Josh Pressley is only 25 years old but he is already in his eighth pro season.

And the former Bangor East Side Little League all-star and Zone 1 American Legion most valuable player is off to a great start with the Wichita Wranglers of the AA Texas League.

Entering Friday night’s game against the Arkansas Travelers, Pressley was hitting a team-high .340 with two homers, five doubles and five runs batted in. The first baseman had played in 13 of Wichita’s 14 games. He led the team in slugging percentage (.574) and was tied for the team lead in homers. His 16 hits and 27 total bases were second best.

“Things are going well,” said Pressley, who hit .300 with three homers and 62 RBIs for New York Mets affiliate Binghamton in the Class AA Eastern League a year ago. “It’s a long season and we’ve only played 14 games. But it’s always nice to get off to a good start. It gives you a little bit of confidence going into the rest of the season.”

Pressley became a free agent at the end of last season and he explored his options before deciding the Kansas City organization “was the best fit for me.

“I was going to get the chance to play every day and there was a good opportunity to move up through the system,” explained Pressley, who was selected in the fourth round of the 1998 amateur entry draft by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. He was their first pick as they didn’t have a selection in the first three rounds.

He was traded to the New York Mets before the 2003 season.

In a publication entitled the ‘Baseball Notebook’, Pressley was listed as the 89th-best National League minor league hitting prospect back in December.

“That’s an honor. I’ve got to keep it going,” said Pressley who led all of Class A with 44 doubles in 2000 for Charleston (S.C.) of the South Atlantic League.

He had a busy off-season. He altered his training regimen and had successful knee surgery.

Despite his 6-foot-6, 231-pound frame, Pressley has never been much of a power hitter – he has just 29 homers in 647 career minor league games. He is a career .278 hitter.

“I re-dedicated myself. I looked for a couple of answers so I could generate more power and so far it has paid off. I’m driving the ball a little bit more,” said Pressley.

“I worked on my functioning core strength at a human performance center in Boca Raton (Fla.). I trimmed down a little bit. I’ve been trying to stay aware of where my body is.”

Pressley has worked on his swing with Wichita hitting instructor Nelson Liriano and focused on “the point of contact.”

He also has refined his batting practice routine.

“Every day I go into the cage, I go in with a purpose,” said Pressley. “It has been a mixture of everything. It’s also a matter of maturity. Instead of being one of the younger guys on the team, I’m a veteran now and I understand the game [better]. I’ve been around awhile.”

He has altered his mental approach to hitting.

“I’m more aggressive with two strikes. I’m not worrying about striking out. Before, when I’d have two strikes, I’d just try to put the ball in play,” explained Pressley.

“The game has changed. Striking out isn’t that big a deal now. It used to be looked at as a bad thing,” added Pressley, who feels putting up better power numbers more than offsets a high strikeout total.

“I try to find a pitch to drive. I’ll even take a strike [to wait for a better pitch].”

Pressley, who attended Westminster Academy in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., said he hasn’t lost any of his passion for the game and is grateful “every day” he is still playing.

“It has been a great run. You learn a lot about life in this game. Every game, every at-bat matures you as a person,” said Pressley.

He said the Wranglers, 4-10 entering Friday’s game, are a young team and they’re a “great bunch of guys.”

He enjoys playing in Wichita.

“It’s a good city and we all love to come out and play ball. It’s been a great time so far,” said Pressley.

The Wranglers are managed by eight-time Gold Glove Award-winning Kansas City second baseman Frank White, a five-time all-star.

Pressley still has fond memories of his summers playing in Bangor. The former Bangor Comrade American Legion player said he talks about his experiences in Maine “all the time.

“We had some great teams. I had a great time. I think about the guys [on those teams],” said Pressley. “A day doesn’t go by without me remembering those days.”

His eventual goal is to play in the major leagues but he isn’t dwelling on it.

“It’s a long journey. You’ve got to go out every day with the mind-set that you’re going to get better. You work on your game so you can perform at the highest level. Everything else will take care of itself,” said Pressley.

“I want to have a good year. I have personal goals. I just want to come out, have fun every day, play the game with a smile on my face and get the most out of my ability.”