Richie Martin hype

[Luke-OH]

27 minutes ago, Moose Milligan said:

Are there any prospects you can think of in recent years that were able to cut down on the ground balls and increase the flyballs/line drives?  I'm assuming since he's still a prospect and hasn't fully developed yet, there might be some room for change.  Or is he what he is at this point with a chance for slight but not drastic transformation?

Not a prospect anymore, but Yelich was a guy who when he debuted, had a 63% groundball rate. He had both of the attributes necessary to make it work (elite contact and exit velocity on contact) so he was still a good player. 

Well he’s gradually decreased his Gb rate and was down to a still high but much improved 51.8% last year, leading to his MVP campaign. 

[Aristotelian]

1 hour ago, Moose Milligan said:

Are there any prospects you can think of in recent years that were able to cut down on the ground balls and increase the flyballs/line drives?  I'm assuming since he's still a prospect and hasn't fully developed yet, there might be some room for change.  Or is he what he is at this point with a chance for slight but not drastic transformation?

I think Martin wore out his welcome with the As because he never made the change even though that is the whole focus of their organization.

[Jammer7]

1 hour ago, Can_of_corn said:

I'll wait till the lights come on to make any judgment.

That’s wise, and fair. He’s teased us in the past with strong performance in brief stints. However, he’s a much more polished cat right now. His new swing and approach, if it sticks with him, is one that will work. If he stays that guy, and remains healthy, then it will be fun to watch. It’s funny, but as he was drilling some of his early doubles to left field, going oppo as a LH hitter, he almost looked uncomfortable or uncertain. But more recently, his swings look more confident as he now believes in his new ability to use the whole field.

I really like him. 

[Yardball85]

8 hours ago, Frobby said:

Flaherty, Almanzar, Tavarez, Santander.    Still hope for Santander to turn into something.   

Rickard!

[interloper]

Watching the game today, it appears Martin has changed his batting stance. He used to have his front leg far toward the back of the box and then bring it forward as the pitch is released. Today his legs are mostly even up with each other. More traditional right handed stance.

I think this is probably a good call.