Adam Frazier 2023

[emmett16]

6 minutes ago, Can_of_corn said:

I don't buy it's that easy.

More guys would show large amounts of growth in this area if it was.

If you could just set him down (Get a player to do it if you think he won't listen to a coach) and just show him how much better his numbers would be and how much more money he would earn.  Why wouldn't you?

Why not ask Frazier why he just doesn't hit the ball harder and in the air?

Just because something is perceived as being more mental than physical doesn't mean it's an easy fix.

A lot also has to do with each players eyes.  Some people just have better vision.  Even with contacts/glasses etc, some people have much superior eyesight. 

[interloper]

5 minutes ago, Can_of_corn said:

I don't buy it's that easy.

More guys would show large amounts of growth in this area if it was.

If you could just set him down (Get a player to do it if you think he won't listen to a coach) and just show him how much better his numbers would be and how much more money he would earn.  Why wouldn't you?

Why not ask Frazier why he just doesn't hit the ball harder and in the air?

Just because something is perceived as being more mental than physical doesn't mean it's an easy fix.

I do mostly agree with you on this. I don't fully buy that Mountcastle has worked on this as much as he could, but that's just bare speculation on my part and I can't back it up with anything. 

I think he HAS done a pretty good job of going to RF more, which is important because if he just becomes a dead pull hitter that doesn't walk, he's going to have some real problems. And his ability to hit pitches out of the zone is pretty wild, but that skill probably doesn't help him lay off close pitches. 

[emmett16]

3 minutes ago, interloper said:

I do mostly agree with you on this. I don't fully buy that Mountcastle has worked on this as much as he could, but that's just bare speculation on my part and I can't back it up with anything. 

I think he HAS done a pretty good job of going to RF more, which is important because if he just becomes a dead pull hitter that doesn't walk, he's going to have some real problems. And his ability to hit pitches out of the zone is pretty wild, but that skill probably doesn't help him lay off close pitches. 

His other worldly talent is also his Achilles heel. 

[bpilktree]

23 minutes ago, emmett16 said:

This Frazier thing is going to be my litmus test for Elias.  It was my thought/hope that Frazier was an insurance plan if Ortiz/Westburg didn't perform.   Both Ortiz & Westburg are performing and have done so for an extended period now.  Ortiz has 164 AB & Westburg has 424.  Both has torched AAA pitching and look poised to handle MLB.  It's time for him to make a difficult move.  

I think it was more feeling that Mateo was not a major league caliber hitter and just had a mini hot streak last year.  So the signed Frazier as a stop gap 2nd baseman until Westburg or Ortiz was ready mid season.  I think they thought infield would be Frazier at 2nd, Henderson at SS and Urias at 3rd by May 1st because Mateo would lose the SS job by not hitting well enough.  I don’t think anyone in the organization saw Mateo making a jump like he has.  

[Moose Milligan]

1 minute ago, Can_of_corn said:

I don't buy it's that easy.

More guys would show large amounts of growth in this area if it was.

If you could just set him down (Get a player to do it if you think he won't listen to a coach) and just show him how much better his numbers would be and how much more money he would earn.  Why wouldn't you?

Why not ask Frazier why he just doesn't hit the ball harder and in the air?

Just because something is perceived as being more mental than physical doesn't mean it's an easy fix.

I just read an article today about the adjustments that Mateo has made that have made him a better hitter.  Right after that, I read an article on The Athletic about what Jarred Kelenic has done to go from looking like a bust to looking like an All-Star.  If you want to read it, I'd recommend it, it's very well done:  https://theathletic.com/4443635/2023/04/26/mariners-mets-jarred-kelenic-adjustments/

I'm not here to say that all players can be fixed to the degree that Mateo has been hitting this year and a turnaround like Kelenic.  But it's not as if you have to look very far to see guys who have found the right hitting coach, the right methodology and the right approach to turn their careers around.  I don't need to remind you (but I'm going to) that we had Jose Bautista at one point.  We also had Justin Turner.

