Nate Furman is providing optimism for the future in Cleveland
Photo Credit: Charlotte Athletics
Over the last year, a lot has changed for Nate Furman. The Pennsylvania native fulfilled a lifelong dream last July when Cleveland selected him in the fourth round of the 2022 MLB draft. During the 2023 campaign, he has gotten his first taste of Single-A baseball and showed why scouts hold him in high regard.
In 105 at-bats, Furman has posted a .333 batting average while driving in 11 runs. On the bases, he has been a handful for opposing pitchers and recorded 23 stolen bases. Although he is making the transition from college to the minors seem effortless, Furman is not taking anything for granted.
“I think having the ability to take every opportunity has really helped me so far,” said Furman. “That mindset of taking one pitch at a time and taking advantage of the opportunity at hand has been huge for me.”
While Furman is proving to be an on base machine, he is still adjusting to playing every day. He has appeared in 33 of the Lynchburg Hillcats 34 games. His ability to process what happened the day before quickly makes him a force at the plate.
“One big adjustment for me has been playing every day,” said Furman. “Not so much the physical side of things but mentally being able to flip the page to the next game, whether it was good or bad, while still processing what happened.”
During the first few weeks of Furman’s professional career, he is displaying excellent plate discipline. The 21-year-old has struck out 15 times and drawn 32 walks. Since May 7th, he has only struck out twice and driven in eight runs. While Furman is facing more advanced competition, he has not had to change his game to make an impact.
His success has partly been due to how the Guardians have embraced their new infielder. Furman has not been afraid to pick the brains of his teammates to improve his game.
“The players and coaches in the organization have been amazing,” Furman said. “Spring training was really cool getting to meet some of the older guys and pick their mind on how to do certain things and what helped them in the past. Also, leaning on my manager and assistant coaches every day has been big for me in trying to be a better person and player.”
While the season is far from over, Furman is already making a name for himself. In college, he was a hits machine, which has not changed in the minors. He is far from a finished product, but the 2022 draftee is seeing his hard work pay off while creating optimism for the future.
“ I think I’ve taken some big steps forward defensively so far with the help of the coaches in the organization,” said Furman. “Also, definitely some jumps offensively in terms of impacting the ball.”
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