Mariners GM Jerry Dipoto believes Adam Lind starting to show what he’s capable of
May 27, 2016, 3:53 PM
Adam Lind had a big at-bat in Monday's win to set the stage for Dae-Ho Lee's three-run homer. (AP)
(AP)
Even as the Mariners have maintained first place in the American League West, there’s still been a few players yet to get on track offensively. First baseman Adam Lind has probably been the name that stuck out the most on that short list, but he’s been looking more and more like the player who posted an OPS or .820 or better each of the past three seasons.
Lind’s breakout performance on Wednesday, a 4-for-4 night that included a pair of homers and six RBIs, has a lot to do with that. But Seattle general manager Jerry Dipoto told 710 ESPN Seattle’s “Danny, Dave and Moore” that what happened Wednesday has been hinted at a few times this season, and there’s reason to believe that big game won’t be a one-off.
“Adam hadn’t been off to a great start, but he has hit the ball better as of late. You could just smell that he was going to come in and have an offensive night at some point, and (Wednesday night) was that night,” said Dipoto. “Really what we saw was what he’s capable of. His bat was on time, his bat angle was really good, and he looked confident. It wasn’t the poorly-timed swing launches that we’d seen through the early part of the season.”
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There has been a fair amount of poor timing from Lind, who was hitting as low as .210 on May 6. He’s hit safely in eight of his last 11 games, though, and now sports a .242 average. Perhaps the better news is that three of his four homers on the season have come in his past five games. Power is a big part of his game — he’s hit 20 home runs or more five times in his career — so it’s a sign his timing is down if balls are leaving the ball park.
“I’ve mentioned before that I’ve always maintained that Adam was going to hit. I hope that this was the first day… of him hitting like he can,” Dipoto said of the left-handed half of Seattle’s platoon at first base. “That’s all we saw (Wednesday), was him showing what he’s capable of.”
