Foscue homers, drives in 4 in AFL
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SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Drafted as an offensive-minded second baseman, Justin Foscue is living up to the billing in the Arizona Fall League.
After hitting 17 homers in 62 games during his professional debut, Foscue has continued to mash this fall, going deep twice in six games.
The 22-year-old, the 14th overall pick from the 2020 Draft, picked up a trio of hits Tuesday, finishing 3-for-6 with four RBIs in Surprise’s 11-2 rout of Scottsdale at Scottsdale Stadium.
“There’s a lot of good opportunity here against a lot of good talent,” Foscue said after the Saguaros' third straight win. “You can either take advantage of it or you can just sit around not getting better.”
It’s safe to say Foscue, who homered and doubled, is making the most of his opportunity. With more strength and bat speed than a typical second baseman, the 6-foot, 205-pounder maximizes his offensive skill set with an aggressive, yet measured approach.
“I feel like I’ve always been pretty selective with my approach, but now the guys can command multiple pitches in multiple counts,” Foscue said. “In college, you’re getting a fastball in a 3-1, 2-0 count. Now they’re going to throw you a change or a slider. You just have to be very selective in what you want to hit.”
The Rangers’ No. 4 prospect (No. 83 overall) said one of the biggest adjustments he had to make to pro ball was learning how to hunt for his pitch. After the first two batters of the game reached, Foscue found a pitch he liked and lined an RBI single to center field.
He broke the game open with a three-run homer, his second of the AFL, to left in the fourth. In the seventh, that aggressive approach was on display as Foscue hammered the first pitch he saw into left for a single.
“The home run, it was a 3-1 count and I knew [Red Sox No. 19 prospect Josh Winckowski] had a good fastball with good spin to it,” Foscue said. “So my approach was just to get on top of the ball, be on time for the fastball in an advantage count, and luckily, I put a good swing on it.”
Foscue put together an impressive 2021 campaign, but is in Arizona making up for lost time. The Mississippi State product hit .275/.371/.590 during the season, but played in just 62 games, missing roughly two months with a left rib contusion. While he wishes he had been on the field more, the long season, coupled with the adversity of dealing with an injury, provided Foscue the opportunity to learn about life in pro ball.
“You can’t get too high, you can’t get too low,” Foscue said. “Try to just refresh your head every single day. That’s probably the biggest thing I’ve learned playing every single day.”
Reds No. 11 prospect Michael Siani also stood out for Surprise as he boosted his average to .367 with a perfect 4-for-4 day that included a two-run homer in the seventh.
Matt Wallner put Scottsdale on the board with his third AFL homer. The Twins' No. 14 prospect sent a towering drive out to right in the second.