Down by one in the bottom of the eighth inning with a pair of runners on base, the Amarillo Sod Poodles just needed a base hit; a double would give them the late-game lead over the Frisco Roughriders.
Ivan Melendez gave them three.
The hit was the most stereotypical crack of a bat a ballplayer can make, something a special effects company would license. Unbeknownst to Melendez, his shot towards right center field made it over the fence, but in the moment, he thought the ball was still in play.
“I thought it was off the wall, so I was trying to get a triple,” Melendez said. “One of the umpires ruled it a home run, but he was behind me … so I couldn’t really tell.”
Pounding the infield dirt like Pete Rose, Melendez slid headfirst into third. It was only then that he knew he had just hit a three-run home run, after meeting his third base coach.
“I’ll take a home run any day,” Melendez said.
Dirt-stained uniform aside, Melendez completed his dash around the bases with a casual jog, tapping the bag for the 49th time in a Sod Poodles jersey — setting the franchise record for career home runs.
Melendez is not one to get complacent after adding another milestone to his budding career; it’s not in his nature for the former junior college player.
“It’s pretty sweet in the moment, but baseball is such an everyday thing. We got to come out the next day and perform — it’s never-ending,” Melendez said. “It’s really hard to celebrate your milestones and whatnot.”
Once a Longhorn, always a Longhorn
Very few hand signs are as iconic and memorable as the “hook ‘em” associated with the University of Texas. Even in the pros, former Texas players maintain the tradition of firing up the Horns Up to left field after home runs.
It’s a tradition that Melendez, the program’s only Golden Spikes winner, still maintains, keeping a connection with a program that gave him so much.
“I wouldn’t be here without them,” Melendez said. “I wouldn’t have developed as a baseball player without the resources there at Texas.”
While Melendez throws up the Horns Up as a subtle celebration, the tradition has now spread from Austin to Amarillo. His Sod Poodle teammates are adopting the tradition for their own, and it seems it’s doing the trick.
Melendez is leading the club with 15 home runs this season, with Amarillo currently second in the Texas League in home runs. With a notably superstitious sport like baseball, it’s no wonder that fellow Sod Poodles are copying what the team leader is doing.
“I would definitely say I started, just knowing that I’ve been here before those guys,” Melendez said. “It’s just kind of what I do, just throw the Horns Up around the bases (and) try not to have a big celebration.”
The Next Step
In a perfect world, Melendez would have made his professional debut for the Arizona Diamondbacks two seasons ago, but no great story ever had the character avoid setbacks.
Melendez has had to overcome a lot in his career. From garnering one college offer in high school to battling with injuries in his professional career over the past two seasons, the road has been far from easy.
“It’s not like you get drafted, and you’re in the big leagues immediately,” Melendez said. “You got to perform at every single level and every level in the minor leagues. It’s not easy — it’s still professional baseball.”
The Diamondbacks’ 2022 second-round pick has been stuck in the minor league limbo that countless players in the farm system can relate to. Despite leading the Texas League in hitting last season and currently ranking second, Melendez has been in Double-A for nearly three seasons.
On track to have his best professional season of his career, despite having his delayed start to 2025, Melendez is just taking it game by game, series by series.
“Everybody’s trying to get to the big leagues, and they’re coming after you,” Melendez said. “It’s not easy, knowing that you could drag out here playing baseball every day, it’s just a mental grind.”
But if Melendez can sustain his success, a late-season callup to Triple-A Reno and a possible big league debut next season may be in the cards for the man they call the Hispanic Titanic.
“If you get complacent, the game will know,” Melendez said.
