Laurila talks to Coby Mayo re swing mechanics

[Frobby]

From Laurila’s weekly Sunday blog on Fangraphs:

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Coby Mayo has light-tower power and a high ceiling. He also has a keep-it-simple approach to hitting a baseball. The 20-year-old outfielder — No. 6 on our Baltimore Orioles Top Prospect list — expressed as much in an early-March Zoom session with reporters. Prefacing my question by saying that I’d just spoken to a hitting coach about the value of an adaptable swing, and about how some hitters are trained to have one swing, I asked Mayo where he fits into that equation.

“I really don’t know,” responded Mayo, whom Baltimore drafted 103rd overall last summer out of Parkland, Florida’s Stoneman-Douglas High School. “I would just say that I don’t like to think about hitting too much — as in getting too complicated. I’ve always been a see-ball-hit-ball kind of guy. I think some guys can get in trouble looking at analytics, to a certain extent…. I don’t really look into different kinds of swings.”

Following up, I asked the young slugger if he sees himself as having just one swing, or if it varies depending on the pitcher and/or the situation. 

“I would say I have one swing,” replied Mayo. ‘Obviously, each pitcher is different in which way their ball is moving, and you want to be aware of that. If you’ve got a guy throwing a lefty slider, you want to stay inside the ball. If he’s a righty with heavy slider, you have to adjust to that. But I’d say [the] swing is the same. You’ve just got to adjust to the pitcher.”

It will be interesting to see how much Mayo’s approach might evolve as he progresses within an organization that embraces analytics. Not that the Orioles would necessarily care if he keeps the same keep-it-simple mindset. In the end, what matters most is that he mashes baseballs.

https://blogs.fangraphs.com/sunday-notes-red-sox-prospect-david-hamilton-is-fast-as-lightning/

Note the reference to him as an “outfielder.”   

[Just Regular]

I don't know if I'd go so far as to say there is a Fangraphs orthodoxy, but I think that label is Laurila leaning on Goldstein and Longenhagen's prospect reports.    I know Goldstein in chat has given a response like 6-5, 215 and still growing on a question about his size, which I heard as code for Goldstein saying he already thinks he's too big for infield.    Curious to see what Matt Blood thinks in a couple weeks!

When I saw the Mayo zoom report on MASN Orioles including Laurila's question, I admit on some level I wondered if Ryan Fuller, Matt Borgschulte or whoever in the Orioles hitting brain trust has Mayo might not have been a little irked.   I get what Laurila's asking in terms of skill sets for a mature professional hitter, but somebody whose full season experience is limited to 150 Delmarva PA's where he exploded on some radars by hitting the snot out of the ball, don't rein in that talent yet.   I feel like its more important to build that skill of breaking 110 in EV's often than choking up with two strikes.

[Tony-OH]

It was a dumb question to ask a 20-year old. I typically like Laurilla's stuff, but he was offbase trying to ask technical questions to a 20 year old with limited professional experience. 

[ShoelesJoe]

7 hours ago, Frobby said:

Note the reference to him as an “outfielder.”   

Maybe our future strategy is to have a pitcher, a catcher, and seven outfielders. 

[jabba72]

Fangraphs has him listed as a RF. Alot of RF and 2B prospects in our minors thats for sure.