DURHAM, N.C. — Kean Wong wasn’t in the place he wanted to be during the past month.
His mind wasn’t where it needed to be either, the Durham Bulls second baseman said.
“It’s a lot going through my head right now,” Wong said. “I can’t control what I want to control.”
His production slipped considerably in recent weeks, yet he’s the only member of the Bulls selected to the International League all-star team last week. He was tabbed as a utility player.
Wong’s season wobbled a month ago. That’s when infielder/outfielder Brandon Lowe, who had joined the Bulls less than two months earlier, was promoted to the Tampa Bay Rays.
To many, it seemed like Wong, a Waiakea alum who’s finishing his second season with Durham, had been bypassed.
Wong couldn’t seem to get a grasp on that development, something he acknowledges threw him off stride.
“It has been a tough few weeks,” Wong said, noting the mental anguish. “I tried extra hard. I tried more than I was supposed to. … It was nothing physical. It was all mental, the whole August.”
He was batting .316 when the Rays called up Lowe. Wong hit at a .158 clip in August (without a multihit game since Aug. 8), dropping to .280 through after going 0 for 5 on Sunday.
Bulls manager Jared Sandberg and others with the team have noted their concern for Wong, 23.
“I think he got caught up in some things he couldn’t control and it snowballed a little bit,” Sandberg said, referencing the early August roster move.
Perhaps the all-star recognition can prove beneficial.
“I think it’s huge for him,” Sandberg said. “It’s definitely a humbling August for him.”
Wong, who won’t be eligible to be a free agent until after the 2019 season, said he respects Lowe and his quest.
“It was really tough,” he said. “I’m happy for Brandon Lowe to get called.”
It had all gone so well for Wong through the first half of the season. In the Triple-A All-Star Game in mid-July, he was named the International League’s top star after rapping three hits and driving in two runs.
He was in contention for the league’s batting title.
It’s not all lost for Wong, who has been slotted in various positions throughout the season. He has played a couple dozen games in the outfield and has been used as a third baseman.
“He has added some versatility,” Sandberg said.
“That was part of the plan,” Wong said of gaining experience at multiple spots.
Wong, said he’s focused on helping the Bulls repeat their postseason success from a year ago. On Monday, he’ll receive the team’s Most Valuable Player award in a ceremony prior to the regular-season finale.
Wong said he can take something from what has happened in the past month.
“I feel I’m a better person and a better player,” he said.
