PCL Player of the Week France Credits 'Development and Maturity'

After having three multi-homer games, including a walk-off home run against Tacoma, the Pacific Coast League selected Chihuahuas infielder Ty France as Player of the Week for April 15-21.

Through last week, France had 16 hits, 13 runs,17 RBIs and a whopping 1.500 slugging percentage. He became the first PCL player to have seven home runs and 40 total bases in a single week since Franmil Reyes (also with the Chihuahuas).

"Developing and maturing has helped a lot," France said yesterday on Sportstalk. "You get bigger and stronger as time goes on. From being drafted at 21 and now being 25, the development has been great for my numbers."

Hitting an exceptional .423 batting average, France doesn't remember getting off to this quick of a start in his professional career.

"Not that I can recall. Off to a hot start and hope to keep it rolling. Overall, been a great start to our season," he added.

As a special utility infielder, France is frequently called to play different positions on the diamond and he's learned to adapt to the constant changes.

"I played third base in college and played first right out of college when I was drafted," he said. "This year they've tried to experiment a bit. It's fun for me getting to play different positions every day. I've enjoyed it so far."Growing up I played multiple positions. The hardest part is to get reads in the outfield for me. As far as the infield stuff, it's easier to adjust for me."

When we spoke with France before the season started, he talked about the significance of playing alongside Manny Machado during spring training for the Padres and said how he's trusting the process of Triple-A baseball.

For now, France is playing his game and patiently waiting for the call up to San Diego.

"We've got a lot of talent on this team," France said. "It's a lot of fun to be a part of. Hopefully, have some of these guys go to the big leagues soon."