Mark Loretta was a stable hitter over 15 massive league seasons, and he was particularly good in 2003 and 2004. Over that two-year span, the right-handed-hitting second baseman slashed .325/.382/.469 with 75 doubles, 29 dwelling runs, and a 129 wRC+ with the San Diego Padres. Contact was one in all his sturdy fits. The Northwestern College product had a 7.9% strikeout fee to go along with an 8.2% stroll fee in 2003-04, numbers largely according to his 9.2% and eight.5% profession marks.
His general manufacturing was comparably modest. Loretta persistently put up excessive batting averages – they ranged between .280 and .335 throughout his 11 full seasons — however he went deep simply 76 instances and completed with a 100 wRC+. These numbers came visiting seven-plus seasons with the Milwaukee Brewers, three with the Padres, two-plus with the Houston Astros, and one every with the Boston Crimson Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers. Your prototypical “skilled hitter,” Loretta debuted in 1995 and performed his final sport in 2009.
Now a particular assistant with San Diego, Loretta sat down to speak hitting when the Padres performed at Fenway Park in late June.
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David Laurila: Wanting again, what fashion of hitter had been you, and did that change over the course of your profession?
Mark Loretta: “That’s an excellent query. I might say that I used to be developed and got here up as [someone who hit] contained in the ball, hit the ball up the center, hit it the opposite method, hit it the place it’s pitched. I used to be very contact-oriented. I didn’t actually sit on pitches or promote out for fastballs, I primarily appreciated to see the ball get deep.
“About midway by way of my profession I made a concerted effort to study to tug the ball higher, and extra usually. I believe that’s when my profession type of took off. I used to be in a position to get to maintain that contact-hitter, hit-it-where-it’s-pitched strategy, but in addition deal with the ball inside a lot better.
“My energy — extra doubles, extra dwelling runs — got here after I pulled the ball. For lots of my profession, pitchers would pound me in, pound me in, as a result of I hit the ball properly the opposite method. I made a few changes with my swing and began trying just a little bit extra in after I was in hitter’s counts. I might lay off the ball middle-away when it was 2-0 or 3-1.”
Laurila: How a lot has hitting modified because you performed?
Loretta: “Effectively, I believe the strategy to hitting has modified. The purpose continues to be to supply runs — you’re both making an attempt rating runs or drive them in — however now the onus is extra on exit velocity. There are issues we didn’t essentially take into consideration when after I was taking part in. My final 12 months was 2009, so it’s not prefer it was 40 years in the past, however the fashion has positively modified. You see much more guys go up there considering, I’m going to attempt to hearth off my A-swing for 3 strikes. We by no means thought that method, or no less than I didn’t. We had been extra involved with having a two-strike strategy and making contact. Placing out was sort of a black eye. No person appreciated to do it, whereas it has change into way more acceptable. Sure issues are valued in another way.”
Laurila: Let’s say you had been taking part in immediately. Do you assume you’d be the identical hitter you had been?
Loretta: “I believe it could in all probability rely upon what group I used to be in, fairly frankly. When it comes to bio-mechanically… I by no means actually broke down my swing by way of, Right here is leverage, right here is the way in which to hit the ball. I by no means tried to hit the ball within the air. I used to be making an attempt to hit a line drive. Perhaps I might have modified that strategy and tried to hit extra fly balls. I don’t know.”
Laurila: Are there any gamers on this Padres workforce you see as being stylistically much like who you had been as a hitter?
Loretta: “Perhaps Luis Arraez? He’s a man with a brief swing. I used to be right-handed and he’s left-handed, and we’re completely different in our kinds just a little bit, however I do assume the pendulum is swinging again just a little bit to placing extra emphasis, and worth, on contact and situational hitting. [Padres manager] Mike Shildt and our guys discuss loads about that.”
Laurila: Are you able to elaborate on the way you and Arraez are related?
Loretta: “Simply actually quick to the ball. Not large bat pace. I wasn’t an enormous bat pace man as a result of I didn’t have an enormous load. I used to be extra making an attempt to be quick, compact, direct to the ball. I wasn’t promoting out for energy.”
Laurila: What are a number of the conversations you had been referring to? What’s the group in search of?
Loretta: “To make use of a golf analogy, we’ve kind of come to the conclusion that you simply need to have multiple membership in your bag. Let’s attempt to have balanced hitters, a balanced lineup to the place if we’re not hitting the three-run homer we’re getting a bunch of hits. As you noticed final night time, we scored 9 runs in a single inning earlier than making an out. There have been a few dwelling runs in there, however there have been additionally loads of singles. It was a contact-oriented inning. For us, the thought is to be a multifaceted hitter.”
Laurila: How does the group strategy hitting from a coaching perspective?
Loretta: “On the participant growth facet, we focus loads on coaching at excessive velocity. We’re taking much more batting observe off of high-speed machines, versus off of a coach’s arm or the kind of factor that actually doesn’t mimic hitting in a sport. There may be loads of emphasis on biomechanics, getting your physique in the precise place. After which there’s clearly controlling the strike zone, pitch recognition. We chart that. We worth that. We take a look at all completely different metrics on that.”
Laurila: How is energy approached inside participant growth?