If baseball is an allegory for life, how many people have we run into across our lives that are super talented at something, but don't give it their all effort?  That maybe they'd be the best person at their job or a fantastic artist or a better parent but they're perfectly content to say "this is good enough."  

I don't believe that these are easy fixes, but I also believe that everyone in the MLB is in the 99.9th percentile when it comes to hand/eye coordination and fine motor skills.  I truly don't believe there's much that separates a guy like Ryan McKenna's raw skills from the raw skills of Julio Rodriguez or Mike Trout.  I'm not saying that McKenna IS as talented as those guys, but he's not far off from a raw perspective.

And yet, does McKenna go to Driveline in the offseason?  Has McKenna used the Trajekt Arc machine?  Has McKenna come across the one hitting coach that has the eagle eye to look at him and say "Hey, we need to make THIS adjustment" which turns him into an All-Star caliber guy?  

Like I said, I don't believe the fixes are necessarily easy to make, but I believe that it's also hard to search and FIND the right coach who can make those changes.  

[interloper]

@Moose Milligan You say McKenna a few times in there just FYI. Think you mean Mounty!

[Tony-OH]

I do find it funny that the only thread not talking about Frazier in some way of late is in the Frazier 2023 thread. 

[Frobby]

In Mountcastle’s case, he’s made it pretty clear that he sometimes intentionally swings at pitches that he knows aren’t strikes but he thinks he can hit well.  And honestly, he’s pretty good at barreling up balls that are over the plate but somewhat below the strike zone.  But I do think that’s where a lot of his “bad luck” line outs with good EV come from. 

[Frobby]

Just now, Tony-OH said:

I do find it funny that the only thread not talking about Frazier in some way of late is in the Frazier 2023 thread. 

Yes, sorry for taking the bait and going off track.

[emmett16]

3 minutes ago, Moose Milligan said:

I just read an article today about the adjustments that Mateo has made that have made him a better hitter.  Right after that, I read an article on The Athletic about what Jarred Kelenic has done to go from looking like a bust to looking like an All-Star.  If you want to read it, I'd recommend it, it's very well done:  https://theathletic.com/4443635/2023/04/26/mariners-mets-jarred-kelenic-adjustments/

I'm not here to say that all players can be fixed to the degree that Mateo has been hitting this year and a turnaround like Kelenic.  But it's not as if you have to look very far to see guys who have found the right hitting coach, the right methodology and the right approach to turn their careers around.  I don't need to remind you (but I'm going to) that we had Jose Bautista at one point.  We also had Justin Turner.

If baseball is an allegory for life, how many people have we run into across our lives that are super talented at something, but don't give it their all effort?  That maybe they'd be the best person at their job or a fantastic artist or a better parent but they're perfectly content to say "this is good enough."  

I don't believe that these are easy fixes, but I also believe that everyone in the MLB is in the 99.9th percentile when it comes to hand/eye coordination and fine motor skills.  I truly don't believe there's much that separates a guy like Ryan McKenna's raw skills from the raw skills of Julio Rodriguez or Mike Trout.  I'm not saying that McKenna IS as talented as those guys, but he's not far off from a raw perspective.

And yet, does McKenna go to Driveline in the offseason?  Has McKenna used the Trajekt Arc machine?  Has McKenna come across the one hitting coach that has the eagle eye to look at him and say "Hey, we need to make THIS adjustment" which turns him into an All-Star caliber guy?  

Like I said, I don't believe the fixes are necessarily easy to make, but I believe that it's also hard to search and FIND the right coach who can make those changes.  

Motor preferences.  Baseball Cheat codes.  A lot of people train 'against' what their body wants to do.  Once you figure our your preference.  Plakata.

