Sardinha’s Slump May Be Over

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre outfielder Bronson Sardinha is currently having one of the worst seasons of his career, and a .223 batting average to show for it. Sardinha attributes laziness and complacency as the cause for his poor start, but he has turned on the heat of late. In his last 11 games, Sardinha has displayed the hitting ability that will one day get him to the majors.

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“I’m not where I’d like to be right now," Bronson Sardinha admitted. "I’ve struggled a lot at the plate; it has not been a great season so far."

“I have not been consistent this season at all either, and that really contributes to my struggles too. Sometimes, I’ll have a good night, but sometimes I’ll just be awful."

After electric Spring Training spent with the New York Yankees, it appeared that Bronson Sardinha had finally matured into a capable hitter that could handle Major League pitching.

“I blame myself really, after getting sent down from Major League camp, I put myself into a relaxed mode, and I got really lazy. It kind of carried over into the season and I picked up some bad habits. I took things for granted instead of focusing on getting myself ready for the big leagues,” said the 24-year old.

Sardinha hit .324 in 19 Spring Training games with the Yankees this year, but has a batting average over 100 points lower. Sardinha is hitting .223 with six home runs in 68 games with Triple-A Scranton.

“It’s not that I am having trouble recognizing pitches or anything, it’s just that I am trying way too hard, a lot of this is psychological.”

Sardinha is not sure what route to take in breaking his season long slump, but he is getting help from coaches and players alike.

“The coaches are just trying to make me relax and regain my confidence, they feel that the hits will come, they just want me to trust in my abilities,” said Sardinha.

“The best thing that I can do now though is try to get back to how I was hitting this time last year. I have to find my comfort zone all over again and get myself into a good groove."

Bronson may have finally found his groove, however. In his last eleven games, the outfielder is bating .302 with six doubles, one triple and a home run. Sardinha could be turning the corner, and may be on the verge of a blistering hot streak that will put him back on the map as one of the Yankees’ better outfield prospects.

“I just want to be prepared for any big opportunities from now on. You look at the last two seasons, and the team has had to rely on younger guys stepping up to the plate. I am going to have to work extra hard to prepare myself for those chances.”

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