SAN DIEGO _ Hunter Renfroe doesn't belong in the Pacific Coast League. If he didn't prove as much as the circuit's MVP a year ago, a two-week sampling after a surprising yet deserved demotion reiterated that fact.
Renfroe had hits in more than half his regular season at-bats with Triple-A El Paso. Nearly half of those went for extra bases and four left the yard. After 14 games, Renfroe's ridiculous .509/.557/.891 batting line had produced 18 RBIs.
"For us, he probably is above that level," Padres manager Andy Green said after including Renfroe among his final September call-ups. "But he's got work to do to be above this level or to be at the top of this level, which is where we think he can get."
Monday provided more proof.
Renfroe hit a three-run homer in his first at-bat back to spur the San Diego Padres on to a 4-2 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Monday, his first since July 25.
The tailspin the followed saw Renfroe manage four extra-base hits over his next 20 games (.219/.286/.281), strike out 23 times against four walks and drive in three runs. By the time Green called Renfroe into his office for his Aug. 19 demotion, he'd paired a .230/.285/.443 batting line with 20 homers and 47 RBIs.
"I went through some highs and lows, like anybody else," Renfroe said. "You never expect to get sent down on the day you get sent down, but I had not played well up to that point. You can never take anything for granted."
Least of all the talking points on the way back to the Pacific Coast League.
A strong but erratic right arm had produced nearly as many throwing errors _ eight, tops among all outfielders at the time _ as assists (nine). His 28.7 percent strikeout rate was more than four times his 6 percent walk rate. The improved plate discipline that Renfroe showed in flashes the second month of the season needed to return in a big way to fully realize his potential as a middle-of-the-order threat.
Toward that end, Renfroe walked (six) nearly as often as he struck out (seven) while finishing the regular season in El Paso _ long enough, as it happens, for the Padres to gain an extra year of team control. He was under the weather, according to Green, during a difficult PCL finals but also took measures to quiet his hands during his active load.
"It's mostly just cutting down on the timing," Renfroe said. "It's a little bit slower to develop when I'm up there doing all my hand motions. I guess you look at it as a Gary Sheffield-type deal. He was up there (with his hands moving), cocked and he had to start really early. I wasn't starting early enough to do that, so I cut that down a little bit to try to be quieter."
He was much quieter Monday _ before his loud home run to center off Patrick Corbin's 1-1 fastball over the hearth of the plate opened up a 3-0 lead in the first inning. He was hit by a pitch in his second plate appearance, struck out in his third, grounded out in his fourth and is expected to play right field consistently over the final two weeks as the Padres assess just how far Renfroe has progressed.
"We're going to continue to look for some of those adjustments," Green said. "We think he's taken some steps in the right direction. I don't think he's taken every step at this point in the time, but there's definitely been steps in the right direction.
"Now it's get back here and continue to work on it and continue to get better."
