Hitting coaches and swing coaches aren’t the identical factor.
I heard these precise phrases, or variations thereof, a lot of occasions this season whereas speaking to coaches. Extra typically that not, the phrases have been accompanied by an opinion that too many hitters — particularly younger hitters — are overly centered on honing an ideal swing, whereas what they need to primarily be specializing in is… effectively, truly hitting the baseball. That’s to not low cost the significance of excellent swings — each hitting coach understands their worth — however far more goes into squaring up pitches inside a sport setting. As San Diego Padres particular assistant Mark Loretta put it in yesterday’s Talks Hitting interview, “Clearly, it’s a must to swing to hit the ball, however swinging isn’t hitting.”
Here’s what three MLB normal managers needed to say on the topic, primarily because it pertains to participant improvement.
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Ross Fenstermaker, Texas Rangers GM
The Texas Rangers named a brand new normal supervisor on November 4, selling Ross Fenstermaker from assistant GM/participant improvement and worldwide scouting, a job he’d held since October 2021. A College of California Davis graduate, Fenstermaker has been with the group since 2010, initially approaching board as a baseball operations intern.
Given his PD expertise — and with swings in thoughts — I requested Fenstermaker concerning the developments the Rangers made in that space over latest seasons.
“Greater than something, we’ve systematized a variety of our processes, issues that we’re finally making an attempt to have our gamers obtain,” Fenstermaker instructed me at this month’s GM Conferences in San Antonio. “We’ve altered a few of our key efficiency indicators and reoriented our gamers towards issues that we worth, issues we all know are main indicators of future main league success. I feel we’re always evolving our processes.”
“At occasions there have been pursuits of bat velocity and bat velocity improvement applications,” he continued. “There have additionally been suggestions loops associated to swing selections and high quality of method. In the end, we’re emphasizing the issues that we need to worth. On the finish of the day it’s about run creation, so we’re at all times stress testing what we’re emphasizing — whether or not or not it’s resulting in the meant objectives, which is to create runs and create main league gamers.”
Which introduced us to the query I had in thoughts, not only for Fenstermaker, however for different GMs as effectively:
How do you steadiness hitting coaches vis-a-vis swing coaches — typically two fully totally different animals — inside participant improvement?
“That’s an excellent query,” he replied.” I feel a variety of coaches can do both, and lots of can do each, however it’s difficult. You’ve acquired swing technicians that may actually break down the mechanics of the swing, the best way the physique works, the best way the physique strikes. Then there are extra of the hitting coaches, which I might say are possibly slightly bit extra psychological in nature. They’re method oriented, sport prep, ensuring that the participant is able to not solely swing at their optimum talents, but in addition carry out when the time comes, have the ability to fight that pitcher that night.”
His response having served extra as a synopsis of the variations than the kind of reply I used to be searching for, so I adopted up:
How a lot would you like that balanced — hitting coaches versus swing technicians — all through the system? Furthermore, does it range between ranges, from Rookie Ball as much as Triple-A?
“I feel you need to mix,” Fenstermaker stated. “Every participant is totally different. They’re in all probability going to wish slightly bit totally different method, and we’ve got very particular, individualized participant plans. On the foundational degree, you need to actually refine gamers’ approaches as finest as attainable, figuring out that swing modifications, or swing enhancements, alongside the best way are going to occur, whether or not that’s simply pure bodily maturation and improvement or if it’s one thing extra hands-on. It is likely to be one thing bigger scale that you must undertake. However yeah, I feel it’s a mix, and finally it depends upon the person — high, backside, backside to high.”
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Ben Cherington, Pittsburgh Pirates GM
“We’re making an attempt to do each,” Cherington stated of the hitting coach/swing coach steadiness. “We now have people who find themselves centered on each of these issues. We now have people who find themselves centered on assessing the motion and designing the coaching setting that we expect will assist enhance the best way that guys are transferring, in addition to connecting the work within the weight room to the cage. Then we’ve got different people who find themselves centered extra on, ‘How will we prepare for the sport and the way are we going to beat this pitcher?’
“The hot button is that these individuals are linked and collaborating with one another, as a result of they do intersect. There’s a relationship between the alternatives you make — the swing selections and the method — and the way you’re transferring, and the place your swing is. You may’t work on one in isolation. It’s a must to speak to one another.”
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Buster Posey, San Francisco Giants GM
“I feel it’s essential to have course, general, for the group,” Posey instructed me. “We need to have an identification of who we need to be, and what our method is. A few of that can play out 12 months to 12 months, based mostly on who’s within the lineup. However yeah, that’s an attention-grabbing query about hitting coach or a swing coach. I personally suppose, from my expertise, that this can be very essential for a hitting coach to be that man who’s at all times transferring up with the power they’re bringing every day. It’s such an extended season. To have the ability to are available in after a tricky stretch and maintain the fellows motivated and sticking to the plan is essential.”
As with Fenstermaker, a followup for Posey was so as. I requested the All-Star-catcher-turned-executive if gamers arising via a minor league system can generally over-focus on their swings, and never sufficient on being “a hitter.”
“I feel thats’ a risk,” Posey replied. “That may be true now [and] it will be true 15 years in the past after I was arising. It will be true in all probability way back to you need to go. One of many messages I would like our gamers to grasp is that try to be your personal finest coach. There’s accountability that comes with that. We now have so many various voices giving course, and it’s a great factor, however generally there’s a tendency to let these voices be crutches. You’ll want to make it identified, ‘Hey, you must be accountable for what you’re doing.’ All these coaches. and voices, are a useful resource for you — they’re totally different opinions and you may take it in and filter it — however finally you must be answerable for your personal profession. That’s to not reduce the significance of coaches. I perceive that coaches are essential.”