Kansas City Royals at New York Mets

A.J. Ewing hit the first leadoff home run of his career on Wednesday. If the Mets have their way, it will be the first of many. That’s not to say Ewing is or ever will be a classic power hitter. He’s not, and probably won’t be. But Ewing’s skillset clearly isn't limited just to speed or on-base acumen, the two primary reasons why the Mets recently installed him as their regular leadoff hitter against right-handed pitching. He is, in the eyes of team officials, a far more well-rounded player than that. In his latest attempt to prove it, Ewing launched Royals opener Steven Cruz’s third pitch 420 feet and over the right-center-field fence to give the Mets an early lead over the Royals in a game they eventually won, 6-2, with a five-run rally in the eighth. Not only was that blast Ewing’s seventh home run in 53 big league games, but it put him alongside Gregg Jefferies as the only Mets to hit a leadoff homer at age 21 or younger. So while this power thing might not be Ewing’s identity, it’s at least becoming a trend. Since coming to the Majors in May, Ewing has averaged a long ball every 29.3 plate appearances, compared to one every 73.3 plate appearances in the Minors. “I think it’s just being comfortable in the box,” he said Tuesday, after his first career four-hit performance also included a homer. “That’s not really something I’m pushing for. It’s more just line-drive stuff. But the fact that I'm getting the ball in the air to the pull side, it’s cool.” Or, as teammate Brett Baty put it: "This kid’s different."