The former New York Yankees draft pick is in his fourth year as a hitting coach in the organization, having worked at Low-A Charleston and High-A Tampa before moving to AA Trenton this season with new manager Al Pedrique.
TRENTON - For every Greg Bird there is a dying quail. For every Aaron Judge there is a hung jury.
For Thunder Hitting Coach P.J. Pilittere, therein lies the challenge.
The former New York Yankees draft pick is in his fourth year as a hitting coach in the organization, having worked at Low-A Charleston and High-A Tampa before moving to AA Trenton this season with new manager Al Pedrique.
Statistically, this has not been record-setting season for the offense. The collective batting average will finish around .250, among the lower third in the 12-team Eastern League. Since top prospects like Bird, Judge and Gary Sanchez left for Triple-A earlier this summer, home run production became a rarity.
Only two teams have scored fewer runs.
You wouldn't have known that Friday night as Trenton collected 14 hits by the sixth inning; even though they only had two runs. They wound up getting past the New Hampshire Fisher Cats 3-1 at Arm & Hammer Park, ending a five-game losing streak.
Rookie Davis went seven innings, allowing one unearned run, just two hits and walked two. Francisco Arcia, Tyler Wade and Danny Oh each had three hits, with Oh also scoring once and driving in a run.
Today they play a doubleheader (6 p.m.); two seven-innings games, and will complete the regular season Monday afternoon.
For Pilittere, who played here during Trenton's championship seasons in '07 and '08, the season has been typical in that there have been success stories, failures, and pages still to be written.
"I try and get (arriving players) familiar with the way I expect our guys to prepare here. 'These are the demands when we take batting practice (BP) or in the cage, and I expect you to be prepared.' There's a wealth of information we have available to them,'' he said, "and I want them to feel comfortable. At this point in the season I'm not trying to overhaul their swings or mechanics.
"No matter who it is, I'm telling them, 'I know you guys are tired, I know it's September and you see the light at the end of the tunnel, but try and stay in the present and finish the right way.' I just try and preach finishing strong.''
The job demands 12-hour days, although these days the staff often hangs out in Pedrique's office after the game to watch the Yankees on TV; especially to see how Bird is doing.
The first baseman spent most of this season in Trenton. He also spent the past few years being coached by Pilittere.
"That makes me really happy, and proud of the kid,'' he said about the 22-year-old. "There is no more joy for a coach then when you see what Bird's doing. Me and Al were watching TV when he hit a home run, and we were throwing a party in the coaches' room. It's exciting to watch when the big league club is in the playoffs; especially when you're in player development. You're locked in.''
Not being locked in as a hitter is Pilittere's frustration. Though he knows all 12-13 hitters can't be swinging the bats well at the same time, he feels personally responsible for those slumping.
"That wears on you,'' he said. "Those are the kinds of guys you lose sleep over every night; 'cause you know what they're capable of. But you can never predict when a kid is going to figure it out. You never know when the light will go on. If it goes on August 25th and he's been having a bad year, then I don't think it's a bad year because he just might have figured it out.''
Pilittere and Pedrique have coached together the past three seasons, and the manager knows how much his coach cares for his players.
"He has a lot of passion for the game, and he takes it personal when we don't hit or don't win. He makes my job a lot easier,'' Pedrique said. "He's my right-hand man. He tells me who needs a day off, suggests who should move up or down in the lineup. He's very dependable.''
Although Pilittere didn't get higher than Triple-A in his playing career, he doesn't feel that's a hindrance for himself or his students.
"I think if you give respect to your players, and generally care about them and who they are as a person, I don't think it matters how many years you had in the big leagues. If they generally know you're there for them and will do whatever it takes to help them, they wouldn't care if you were a 20-time All-Star.
"I got to five Major League spring trainings, so maybe that counts,'' he added with a grin. "But I've learned off my experiences where I went wrong and why I possibly didn't get to the big leagues, and I use that to help these guys get there. That's what I'm here for. That's why I love to coach.''