Eric Campbell has done with the Mets exactly what he has done in his minor league career and that is hit and play great defense.
During Wednesday nights game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Campbell launched his first home run of the season into the left field stands. The two run shot came in the sixth inning with the Mets trailing 3-0.
He now has his own souvenir to add to his accomplishments. “I don’t know how they tracked it down,” Campbell tells John Jeansonne of NY Newsday about the baseball. “But they did.”
Campbell in his seven games with the Mets is batting .438/.444/.750, (7 for 16), three runs, two doubles, a home run, five RBI’s, a walk and has only struck out twice.
He also is riding a six-game hit streak in that span, and even though he isn’t playing everyday, he is showing how consistent of a hitter he can be.
“It’s been a good two weeks,” Campbell said. “Two weeks that I’ll remember forever, for sure.”
The best part about Soup’s game is that he can play any position from infield to outfield, which he proved in his minor league days, but now he gets to showcase those skills on the big club.
For now he will be a back up to Lucas Duda at first base until the Mets can figure out what position suits him best, “I’d be ready if they need me,” he said. “And those at-bats off the bench mean a lot, too. So either way, it doesn’t matter.”
Playing in the majors is a big difference than going through the minors but at the end of the day, its still baseball.
“All your surroundings are better,” he said. “Stadiums, the fans, the clubhouses, the food. But once you get on the field, it’s really no different. You do get juiced up a little bit more — especially if you’re pinch hitting. You’ve got a lot of adrenaline. But everyone says it all the time: it’s still 90 feet between the bases, still 60 feet from the mound, you’ve still got to throw it over the plate. So it’s really all the same.”
It’s a shame he can’t be a permanent fixture in this lineup, but if he continues to swing a hot bat, it will be hard for Terry Collins to keep him out of the lineup, even though he did acknowledge that fact, “somehow, some way,” says Collins.
Great to see him doing well, and look forward to watching Soup continue to develop into an impact player in the majors.
(Featured Photo Credit: Alex Brandon, AP)
(Content Photo Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke)
