It’s been somewhat of a long road for current Binghamton Mets outfielder Cory Vaughn through the minors, but he’s starting to see progress in 2013. The Eastern League Player of the Week was the main topic of Adam Rubin’s weekly “Farm Report” on ESPN New York. Rubin took a deeper look at the son of former big leaguer, Greg Vaughn, talked about the steps he’s made this season, and possibly bringing him into the conversation of earning a September call-up by the end of the season.

Vaughn’s daily struggle with diabetes was highlighted in Rubin’s piece, stating that it’s something the outfielder has dealt with since the age of 11. He actually tests his blood sugar during games, and carries an insulin pump in his back pocket in case he needs to get some into his body.

While he does have to deal with that, a lot has also been said about his improved play this season in Binghamton. Through 121 at-bats this season, the outfielder is hitting .298/.388/.479 with five home runs and 27 RBIs. We’ve seen the type of power potential Vaughn has and his ability to hit for a high average, but rarely saw the two come together like this. In St. Lucie last season, he belted 23 homers and drove in 69 runs, but posted a .243 batting average. In his half season with Savannah in 2011, he hit .286, but only hit four homers in 245 at-bats.

What has been the biggest reason as to why Vaughn is now putting it all together as a 24-year-old? His approach at the plate and selectivity have improved drastically, and B-Mets hitting coach Luis Natera has taken note of it:

“The most important thing right now is he’s not afraid to hit with two strikes. So he doesn’t swing at borderline pitches early in the count. He’s not afraid. Now, he gets more good pitches to hit.”

There are plenty of good hitters that spend time in the minors. However, the ones that eventually make it out of the minors are able to find success when they’re not in control of an at-bat. Whether it’s about lack of power or being behind in a count, he’s not panicking about it anymore, allowing his ability and instincts take over instead.

Yogi Berra coined the now famous saying that baseball is 90% mental, and the other half is physical. Obviously, if Vaughn didn’t have the ability to be a professional baseball player, he wouldn’t have gotten drafted out of San Diego State. The skill is there, it’s just been a matter of sharpening the mental side of his game so they can both come together as one.

We’ve seen him have a nice season thus far in Binghamton, and it couldn’t be at a much better time, given the state of the Mets’ big league outfield. If he continues to perform well and those ahead of him do not, he will likely get a chance sooner rather than later. Rubin noted that the Mets will have to decide by the end of the year if they should add him to the 40-man roster and protect him from the Rule-5 draft, which should be a no-brainer right now.

While the big league outfield doesn’t look all that exciting, it’s encouraging to see that guys like him and Cesar Puello are starting to put it all together. It gives hope that internal help isn’t far away.