Padres Prospect Alex McCoy Credits Goldfish Mentality for His 2026 Ascent

There is a scene in one of the early episodes of “Ted Lasso” where Sam Obisanya gets destroyed by Jamie Tartt during a practice, with the brash star then scoring a goal as Obisanya looks on, slapping the pitch in frustration. Seeing this, Coach Lasso calls Obisanya over to give him a little advice.

“You know what the happiest animal on Earth is?” Lasso asks rhetorically as Obisanya shakes his head. “It’s a goldfish. You know why? Got a 10-second memory. Be a goldfish, Sam.”

Obisanya doesn’t immediately understand the message, but eventually realizes that in sports, you have to forget what just happened to you as another opportunity to perform comes at you.

Alex McCoy is a believer in that mindset. As an undrafted free agent in the San Diego Padres’ minor-league system with the High-A Fort Wayne TinCaps, the hulking outfielder began the season on an absolute heater, putting together a .354/.386/.683 slash line with 10 doubles, a triple, five homers, 14 RBIs and five stolen bases in April.

He was named Midwest League Player of the Month and his profile jumped several rungs on the prospect ladder. McCoy currently sits at No. 14 on Padres Mission’s Top 20 list.

But then came May. After getting hits in his first two games of the month, he went hitless in his next seven.

“I'm a lot more mentally strong than I thought,” McCoy said. “There was one week this season, I was coming off Player of the Month, we played Beloit and I went 0-for-23 or something like that. I was putting the ball in play, they're catching it, pop flies and I was like, 'Man, I came off of the hottest month and then 0-for-23 at this point. What is going on?' Going into the next week, I was just like, 'You know, the game's hard and no one can hit .350 for three months straight or whatever the case is.' We play a game where you fail 70% of the time. If you hit .300, you're amazing. So kind of put that in the back of my head. I'm still in a good spot and what I've done is great, but also how can I kind of come back and overcome going 0-for-23. Went into that next week, kind of just forgot about it, you know, goldfish mindset. I tell myself all the time, get out, strikeout, just forget about it in the next AB. That's been my mindset these last few months.”

That approach has certainly worked for a right-handed hitter who has some of the best pure power in all of the minors. Entering play this week, the 24-year-old has put up a .264/.342/.465 slash line with 12 homers and is tied for the Midwest League lead with 23 doubles. He also leads the TinCaps with 44 RBIs.

Since that scorching-hot April, he has had month-long slash lines of .226/.336/.473 (May), .235/.330/.341 (June) and .233/.298/.279 (July so far). Some of that has to do with the expected ups and downs of a baseball season, some has to do with teams getting better scouting reports on McCoy. After signing in 2024, he played in 58 games in 2025 and slashed .315/.393/.521 with seven homers, 40 RBIs and 14 stolen bases mostly at Low-A Lake Elsinore, which was the extent of the knowledge most other teams had on him entering 2026.

He saw some of that in a recent series against the Great Lakes Loons, a Los Angeles Dodgers affiliate. The TinCaps were facing left-hander Zach Root, drafted with the 40th pick last year.

“He's probably the best I've seen all year,” McCoy said. “I'm facing him and he's out there grunting, throwing his stuff, kind of showing some attitude on the mound. I kind of take it as a good thing. I feel like him being a good pitcher and me being a good hitter, it's always good when you're out there competing. ... That obviously helps me elevate my game.”

Another piece of his toolbox that has helped McCoy experience success has been his hitting ability. While an imposing figure at 6-foot-5, 260 pounds, he isn’t just in the batter’s box to mash. He wants to be an all-around hitter.

“I think if I go up to the plate and tell myself, 'OK, I'm gonna hit a home run here,' I may get my A swing off, but if I can get my bat to the ball, be more consistent that way ... put the ball play, hit it hard somewhere, I think that's the better approach overall. No one hits a home run on purpose, I feel. With that mindset in the box, you just kind of get too big and try to do too much myself. Just play pepper, hit the gaps, I'm down to hit a home run or double or even a single, just get base and contribute.”

Of course, McCoy is well-known for his exit velocity. This year, he stung a ball at 119.5 mph — on a groundout. That surpasses the best thus far in MLB, which is 119 mph double by Pittsburgh Pirates star Oneil Cruz. The best by a Padres major-leaguer is 119.6 mph by Manny Machado on a homer in 2021.

While every player just wants a shot with an organization, McCoy found the Padres to be a good fit. He wasn’t surprised to go undrafted following his senior season at Hofstra in which he slashed .306/.384/.509 with 11 homers and 44 RBIs in 56 games. That was his only season at the university, where McCoy was coached by longtime MLB infielder Frank Menechino, after spending his first three collegiate seasons at Maryland-Eastern Shore.

McCoy had a pre-draft workout in New York state, which went well from all perspectives.

“I always told myself and I told my agent before the draft that I want to go where I'm wanted,” McCoy said. “I just think my performance at the workout and Johnny McNamara, my area scout, me and him stayed in contact throughout the season and at the workout, he came up with a nickname for me, Big Mac ... just had a good time at the workout and kind of just felt at home. When the draft came around, they told my agent early on that they'll sign me once the last round is called.”

Now, McCoy is taking advantage of his opportunity, even if there is a little bit of a chip on his shoulder from not being selected.

“Being drafted is cool, but I think at the end of the day, whether you're a first-rounder, 10th-rounder, 20 rounder, free agent, you all go to the same place when it's all said and done,” McCoy said. “And once you're in that place, those rounds don't matter, you're all competing against each other, obviously, but you also make lifelong friends and stuff. That's the fun part about it.”

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