Wong has made significant strides defensively, but Whitting said he also grown as hitter. The righthanded hitter is batting .305/.380/.512 with eight home runs and 18 stolen bases. He has already set career highs for home runs and stolen bases, and Whitting said he is able to make adjustments more quickly at the plate.
The maturation of Wong as a hitter has been important for Houston, as has the emergence of shortstop Jake Scheiner, a transfer from Santa Rosa (Calif.) JC. The junior has slumped lately, but is still hitting .375/.459/.729 with 12 home runs—all team highs.