Called up to the Trenton Thunder last week, the former Council Rock South High School standout has packed his bags seven times this year. And that's just in-house transfers in the Yankees organization.
TRENTON - It's only fair that Billy Fleming finish the final week of the baseball season close to home. There may be no minor league player in the country who has visited more towns this year.
Called up to the Trenton Thunder last week, the former Council Rock South High School standout has packed his bags seven times this year. And that's just in-house transfers in the Yankees organization.
That doesn't count road trips in the Appalachian League, the Eastern League here in mid-July, then the South Atlantic League, the Gulf Coast League, back to the Sally League and finally back here.
But when you're just 22-year-old, "Well,'' he said, "I've been to a lot of places so it's been a cool year for that.''
Trenton finishes a nine-game home stand at Arm & Hammer Park today at 1 p.m.
Sunday night Trenton lost 5 -1 to New Hampshire, the only Thunder run coming on a homer from Jake Skole. Starter Cale Coshow went 6.2 innings for Trenton, allowing two runs.
The infielder has hit everywhere he's been. Fleming is hitting .281 in his last 10 games, between here and Charleston.
Overall he he's hit over .340 this season.
Starting out with just five games in Tampa he hit .364. In 15 games with the Pulaski Yankees he hit .444. In 26 games with Charleston he batted .330. Last year as a rookie in both the GCL and with short-season Staten Island the average was .330.
In the series with New Hampshire he's 2-for-6.
Oh, as a Big 12 Conference first-team selection at West Virginia he batted .351.
"Billy's a pro,'' Thunder hitting coach P.J. Pilittere said over the weekend. "As a hitter, he gives himself a chance. That's why he's had success everywhere he's been. He swings at good pitches; puts himself in good position.
"He doesn't expand the strike zone. He's a pretty intelligent hitter. It can't be easy to be going all over the place and have success everywhere, too, so I think when you see a little bit of success it's a little easier to transfer that to wherever you're gonna go. You're obviously feeling pretty comfortable where you are, as far as that batter's box being your comfort zone.''
Fleming, who turns 23 in two weeks, certainly has a comfort zone back home, just a 25-minute ride to the park. Doing an occasional chore is well worth it.
"It's a good trade-off,'' he joked. "I'll take it for getting my laundry done and food being cooked.
"I feel like I've had a good season,'' he said about his second year in pro ball. "I feel like I tried to prove a lot of people wrong. I started out in extended spring training and obviously felt I should be somewhere else, but I felt I had to prove myself to make them believe that.
"I just wanted to play as well as possible at every place they put me. I played rather well and kept improving.''
He has played first base since getting to Double-A, a new position for him. A second baseman in college, he also played third base at Pulaski for the first time for former Thunder manager Tony Franklin.
The offseason will be spent at home in Churchville, Pa., and he'll work out at places like D1 Baseball Academy in Southamton and Sluggersville Philly.
"It was such a travel-filled year, it will be nice to just relax,'' Fleming said. "And it's been nice being able to play in front of my friends and family.''