Trey Cabbage home runs help Wichita Wind Surge extend first-place lead in standings
It’s been a long and winding road for Trey Cabbage to finally reach the Double-A level of minor league baseball with the Wichita Wind Surge.
He was selected out of high school in the fourth round of the 2015 MLB Draft by the Minnesota Twins and has spent the subsequent six years floating through rookie ball and different levels of Single-A.
Finally, the 24-year-old Cabbage received the promotion to Double-A in late June and he has made the most of his opportunity in Wichita.
Cabbage has already mashed 10 home runs, including a 413-foot blast in Tuesday’s 5-1 win to open a road series against the Tulsa Drillers, which has helped the Wind Surge (50-35) improve to a season-best 15 games over .500 and extend Wichita’s first-place divisional lead in the standings over the Drillers to five games.
“This is all I’ve ever wanted to do since I was three years old,” Cabbage said. “Of course it’s easy to be discouraged when you go through slumps and you’re in the same spot year in and year out. But it’s all God’s plan and it’s a lot bigger than anything I could think of. I just trust in that and stay the course.”
Cabbage began this season in High-A Cedar Rapids, where he has spent time each season since 2017. The 6-foot-3 right fielder began showing signs of his power during the 2019 season when he finished with 15 home runs in 99 games.
In 23 fewer games this summer, Cabbage has already surpassed his career-best mark with a total of 19 home runs. He’s hitting .260 with 38 extra-base hits and 60 RBIs this season in Cedar Rapids and Wichita combined.
“It was a good learning experience to go back (to Cedar Rapids) again. It was a comfortable place to play,” Cabbage said. “I’ve been there and I knew the in’s and out’s of the city and the ballpark and the league. I liked playing there, but obviously I’m happy to be here now.
“I’m just staying with the same routine and trying to stay consistent. I haven’t really changed anything. I just try to stay the course.”
With Cabbage leading the way, the Wind Surge have effectively used the long ball to rattle off their most successful stretch of the season. They’ve won seven of their last eight games, including taking five of six from Midland last week at home, and have 22 home runs (Cabbage has a team-high five of those) in the last 15 days, tied for the most in Double-A Central.
After a rather miserable July where Cabbage hit just .213 for the month, he has been on a hot streak since the start of August. In the seven games he’s played in August, Cabbage is hitting .370 (10 for 27) with four home runs and nine RBIs — raising his season batting average (.254) by 30 percentage points.
After so many years of grinding away in lower levels, Cabbage is finally reaping the benefits of staying patient.
“It’s really exciting because it’s all I’ve ever wanted to do since I was a kid,” Cabbage said. “It’s one step closer (to MLB) and I want to keep playing well, so I can take one more step.”
This story was originally published August 11, 2021 at 6:00 AM.
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