Sidick's sizzling start

While the Wild Things' bats cooled off during the first half of June, one player who bucked the trend is outfielder Chris Sidick. Now in his sixth season in the Frontier League, Sidick has the reputation of being a player who starts slowly and heats up sometime around the all-star break.

This year, Sidick has been the Wild Things' most consistent hitter. Entering Sunday's game against Traverse City, Sidick is tied for sixth in the league with a .343 batting average and is fourth in on-base percentage at .451. It's the best start of his career.

"He's the guy who gets our offense going," said designated hitter Jacob Dempsey. "And when he gets on base, he disrupts the other team so much because they're afraid he's going to steal. He helps the guys hitting behind him get better pitches to hit."

Sidick opened the season with a nine-game hitting streak and has reached base safely in all but three of the Wild Things' 27 games. He has 10 multiple-hit games. He had two hits, scored two runs and drove in two in the Wild Things' 8-run sixth inning Saturday night against Kalamazoo.

So what has been the key to Sidick's hot start? Perhaps a different batting stance? Maybe more batting practice in the offseason? What about working deeper into the count?

Nope. None of the above.

"I just think it's better luck," Sidick said. "I don't think I'm hitting the ball any different than last year. My strikeout rate is about the same as last year. The difference is I'm getting more hits to fall. Last year, I hit a lot of balls right at people. This year, those balls are falling in."