River Bandits' Pham still wants more

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By Steve Batterson | Tuesday, May 20, 2008 |

The River Bandits’ Tommy Pham hits a double Tuesday against Peoria. He was the Midwest League Player of the Week. (Louis Brehms/For the Times) Buy this Photo

On the surface, the numbers impress.

With five home runs, 10 RBIs and a .926 slugging percentage in his first week in a Quad-Cities River Bandits uniform, Tommy Pham earned Midwest League player of the week honors.

Pham isn’t impressed.

Although he has adapted well to filling the leadoff spot on manager Steve Dillard’s lineup card, it’s another number that matters most these days to Pham.

It’s the 11 strikeouts in his first 34 plate appearances that wears on the 20-year-old outfielder.

“I have a lot of things to work on. That’s why I’m here,’’ Pham said. “I’ve had a good week, but you can’t get caught up in your numbers in this game. The numbers, they can sometimes lie a bit.”

Pham said he understands that now more than ever.

He started the season with the Cardinals’ high-A club, batting .146 in 27 games at Palm Beach in the Florida State League. But it was his team-leading 30 strikeouts in 89 plate appearances that led St. Louis to reassign Pham to the Midwest League.

“I wasn’t hitting my weight, I led the team in strikeouts and I didn’t have anybody to blame but myself. I have to accept responsibilities for my actions, I was sent down, and I have to deal with that,’’ Pham said.

“Nobody wants to get sent down — that’s not the object of the game — but when it happens, you do what you can to deal with, learn from it and continue to work.”

Pham speaks from experience.

He got off to a slow start with Quad-Cities last season, batting .094 in 14 games before being reassigned to short-season Batavia (N.Y.) during a season that saw him transition from shortstop to the outfield.

“I dug myself a quick hole, and I couldn’t get out of it,” Pham said. “The experience forced me to mature a bit.”

He said he believes he has benefited from his time with Palm Beach this season, getting a taste of what he can expect at the next level in the St. Louis system.

“I probably learned as much in that month as I did all of last season, learning and seeing how the game changes up there,” Pham said. “The way you prepare, the professionalism in the way the players go about their business from one day to the next, it’s different.”

That carries over in the way Pham has gone about his business since joining the River Bandits on May 12.

From the hustle he displays while going after balls hit to the outfield during batting practice to the way he deposited the first pitch he saw in his return to the Midwest League over the outfield fence at Peoria, Pham has made a quick impression on Dillard.

“He’s done a great job so far. I’ve been there, being sent down, and no player wants that, but it’s how you respond to it, how you deal with it, and he’s dealing with it well,” Dillard said. “He’s up there hitting the ball, he’s making plays in center. He’s got the right idea.”

The work continues.

Pham is working to develop the plate discipline that he needs to limit his strikeouts and become even more productive at the plate.

“It’s about relaxing in a lot of ways. I get tense. I put pressure on myself. I just need to stay confident in myself, relax and give myself a chance,” Pham said.

“There are times when I get two strikes that I speed myself up for no reason. There’s nerves and tension that don’t need to be there. I have to stay strong, stay confident. The mental part is a lot of what I’m working on now.”

One pitch, one at-bat at a time, Pham is confident he will succeed.

“It’s up to me and no matter where I’m playing, I just need to relax and believe in myself,” he said.

Steve Batterson can be contacted at (563) 383-2290 or sbatterson@qctimes.com.