Hitting coaches and swing coaches aren’t the identical factor.
I heard these actual phrases, or variations thereof, quite a lot of instances this season whereas speaking to coaches. Extra usually that not, the phrases had been accompanied by an opinion that too many hitters — particularly younger hitters — are overly targeted on honing an ideal swing, whereas what they need to primarily be specializing in is… nicely, really hitting the baseball. That’s to not low cost the significance of excellent swings — each hitting coach understands their worth — however rather 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, you must 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.
———
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 task 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 current seasons.
“Greater than something, we’ve systematized quite a lot of our processes, issues that we’re finally attempting 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 believe we’re consistently evolving our processes.”
“At instances there have been pursuits of bat velocity and bat velocity improvement applications,” he continued. “There have additionally been suggestions loops associated to swing choices 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 nicely:
How do you steadiness hitting coaches vis-a-vis swing coaches — usually two fully totally different animals — inside participant improvement?
“That’s an incredible query,” he replied.” I believe quite a lot of coaches can do both, and lots of can do each, but it surely’s difficult. You’ve obtained swing technicians that may actually break down the mechanics of the swing, the way in which the physique works, the way in which the physique strikes. Then there are extra of the hitting coaches, which I’d say are perhaps somewhat bit extra psychological in nature. They’re method oriented, sport prep, ensuring that the participant is able to not solely swing at their optimum skills, but additionally 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 believe you need to mix,” Fenstermaker stated. “Every participant is totally different. They’re most likely going to want somewhat bit totally different method, and we now have very particular, individualized participant plans. On the foundational stage, you need to actually refine gamers’ approaches as greatest as attainable, realizing that swing adjustments, or swing enhancements, alongside the way in which 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 could be one thing bigger scale that you’ll want to undertake. However yeah, I believe it’s a mix, and finally it will depend on the person — high, backside, backside to high.”
———
Ben Cherington, Pittsburgh Pirates GM
“We’re attempting to do each,” Cherington stated of the hitting coach/swing coach steadiness. “We have now people who find themselves targeted on each of these issues. We have now people who find themselves targeted on assessing the motion and designing the coaching setting that we predict will assist enhance the way in which that guys are transferring, in addition to connecting the work within the weight room to the cage. Then we now have different people who find themselves targeted extra on, ‘How can we prepare for the sport and the way are we going to beat this pitcher?’
“The secret’s that these persons are related and collaborating with one another, as a result of they do intersect. There’s a relationship between the alternatives you make — the swing choices and the method — and the way you’re transferring, and the place your swing is. You possibly can’t work on one in isolation. You need to speak to one another.”
———
Buster Posey, San Francisco Giants GM
“I believe it’s vital 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 yr to yr, 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 vital 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 a protracted season. To have the ability to are available after a tricky stretch and maintain the blokes motivated and sticking to the plan is vital.”
As with Fenstermaker, a followup for Posey was so as. I requested the All-Star-catcher-turned-executive if gamers arising by way of a minor league system can typically over-focus on their swings, and never sufficient on being “a hitter.”
“I believe thats’ a risk,” Posey replied. “That will be true now [and] it might be true 15 years in the past once I was arising. It will be true most likely way back to you need to go. One of many messages I would like our gamers to know is that you have to be your personal greatest coach. There’s accountability that comes with that. We have now so many alternative voices giving course, and it’s a superb factor, however typically there’s a tendency to let these voices be crutches. You could make it recognized, ‘Hey, you’ll want to 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’ll take it in and filter it — however finally you’ll want to be chargeable for your personal profession. That’s to not reduce the significance of coaches. I perceive that coaches are essential.”