Loretta: “I believe it begins with making an attempt to be an excellent hitter first. One among my least favourite scouting phrases is ‘uncooked energy.’ That’s extra what you are able to do in batting observe, swing as exhausting as you possibly can. Effectively, you possibly can’t get to your uncooked energy except you make sufficient contact. So, I believe you begin off with a base — a good suggestion of the strike zone, good contact — after which as you get snug with that, the facility can come. Jackson Merrill’s season has been sort of like that. He began off simply sort of placing the ball in play, after which the facility began to come back.”
Laurila: What you want is sport energy…
Loretta: “Sure. Uncooked energy is dumb to me. Who cares? You will get a bodybuilder out right here that would hit for uncooked energy, however should you can’t hit a 97-mph fastball, how are you going to get to that uncooked energy?”
Laurila: What are a number of the metrics you care about?
Loretta: “Swing choices. In-zone contact fee. And it’s not about simply swinging in zone, it’s swinging in particular zones. If you happen to’re swinging on 2-0 and the pitch is down and away, even when it’s a strike, that’s not sensible. You have to be in search of one thing middle-middle or middle-in the place you are able to do just a little bit of injury. I do assume that exit velocity has worth. It’s good to make contact, however you additionally need to hit the ball exhausting.”
Laurila: You talked about desirous to not strike out. If you happen to work deep counts, extra strikeouts are inevitable…
Loretta: “It’s good to have a two-strike strategy. You’ve acquired to surrender just a little bit with two strikes, significantly in conditions the place contact drives the run in. I imply, it’s one factor if it’s the third inning and nobody is on base. Each situation is completely different.”
Laurila: Who was one of the best hitter you performed with?
Loretta: “Amongst right-handed hitters, in all probability Manny Ramirez. He was probably the most balanced. He had an unbelievable swing, however he additionally made good swing choices. He clearly had sport energy. However one of the best hitter of my technology was Todd Helton. He was one of the best pure hitter I noticed throughout my time within the sport. He may make nice contact with energy. He may hit a number of pitches. He had multiple device in his toolbox.”
Laurila: Any last ideas on hitting?
Loretta: “One is that I by no means needed to be able the place I used to be mechanically taking or mechanically swinging. I see that loads within the sport. I see loads of, I’m making my thoughts as much as swing. The pitch at all times ought to dictate whether or not you swing or not. Hitting is a reactionary ability.
“One other is that loads of gamers get caught up of their swings. To me, hitting just isn’t a lot about swinging. Clearly, you must swing to hit the ball, however swinging isn’t hitting. Hitting is making the precise determination. It’s understanding the pitcher. It’s understanding what the state of affairs requires. The swing comes final.”
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Earlier “Talks Hitting” interviews can discovered by way of these hyperlinks: Jo Adell, Jeff Albert, Greg Allen, Nolan Arenado, Aaron Bates, Jacob Berry, Alex Bregman, Bo Bichette, Justice Bigbie, Cavan Biggio, Charlie Blackmon, JJ Bleday, Bobby Bradley, Will Brennan, Jay Bruce, Triston Casas, Matt Chapman, Michael Chavis, Garrett Cooper, Gavin Cross, Jacob Cruz, Nelson Cruz, Paul DeJong, Josh Donaldson, Brendan Donovan, Donnie Ecker, Rick Eckstein, Drew Ferguson, Justin Foscue, Michael Fransoso, Ryan Fuller, Joey Gallo, Paul Goldschmidt, Devlin Granberg, Gino Groover, Matt Hague, Andy Haines, Mitch Haniger, Robert Hassell III, Austin Hays, Nico Hoerner, Jackson Holliday, Spencer Horwitz, Rhys Hoskins, Eric Hosmer, Jacob Hurtubise, Tim Hyers, Connor Joe, Jace Jung, Josh Jung, Jimmy Kerr, Heston Kjerstad, Steven Kwan, Trevor Larnach, Doug Latta, Royce Lewis, Evan Longoria, Joey Loperfido, Michael Lorenzen, Gavin Lux, Dave Magadan, Trey Mancini, Edgar Martinez, Don Mattingly, Marcelo Mayer, Hunter Mense, Owen Miller, Colson Montgomery, Tre’ Morgan, Ryan Mountcastle, Cedric Mullins, Daniel Murphy, Lars Nootbaar, Logan O’Hoppe, Vinnie Pasquantino, Graham Pauley, David Peralta, Luke Raley, Julio Rodríguez, Brent Rooker, Thomas Saggese, Anthony Santander, Drew Saylor, Nolan Schanuel, Marcus Semien, Giancarlo Stanton, Spencer Steer, Trevor Story, Fernando Tatis Jr., Spencer Torkelson, Mark Trumbo, Brice Turang, Justin Turner, Trea Turner, Josh VanMeter, Robert Van Scoyoc, Chris Valaika, Zac Veen, Alex Verdugo, Mark Vientos, Matt Vierling, Luke Voit, Anthony Volpe, Joey Votto, Christian Walker, Jared Walsh, Jordan Westburg, Jesse Winker, Bobby Witt Jr. Mike Yastrzemski, Nick Yorke, Kevin Youkilis
