2010 3rd Round pick Austin Wates ended his 2012 season by hitting .304/.375/.429 for Corpus Christi. When he opened 2013, he spent 23 games back at Corpus hitting .310/.423/.448 and got promoted to OKC. After starting 3x12 in his first four games, Wates hit safely in nine of his next ten games before fracturing his forearm on an HBP at Iowa. When he tried to come back after five weeks, it went into full-on break. Now that he's back and healthy after a confidence-building stint in Winter Ball, Wates is crediting Vince Coleman for adding a dimension to his game.
Working with Vince Coleman for the past two Spring Trainings, Wates has worked on his running game:
I've been trying to pick things up from him so I have that in my game. It's something I've been working on, something where I can bring a lot value-wise, because I'm not a power hitter. The key is to get on base and try to make something happen.
Through four games for OKC Wates is 7x15 with 1K:2BB and three steals.
We didn't come out here to play tiddlywinks, son.
-Hal Smith
