Mota Learning Family Business

Tony Mota, at 21, sounds like a coach’s dream already.

“As long as you listen to your coaches and you listen to your manager, there’s always something to learn,” he said. “You can never stop learning about the game; I learn something every day.”

If his father were to hear that, it would undoubtedly bring a smile.

Tony Mota is the eighth and youngest child of Manny Mota, who played with the Dodgers for 13 seasons and set the major league record for pinch hits in a career with 150.

Through 64 games at double-A San Antonio, Tony was tied for the team lead with a .335 batting average, and had 10 home runs and 53 RBIs, both team highs.

One component Mota has added to his game this season, according to his manager, Jimmy Johnson, is toughness. Mota has battled through a number of small injuries and one major one--a fractured right ring finger. Johnson said that Mota, a switch-hitter, had pain when he swung right-handed, so he decided to sit out against left-handed pitchers.

“He sat out one day and he said, ‘Forget it, I can’t do this. I’m playing,’ ” said Johnson, who is in his first year with the Missions. “And people tell me that in the past he would have shut it down.”

Mota has moved from center field to right field this year, and has shown that he has the arm to make it in the majors at that position. In one game this year, Mota threw out two runners at home in the same inning. He also has hit for average and power and flashed good fielding ability.

Mota’s maturation has him thinking about getting to Dodger Stadium and being reunited with his father, who is on the Dodgers’ coaching staff. In fact, he said it’s hard not to think about it too much.

“You see the guys up there and you want to get there as soon as possible,” he said. “But you have to take it easy and have patience. I get frustrated sometimes, because I can’t wait for the time. But everyone who is up there has gone through it.”