Taking Flight With ... Nate Mondou

It’s long been said that hitting a baseball is the most difficult thing to do in sports. You certainly wouldn’t get any argument from the millions of teens who hang up their Louisville Sluggers before they want to because they lack the ability to put the bat on the ball with enough consistency to advance to the next level.

But then there are the rare few for whom “doing the most difficult thing in sports” seems as effortless as replacing a light bulb. Nate Mondou slots into this category.

“Ever since I started playing T-ball when I was 3 or 4 years old, the bat has been my tool,” says the Aviators’ second baseman. “I’ve had to work hard over the years to become a well-rounded player defensively, but I recognized from an early age that [hitting] was something that came a little more naturally for me. It’s definitely helped my rise through the minor leagues.”

That rise included Mondou’s first promotion to Triple-A prior to the start of this season. Yet a month into his tenure with the Aviators, the tool that got him to this level appeared to have vanished: Through his first nine games and 28 at-bats, Mondou was batting just .179.

Had the 26-year-old met his match in Triple A? Or was it simply an early-season slump?

It didn’t take long for Mondou to deliver a crystal-clear answer: During a three-game stretch from June 11-13, he went 4-for-11 with a homer, five RBI and four runs. By the end of June, he had lifted his average to .311 with three homers, three doubles, a triple, 14 runs and 18 RBI. Then he put together an even more spectacular July, batting .340 with 10 doubles, two homers, 17 RBI and 15 walks.

Mondou, who went 1-for-4 with a double, walk, RBI and run in the Aviators’ 4-2 victory over the Tacoma Rainiers on Sunday at Las Vegas Ballpark, has now hit safely in 32 of his last 41 games. During this stretch, he’s recorded 17 multi-hit games and raised his season average to .328, which ranks sixth among all hitters in the 10-team Triple-A West.

We recently caught up with Mondou to discuss snapping out of his early-season slump, what makes a quality hitter, his penchant for pottery and more.

When you got off to a slow start with the Aviators this season, did you have to battle any thoughts of self-doubt?

No, I stayed pretty confident. I had put in the work and was pretty self-aware of my skill level and where I was as a player, and I knew I had a really good spring training.

Basically, it was an issue of not getting to play much at the beginning of the season, but I always held out hope that I’d eventually get consistent at-bats down the road. The way [Triple A] works, there’s constant change in personnel between here and the big leagues, so I figured at some point I’d get that opportunity to play more. When that opportunity came, I was able to get into a pretty good groove.

Our coaching staff did a great job getting me the work I needed even when I wasn’t in the lineup every day at the beginning of the year. I’m grateful for what they’ve done to help me improve and for the opportunity they’ve given me.

It’s one thing to have a big week, but you’ve been running hot at the plate for nearly six weeks. What’s the key to sustaining success over a long stretch?

Confidence helps a ton. Baseball is such a mental game, so when you’re confident that you’re going to go up there and see the ball well and hit it hard, that turns you into a different player.

There are always going to be days when something doesn’t quite feel right, and that’s when you need the confidence to tell yourself, “But I’m still really good, and I can still get the job done today.” You have to remember there are a lot of ways to help the team even when you’re not feeling great at the plate. It’s when that self-doubt starts creeping in that hitting becomes really difficult.

What’s the most important attribute a hitter must possess to be successful?

One thing we talk a lot about is timing. You can have so many different mechanics in a swing — everyone has their own unique swing — but the timing aspect when you’re standing at the plate is super important. You have a certain amount of time and space between yourself and the pitcher, and the ability to get the barrel to and through the zone isn’t something everyone can do. That’s why you see a lot of guys stop playing after high school and college — they lack timing and that ability to consistently get the barrel [of the bat] to the ball, especially against high-velocity pitchers.

What’s it been like to be back on a baseball field playing competitive games after the pandemic wiped out the 2020 season?

It’s been really cool. The year off gave me a fresh perspective on baseball in that I’m trying to approach every day at the ballpark with a positive outlook.

Some of the [tedious baseball chores] I used to whine and complain about, I now try to look at those as positives because it means we’re back on the field. Same goes for life in general — I’ve tried to focus on the good things, like the fact I got to spend a lot of time with my family [last year], which is something I haven’t been able to do since I was a senior in high school.

When did you develop a passion for baseball?

I played every sport you could imagine — baseball, soccer, basketball, skiing. It probably wasn’t until my sophomore year of high school that I realized baseball could take me further than any other sport. Since then, I’ve had this mentality of “keep playing, keep playing,” and along the way baseball has taken me from high school to college to pro ball and through [the Oakland A’s] minor-league system.

It’s also taken me to a lot of different places and allowed me to meet a lot of different people that I wouldn’t have otherwise, so it’s been an eye-opening experience.

How did a kid from Tacoma, Washington, end up attending college at Wake Forest in North Carolina?

It was an interesting process. I’d always thought I would go to a West Coast college — at that time, I wasn’t itching to get far away from home. But I had some high school and summer-ball coaches who did a great job of getting me into tournaments and showcases throughout the country, big events in places like Arizona and Minneapolis. That gave me exposure to [college] coaches throughout the country that I otherwise wouldn’t have had.

