He cocked his bat back, followed through, and . . . a check swing. Ball four. The winning run trotted home. Lexington's pitcher hurled his mitt toward his dugout. Singleton was the hero.
"Anybody else would swing at that ball," said teammate Anthony Hewitt. "That was clutch."
Singleton, 18, has quickly emerged as one of the Phillies' most prized prospects. Through 37 games, the 2009 eighth-round pick is hitting .373 with nine home runs and 41 RBI. He hit two home runs yesterday in the BlueClaws' 6-3 win over Kannapolis that clinched the league's first-half title and a playoff berth.
At first glance, the Lakewood, Calif., native doesn't look 18. He's a solid 215 pounds, with linebacker-thighs. His swing is fluid, a no-frills motion made for a Tom Emanski commercial. But more than anything, the quality that differentiates Singleton from other low-A power hitters is his patience.
For example, current Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard, who hit 19 home runs in 570 plate appearances as a 22-year-old at Lakewood in 2002, struck out 145 times while drawing 66 walks. Singleton would be on pace to hit roughly 27 home runs with 94 strikeouts and 83 walks in a season with 570 plate appearances.
He is more poker player than lumberjack, quietly maximizing each hand he is dealt rather than hacking his way to a few extra home runs against fresh-out-of-school pitchers.
With his man-amongst-boys power, Singleton could go down swinging and no one would blame him. Instead, Singleton picks his spots. Up until last week, Singleton had more walks than strikeouts.
That night against Lexington, Singleton refused to whiff at an assortment of changeups. He waited, finally got a delicious fastball, and - even then - knew better than to swing.
