IL notes: Bisons' Tellez eyes strong finish

Rowdy Tellez had a huge offensive year in 2016.
The slugging first baseman hit 23 homers for Double-A New Hampshire, surpassing the total from his previous two pro seasons combined. And Tellez finished with a career-high 81 RBIs while ranking among the Eastern League leaders in on-base percentage (.387) and slugging (.530) .
But that big year had one negative side effect: it affected his play with Buffalo to start this season.
"I put a lot of pressure on myself to try and reproduce what I did last year instead of just playing the game and letting my abilities show," Tellez said. "I think I put too much pressure on myself by trying to control the uncontrollable -- trying to get to the big leagues instead of focusing on the day-to-day task of putting together solid at-bats to help my team win."

It did not help that Tellez was dealing with the fact that his mother, Lori, had been diagnosed with melanoma in December.
"I tried to not let that [get into my thoughts], but subconsciously, I think I did," he said. "I don't want that to be an excuse because I should be able to set those things aside, but my family is my world. … There are a lot of things that go into that. I didn't want that to affect me, but it's hard to keep it from creeping in."

Buffalo skipper Bobby Meacham, who also managed Tellez last season in New Hampshire, noticed the difference in the 6-foot-4, 220-pound slugger.
"Early on, there wasn't much development because he wasn't going in a good direction," Meacham said. "The work habits all the way down to the results in the game [were not good]. The good thing about Rowdy is his confidence -- he knows he's good and he's going to be a big leaguer. The negative is that when that is your thought, you can skip over some things.
"Last year, he was relentless in his work habits and it showed up in games. I think he's back to that level this year."
Ranked 13th in the Blue Jays system, Tellez batted .194 in April, then hit one homer in May. The 22-year-old first baseman followed that with a .169 average in June and a .181 mark in July. But recently, the news has improved for Tellez and his mother, whose cancer is in remission.
"I admit, I broke into tears because it was such a huge weight off our shoulders," he said.
And with that burden lifted, Tellez is putting together a strong August. He batted .343 in his first 17 games this month, and while he does not have any homers, the California native has swatted six doubles and driven in 11 runs. The productive month has lifted his season totals to .224 with six homers and 53 RBIs.
"Right now, I'm just trying to put a good swing on every pitch I can," Tellez said. "I've learned that I'm just trying to control what I can control. I'm not looking at things I can't control, like a callup or things like that. I just want to help my team win and finish the season strong."
Meacham said the struggles may not have been a bad thing for Tellez, at least when viewed as a tool for development.
"Everyone looks bright and rosy when things are going well," the manager said. "But when things get tough, that's when you decide if you're going to fold or going to work. To his credit, he's gone back to work. As a result, I think he's on track to becoming the player he should be."
Tellez agreed, adding, "Every time you have success, everyone is in your corner; when you struggle, it's a little different. Now I've learned how to handle struggles and how to be the same guy, day in and day out."

In brief

Diaz running away: Columbus' Yandy Díaz has a huge lead in the IL batting race with a .351 average, more than 35 points better than the next-highest mark among qualifying hitters. The 26-year-old, who has played second base, third base and the outfield for the Clippers, also leads the league with a .456 on-base percentage. Last year, Diaz was voted IL Rookie of the Year after ranking second with a .325 average.
Nothing to it: Outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. joined Gwinnett on July 13 and promptly had a three-hit night. And the 19-year-old has kept hitting, posting a .347 average with eight homers and 21 RBIs in 36 games. Acuna has had multiple hits in 17 of 36 games and has gone hitless only nine times. The Venezuela native has hits in seven straight and 17 of his last 18 contests.
Kingery on a roll: Lehigh Valley second baseman Scott Kingery enters the week with an 18-game hitting streak -- the IL's longest active run -- during which he's batted .351. The 23-year-old, who joined the IronPigs in late June, is hitting .315 with eight homers and 19 RBI in 48 games.
He said it: "Well, yeah, I got a few frequent flyer miles. But that's work. You just have to go to work. Whatever opportunity the Tigers give me, I will be there." --Toledo 3B Jeimer Candelario to The (Toledo) Blade. One of Detroit's top prospects, he was acquired from the Cubs at the Trade Deadline, then spent a week with the Mud Hens before getting a two-day callup to Detroit, then returning to Toledo. In 16 games with the Hens, the 23-year-old is batting .236 with three homers and 10 RBIs.