I ultimately chose Wake Forest because it allowed me to play in a great conference [Atlantic Coast Conference] while also getting a great education, which was a big factor. It ended up being an unbelievable experience and I was able to meet some of my closest friends. I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

You probably heard about Las Vegas Ballpark from former minor-league teammates who played here in 2019. Now that you’ve been here for three months, what are your impressions of the venue and the game-day atmosphere?

Oh, it’s unbelievable. It’s top of the line for Minor League Baseball, and the facilities probably even [rival] some of the big-league clubs. From the front office to the coaching staff to the fans, it’s been a great experience — and of course it’s a good hitting ballpark as well.

You’re 5-foot-10, so what advantages do shorter baseball players have over taller ones?

A smaller strike zone, for starters [laughs]. Also, having shorter arms, it’s easier for me to stay compact at the plate. That’s not to say there aren’t negatives to having shorter arms — you lose leverage, for one thing. But the way my game is tailored, it’s helpful to stay short to the ball rather than having a long swing.

What’s the one skill you have that would surprise people, maybe even your teammates?

I got into ceramics and pottery in high school and still do a decent amount of it. I’ve stayed in touch with my high school ceramics teacher, and he’s been supportive in helping me continue that passion when I’m home for half the year.

It’s a nice change of pace, allows me to bring out my artistic side and it’s totally different than my typical day-to-day routine.

If you could go back and give your 12-year-old self one piece of advice, what would it be?

Take every situation as a learning opportunity. As a younger kid, even as late as college, whenever you encounter a negative situation — something that’s really going against you — the tendency is to say, ‘Why is this happening to me?’ instead of trying to learn something from it. That’s especially important in baseball, which is a game of failure — if you hit .300, you can be a Hall of Famer despite failing 70 percent of the time.

Being able to take a negative result and turn it into a positive not only can make the mental part of the game easier, which helps you become a better player, but having that attitude in everyday life can make you a better person, too.

Finish this sentence: I’ll know I’ve had a successful baseball career if …

… my teammates and coaches respect me for how I played the game. If you can walk away from every team you’ve ever played with and have your teammates and coaches say, “This guy played the game the right way and was as good of a teammate as he was a player,” that to me is success.

AVIATORS SNAP LOSING SKID: One day after managing just three hits in an 10-1 loss to Tacoma, the Aviators’ offense struggled again Sunday, mustering just four hits. However, two of those came in a three-run first inning, and those three runs proved to be enough for starting pitcher A.J. Puk and five relievers, as Las Vegas halted its three-game losing streak with a 4-2 victory over the Rainiers before a crowd of 5,331.

First baseman Francisco Peña got the scoring started with a two-out RBI single that scored Mondou (walk), and designated hitter Carlos Pèrez followed with a two-run homer to give the Aviators (38-38) an early 3-0 lead.

Tacoma got on the board in the third inning thanks to right fielder Taylor Trammell’s RBI single off Puk. Mondou got that run back with a one-out RBI double in the fifth, but Rainiers catcher Brian O’Keefe answered with a one-out solo homer in the top of the sixth off Las Vegas reliever Ben Bracewell.

It would turn out to be the final run of the game, but not the final scoring threat, as the Rainiers (42-34) put the potential tying runs on base with two outs in the top of the ninth. But Aviators left-hander Sam Moll struck out Tacoma left fielder Dillon Thomas looking for his first save since being optioned from the Oakland A’s to Las Vegas late last week.

Puk, Bracewell, Moll, Adam Kolarek and Aaron Brown combined to scatter nine hits and two walks while striking out 11, with Puk notching five of those strikeouts in three innings of work.

GAME NOTES: Right-hander Daulton Jefferies was scheduled to start Sunday’s game for the Aviators but was scratched earlier in the day — and for good reason: He was promoted from Las Vegas to Oakland. In a corresponding roster move, outfielder Seth Brown — who spent most of the 2019 season with the Aviators — was optioned to Las Vegas. … Because of Jefferies’ promotion, the Aviators were forced to go with a “bullpen” game. With Puk lasting just three innings, it snapped a string of 12 consecutive games in which Las Vegas starting pitchers had pitched at least five innings. Not counting the July 24 contest at Salt Lake that was suspended after one inning, Aviators starters have still gone at least five innings in 17 of 21 games dating to July 6. … Peña, who hit a solo homer to give Las Vegas its lone run in Saturday’s 10-1 loss to Tacoma, is now riding a seven-game hitting streak. The veteran first baseman is batting .310 during the streak (9-for-29). … In addition to Mondou, Peña and Pèrez, catcher Austin Allen (third-inning single) had the Aviators’ other hit. … In other roster news, the A’s on Saturday optioned catcher Aramis Garcia to Las Vegas to clear a roster spot for veteran catcher Yan Gomes, who was acquired in a trade with the Washington Nationals on Friday. The Aviators now have five catchers on their roster: Garcia, Peña, Allen, Pèrez and Cooper Uhl.

ON DECK: Homer Bailey (1-0, 2.70 ERA) is scheduled to make his fourth start with Las Vegas on Monday when he opposes fellow veteran right-hander Logan Verrett (6-2, 5.10) in game five of this six-game series at Las Vegas Ballpark. First pitch is at 7:05 p.m.

Catch every Aviators game throughout the season on Raider Nation Radio 920-AM. Follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook @AviatorsLV, and follow beat writer Matt Jacob on Twitter @MattRJacob.