Adley is in the Show!

[Sports Guy]

Btw, FG and BR both have him at 5.3 WAR as of today.  Insane first season. 

[glenn__davis]

5 minutes ago, Sports Guy said:

2 things to work on:

1) hitting right handed

2) hitting the ball harder.  His exit velo and hard hit% are in the poor range.
 

I've said since the start, I think with that uppercut swing he has he needs to time things exactly right.  It seems like he tracks so many pitches perfectly, gets a great swing, but then doesn't barrel it up the way you'd expect.   Lot of popups on pitches that you think he squared up.  I wonder if he'll look to make any adjustments on this in the offseason.

[Sports Guy]

4 minutes ago, glenn__davis said:

I've said since the start, I think with that uppercut swing he has he needs to time things exactly right.  It seems like he tracks so many pitches perfectly, gets a great swing, but then doesn't barrel it up the way you'd expect.   Lot of popups on pitches that you think he squared up.  I wonder if he'll look to make any adjustments on this in the offseason.

Yea he definitely seems to pop up a lot although his IFFB% is below 8%

[btdart20]

Adley Rutschman on Learning How To Handle High Heaters | FanGraphs Baseball

This comment stood out the most to me:

“I’d say [the biggest adjustment] was learning how to cover the high pitch. More specifically, it was learning to get to a high pitch that’s in the strike zone. In college, it was typically more pitches away, where you could have that deep barrel path and be putting the ball into left center.”

Selectivity to get something the hitter can elevate with authority.  

[Frobby]

22 minutes ago, btdart20 said:

Adley Rutschman on Learning How To Handle High Heaters | FanGraphs Baseball

This comment stood out the most to me:

“I’d say [the biggest adjustment] was learning how to cover the high pitch. More specifically, it was learning to get to a high pitch that’s in the strike zone. In college, it was typically more pitches away, where you could have that deep barrel path and be putting the ball into left center.”

Selectivity to get something the hitter can elevate with authority.  

Apologies. I didn’t see this post when I started a separate thread about the article.  

[OriolesMagic83]

On 10/4/2022 at 1:16 PM, glenn__davis said:

I've said since the start, I think with that uppercut swing he has he needs to time things exactly right.  It seems like he tracks so many pitches perfectly, gets a great swing, but then doesn't barrel it up the way you'd expect.   Lot of popups on pitches that you think he squared up.  I wonder if he'll look to make any adjustments on this in the offseason.

Sometimes I think Adley is too patient waiting for the perfect pitch and ends up in a lot of 2 strike counts that he takes some defensive swing, thus the lower barrel rate and EV.  I hope one thing he learns is to recognize a pitch he can hit that is just off the plate.  The kind of pitch that might not be his ideal pitch, but might be the best one he sees that at bat. 

[RZNJ]

31 minutes ago, OriolesMagic83 said:

Sometimes I think Adley is too patient waiting for the perfect pitch and ends up in a lot of 2 strike counts that he takes some defensive swing, thus the lower barrel rate and EV.  I hope one thing he learns is to recognize a pitch he can hit that is just off the plate.  The kind of pitch that might not be his ideal pitch, but might be the best one he sees that at bat. 

Thinking a pitch off the plate is the best you are going to see is how you wind up in 0-2 counts.

[OriolesMagic83]

On 10/26/2022 at 12:19 AM, RZNJ said:

Thinking a pitch off the plate is the best you are going to see is how you wind up in 0-2 counts.

Well I think he should expand what he will try to hit in hitter's count.  He lets a lot of hittable pitches go by waiting for the perfect one.  A lot of time the best pitch you will see is at 2-0 count and not wait till full counts.  I would have to bet Adley is in the very top of the league in full counts. 

[Frobby]

On 10/25/2022 at 11:46 PM, OriolesMagic83 said:

Sometimes I think Adley is too patient waiting for the perfect pitch and ends up in a lot of 2 strike counts that he takes some defensive swing, thus the lower barrel rate and EV.  I hope one thing he learns is to recognize a pitch he can hit that is just off the plate.  The kind of pitch that might not be his ideal pitch, but might be the best one he sees that at bat. 

I’m a strong advocate of “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”   Hitting pitches “just off the plate” isn’t easy, and taking that pitch for a ball disadvantages the pitcher by putting him further behind in the count.  You don’t get into two-strike counts by watching pitches “just off the plate” go by.   You get into those counts by swinging at them.  

To me, Adley just needs to keep doing what he’s doing.   As he gets more familiar with what opposing pitchers throw and sees more major league pitching, he’ll do more damage.   But I wouldn’t change a thing about his approach.  I just wish more of our hitters were like him.  
 

[btdart20]

7 hours ago, OriolesMagic83 said:

Well I think he should expand what he will try to hit in hitter's count.  He lets a lot of hittable pitches go by waiting for the perfect one.  A lot of time the best pitch you will see is at 2-0 count and not wait till full counts.  I would have to bet Adley is in the very top of the league in full counts. 

I once heard a story about an athlete (think it was a gymnast or ice skate or something along those lines) that would never say "I'm trying to do X".  He/she would always say "I'm training to do X."  I haven't quite looked at the word 'try' since then.  A bit of Yoda in this (do or do not, there is no try.)  It's about building mental routines/pathways that make decision-making/performance more instinctual and that much faster/easier when at the plate.  I don't disagree with the direction you're heading, but I think that's part of what's going on here.

[AdamK]

Today should be a holiday...

On this day in history, Adley makes his first start.