season, however, is something he might be able to accomplish no matter what else happens in the final month.

“Having fun. That’s the only thing I care about. That’s what I love, having fun and being happy,” Acosta said.

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