Juan To Remember
August 2, 2005 - Frontier League (FL)
Chillicothe Paints News Release
Hitting .400 is a pretty good way to say hello.
Since joining the Chillicothe Paints July 21, Juan Downing has been as hot as they come. With 17 hits in his first 11 games, Downing put together a .431 batting average through Aug. 1, with two home runs and 17 RBIs in
his first 39 at-bats.
"They kind of surprised me in Evansville when they said they were going to trade me," Downing said.
"Then they told me I was going to Chillicothe, and I've always been confident
on this field with hitting, defense -- everything."
Downing wasn't the only one surprised with the deal.
The Paints acquired him in a blockbuster trade for Beau Blacken, hoping to shore up their middle infield defense and get a little more speed in the lineup. It wasn't exactly a popular trade around here at the time -- after all, Blacken was probably the most popular Paint this season, having a breakout, All-Star year.
Now though, two weeks after the whole thing was consummated via cell phone while the team was on an Evansville-bound bus, it's hard to argue with results.
"If I'm building a team through a draft, he's my No. 1 pick," Paints manager Glenn Wilson said. He's got all the tools you can ask for."
In the final four games of July, Downing proved that.
From the last two games of the Gateway series through the first two against Windy City, Downing drove in 12 runs, hit .625 (10-for-16) with three doubles, two home runs and two runs scored. His recent hot streak put him on top of the Frontier League's leaderboard with a .387 batting average, besting the likes of Florence's superhuman slugger Mike Galloway and Mid Missouri's Brent Matheny, who's been flirting with the distinction for most of the season.
Still, there is some uncertainty about Downing.
A little limited by nagging injuries, the hot-hitting, sure-handed infielder missed a big chunk of the season when he was an Otter in Evansville. A strained quad cost him some time early in the season, and an injured shoulder cost him about three weeks just before the All-Star break.
"The quad, I got better from that but I pulled it again about two games before the All-Star break," Downing said. "The second one, I was playing in Rockford and hurt my shoulder. On that one, I went out for about a month. It's still bothering me. I'd say I'm playing about 85, 90 percent right now."
It's kind of scary to think there's another 10 percent worth of production left in Juan Downing.
As of this writing (Aug. 1), the Paints were on their first real run in a long time. Winners of three of their last four, with 43 runs scored in that span, it's impossible to argue that Downing didn't have a lot to do with what's been going on at the ballpark.
"For me, I just feel very confident now," he said. "I feel like no one can get me out. As for the team, we've got a good team here. It's just that sometimes we have the hitting and the pitching isn't there, or we have the pitching and the hitting isn't there. These couple of games lately, it's all been there at the same time."
Frontier League Stories from August 2, 2005
- Fan Takes Home Diamond Ring From âHawks Game - Rockford RiverHawks
- River City Wins Series Finale - Richmond Roosters
- Juan To Remember - Chillicothe Paints
- Frontier League ERA Leader Retires - Rockford RiverHawks
- Florence hitting slump continues, fall to Grizzlies 3-0 - OSC Original by Andrew Kappes
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