Acosta Returns To DSL, Chases History

Even in the Rookie leagues, hitting .400 is rare. So when third baseman Jose Acosta finished his season in the Dominican Summer League with a .403 average, eyes were opened. 

Originally signed out of the Dominican Republic in July 2017, Acosta made his professional debut in 2018 in the DSL and hit just .199 in 39 games. He returned to the DSL in 2019 and opened the season by going 3-for-5.

From June 11 to Aug. 13 there were just six games in which Acosta’s average dipped below .400. One of those days was the 12th, when he went 0-for-3 and saw his average drop from .399 to .390. He came back the next day and went 3-for-3 to push his average back to .403. 

“In his first year we identified (his) quick hands and ability to hit the ball with authority,” Latin American field coordinator Joel Noboa said. “We believe this year he understood the concept that less is more and as a result of that his technique was better in allowing him to increase the chances of squaring up the ball with consistency.

“Another very important factor that was a game-changer for him was his pitch selection.”

Acosta played 10 games in the Rookie-level Arizona League and had multiple hits in seven of them. He recorded a hit in each game and finished with a  .370 mark in the AZL.

While Acosta finished the year at .403 in the DSL, his season average between the two levels was .395. And even though he was one hit short of repeating the feat in the AZL, Acosta’s .400 finish in the DSL was certainly an accomplishment worth celebrating.

It also might have put him back on the prospect map.

RED HOTS

— After breaking the Florida State League single-season home run record in 2018, Ibandel Isabel led the Double-A Southern League in home runs this season with 26. Twenty of those home runs went at least 400 feet.

— Jonathan India played in five games this season at second base, all at high Class A Daytona. He will be spending more time at the position in the Arizona Fall League.