 

Motor Preferences | Baseball Approach | Performance (motorpreferencesexperts.com)

[Moose Milligan]

2 minutes ago, interloper said:

@Moose Milligan You say McKenna a few times in there just FYI. Think you mean Mounty!

Nah, I meant McKenna cause I was comping outfielder to outfielder (J-Rod, Trout) but also more saying the 25th guy on a team isn't always so far removed from the raw skills of the best guy on the team.  

[Moose Milligan]

1 minute ago, emmett16 said:

Motor preferences.  Baseball Cheat codes.  A lot of people train 'against' what their body wants to do.  Once you figure our your preference.  Plakata.

 

Motor Preferences | Baseball Approach | Performance (motorpreferencesexperts.com)

I know the guy that owns this is your friend, but I can't help the 5th grader in me laughing hysterically at the URL as I read it in the address bar.

[Can_of_corn]

9 minutes ago, Moose Milligan said:

I just read an article today about the adjustments that Mateo has made that have made him a better hitter.  Right after that, I read an article on The Athletic about what Jarred Kelenic has done to go from looking like a bust to looking like an All-Star.  If you want to read it, I'd recommend it, it's very well done:  https://theathletic.com/4443635/2023/04/26/mariners-mets-jarred-kelenic-adjustments/

I'm not here to say that all players can be fixed to the degree that Mateo has been hitting this year and a turnaround like Kelenic.  But it's not as if you have to look very far to see guys who have found the right hitting coach, the right methodology and the right approach to turn their careers around.  I don't need to remind you (but I'm going to) that we had Jose Bautista at one point.  We also had Justin Turner.

If baseball is an allegory for life, how many people have we run into across our lives that are super talented at something, but don't give it their all effort?  That maybe they'd be the best person at their job or a fantastic artist or a better parent but they're perfectly content to say "this is good enough."  

I don't believe that these are easy fixes, but I also believe that everyone in the MLB is in the 99.9th percentile when it comes to hand/eye coordination and fine motor skills.  I truly don't believe there's much that separates a guy like Ryan McKenna's raw skills from the raw skills of Julio Rodriguez or Mike Trout.  I'm not saying that McKenna IS as talented as those guys, but he's not far off from a raw perspective.

And yet, does McKenna go to Driveline in the offseason?  Has McKenna used the Trajekt Arc machine?  Has McKenna come across the one hitting coach that has the eagle eye to look at him and say "Hey, we need to make THIS adjustment" which turns him into an All-Star caliber guy?  

Like I said, I don't believe the fixes are necessarily easy to make, but I believe that it's also hard to search and FIND the right coach who can make those changes.  

I'm not disagreeing with any of this.

I find issue with the attitude that some folks seem to have that Mountcastle just doesn't feel like being a better hitter. 

[Can_of_corn]

5 minutes ago, Frobby said:

In Mountcastle’s case, he’s made it pretty clear that he sometimes intentionally swings at pitches that he knows aren’t strikes but he thinks he can hit well.  And honestly, he’s pretty good at barreling up balls that are over the plate but somewhat below the strike zone.  But I do think that’s where a lot of his “bad luck” line outs with good EV come from. 

And to me that's fine.  That's the other side of the coin from Gunnar not swinging at strike that he knows he can't drive.  The idea should be to barrel the ball.  If your sweet spot as a hitter is technically a ball should you not swing? 

Of course you shouldn't swing at balls that you can't actually drive.

[Moose Milligan]

2 minutes ago, Can_of_corn said:

I'm not disagreeing with any of this.

I find issue with the attitude that some folks seem to have that Mountcastle just doesn't feel like being a better hitter. 

It's possible.  I mean, he might just have an attitude that he's good enough, he's gonna do what he's gonna do and it's gotten him here.

No one can say it hasn't worked for him.  1st round pick, Orioles rookie record for homers in a season, 3rd full season in the majors, one of the faces of the franchise...it's certainly worked for him, why bother changing anything?  

I'm playing devil's advocate here.