Mullins still in contention for a roster spot (MAKES TEAM) ....Elias mentions that he was sent by Orioles to a private batting instructor

[Roll Tide]

 

Quote

Elias said of Mullins: “He’s looked great, which is nice. Because he had a terrible kind of lost year last year. He struggled with his mechanics and didn’t get off to a good start and it kind of snowballed on him. We had to send him to the minor leagues. We sent him to a private hitting instructor this winter to try and rebuild his swing. He looks terrific.”

 

 

https://www.masnsports.com/steve-melewski/2020/07/mullins-in-battle-for-outfield-roster-spot-plus-other-notes.html

[Roll Tide]

Quote

Then over the winter the Orioles sent him to work with hitting coach Rick Strickland in St. Louis. A coach who has worked with Boston outfielder Andrew Benintendi.

 

Quote

“The primary focus in the offseason was my bat path to the ball, and the end game was to barrel the ball up more consistently,” said Mullins. “We used a lot of technology out in St. Louis. It was a great learning experience and I think I’ve made really strong strides with that. You know, of course, with limited at-bats up to this point, I still feel pretty good. Just seeing a few more pitches with a little spin has helped me continue with that process.”

 

[spiritof66]

How about giving Mullins some time with a throwing coach?

[OFFNY]

41 minutes ago, Roll Tide said:

 

Elias said of Mullins: “He’s looked great, which is nice. Because he had a terrible kind of lost year last year. He struggled with his mechanics, didn’t get off to a good start, and it kind of snowballed on him. We had to send him to the minor leagues. We sent him to a private hitting instructor this winter to try and rebuild his swing. He looks terrific.”

 

https://www.masnsports.com/steve-melewski/2020/07/mullins-in-battle-for-outfield-roster-spot-plus-other-notes.html

 

o

 

Good info.

Thanks.

 

o

[SteveA]

I was JUST about to include most of those quotes in the Mullins entry in the spring training tracker but now I won't bother since they have their own thread.   Thanks!

[Il BuonO]

1 hour ago, spiritof66 said:

How about giving Mullins some time with a throwing coach?

Or, in the weight room, with a weighted ball, extended weeks of long toss, or whatever works to improve his wet noodle of an arm.

[rudyrooster]

"Can't hit Major League pitching".  It's been the downfall of many prospects.  

[Roll Tide]

12 hours ago, spiritof66 said:

How about giving Mullins some time with a throwing coach?

Not that it can hurt ....but throwing arm is a gift. You can adjust the mechanics for some modest improvement but you have what god gave you imo

[oriole]

I think he’s destined for LF with that arm. But if he can get on base and steal some bases and provide good coverage in LF then he could be a useful player. 

[jamalshw]

48 minutes ago, oriole said:

I think he’s destined for LF with that arm. But if he can get on base and steal some bases and provide good coverage in LF then he could be a useful player. 

I would love to see if he can build up the arm a bit. I'm not convinced Mullins will ever he an every day player, but with his speed, he should be able to play CF on a part-time basis. It's nice to have someone with some speed on the bench for pinch run opportunities, but he would need to be able to cover CF occasionally.

[Moose Milligan]

If he could get on base at a .340 clip somehow, he'd be alright.

I've often wondered how many players would need an adjustment to their swing/approach to become a good or even great hitter.  Some players find it, some players don't.  Some players run into the right coach that can make the right adjustment and fine tune them to become a good hitter.  Look at Jose Bautista.  Look at Brady Anderson.  

 

 

[VaBird1]

4 minutes ago, Moose Milligan said:

If he could get on base at a .340 clip somehow, he'd be alright.

I've often wondered how many players would need an adjustment to their swing/approach to become a good or even great hitter.  Some players find it, some players don't.  Some players run into the right coach that can make the right adjustment and fine tune them to become a good hitter.  Look at Jose Bautista.  Look at Brady Anderson.  

 

 

Umm, those two guys might not have only changed their swings.

[DrungoHazewood]

5 minutes ago, Moose Milligan said:

If he could get on base at a .340 clip somehow, he'd be alright.

I've often wondered how many players would need an adjustment to their swing/approach to become a good or even great hitter.  Some players find it, some players don't.  Some players run into the right coach that can make the right adjustment and fine tune them to become a good hitter.  Look at Jose Bautista.  Look at Brady Anderson. 

Here's a research project that maybe only God could do correctly, but I'd love to see the results: Percentage of players throughout history who reached their potential.  In 1900 it's low.  Half the player pool never gets seriously into baseball because the pay is low, the reputation bad.  Minorities are almost all shut out.  Scouting is barely organized.  Data is nonexistent.  Injuries often have no fix, leading to shortened careers or permanently reduced production .  Coaching staffs are tiny, and advice is very disorganized and often based on guesswork and unwritten rules.  Some players stay in Class D ball for six years before someone notices them.

Gets better over time.  Today is almost certainly the peak, but it would be interesting to track the changes.  For Mullins, in most of history there was no such thing as sending someone to an independent hitting coach in St. Louis.  You'd just send him to the minors or release him and he's got to figure something out or quit.

[DrungoHazewood]

15 minutes ago, VaBird1 said:

Umm, those two guys might not have only changed their swings.

Maybe, maybe not.  Brady wasn't the first guy to have a big change in production.  Not sure anyone talks about how Norm Cash just took steroids in 1961.

[Enjoy Terror]

Was looking through Rick Strickland's twitter feed. Says they have 9 MLB players there. Looked through his followers and saw Nick Pratto, Jose Trevino, Evan Gattis. Lots of Oriole coaches.