Kevin Melillo Journal: Memorable Moments

Second baseman Kevin Melillo is off to a fast start for AA-Midland. Melillo is hitting an even .400 and recently went 6-7 in the Rockhounds' home opener. In this player journal entry, Melillo details some of the most memorable moments of his spring training and of the first two weeks of the regular season, including playing with Frank Thomas, turning a triple-play and being part of an offensive juggernaut.

Hey everybody, it's been a long time since my last journal so let me catch up on some things that have happened so far this season.

Spring Training was great, even though the weather in Phoenix was unusually chilly. It was great experience for me to work out with the AAA team while most of the guys going to Sacramento were still in big league camp. There were some memorable moments for me this spring, as I was fortunate to play in my first Big League spring training game and collect a hit with two RBIs.

Having Frank Thomas come out to Papago and take some swings during our games was great too. You can really learn a lot from talking to a Major League veteran hitter about how to play the game.

The highlight of the year so far definitely was having the chance to play in the exhibition game in Sacramento between AAA and the Big League club. Facing Rich Harden was great, a guy who could be arguably one of the best starters in baseball. The triple-play we turned in that game was one of the things I'll never forget the rest of my life. With the runners on first and second moving, Danny Putnam laid out in left field and made a diving catch, throwing it to me as I stepped on second for the second out and threw to first for the third out. That's something I've never been a part of or even seen until then.

Another thing I've never seen is a team scoring at least one run in every inning of the ball game. That happened on Easter Sunday in Midland, as we scored 20 runs. That was the home opener in front of a great crowd.

The season has been great so far, as we are 7-4. That's pretty good considering we started on a 9 game road trip through Frisco and San Antonio, TX.

Sorry again for the delay in the journal but now that I'm finally set-up with the Internet there should be more coming. If anyone has questions or comments please feel free to respond back and I'll do my best to answer. Take care everyone, talk to you soon.

Have questions for Kevin? Email them to . Be sure to include your first name and your city and put “Question for Kevin” in the subject line of the email. He will respond to questions periodically throughout the season.