MIDLAND Greg Deichmann is looking to make the most of his first Texas League all-star selection.
The RockHounds’ outfielder may have dreams of playing at the major-league level but he knows this current honor is nothing to sneeze at.
“Any time you can make an all-star game in any league, whether it’s college or professional or whatever, it’s a huge deal,” Deichmann said. “I’m just really excited that they thought enough of me to make me an all star selection in my first year in Double-A.”
That’s not to say that he was expecting to be named to the all-star team at the start of this season.
“It was a little bit of a surprise,” Deichmann said. “I didn’t have my best half of the season, numbers wise.
“But I came out and played hard every day and maybe that’s what helped and maybe some of the other managers in the Texas League saw that. From a numbers standpoint, I didn’t post my best.”
The Texas League All-Star Game will take place June 25 at ONEOK Field in Tulsa, Okla.
This season, Deichmann has hit seven home runs, driven in 24 runs and scored 30 runs through the first half of the season.
But he’s hoping to succeed on a more consistent basis.
“Posting numbers, obviously, is the big thing but you just have to go out and play as hard and play the way the organization wants you to play and everything will fall in place,” Deichmann said.
Despite not playing professional baseball for very long, Steinmann says the Deichmann has come a long way in his development.
“He’s another guy who doesn’t have a lot of pro experience,” Steinmann said. “He’s had a couple of injuries but I love the way he plays and runs the bases. He’s done very well in this half of the season and I’m looking forward to what he can do in the second half of the season.”
Deichmann has only been playing since 2017 and staying healthy has been an issue for him.
“Honestly, my biggest thing was just trying to stay healthy through the year and learning to play my best and learn to play these long 15 to 20 game stretches,” Deichmann said. “It’s the biggest thing and I just want to play with more consistency moving forward.”
He made the jump up from the Single-A Stockton Ports after the 2018 season. Getting used to the speed of Double-A ball has taken some time.
“You face great competition every night,” Deichmann said. “You see a lot of good pitchers that are throwing it up there every night. You have consistent talent at every stage. You have to come out ready to play each night and bring it.”
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