quote:Originally posted by BlueDog:
So, anything else about him?
PGStaff nailed it when he "guessed" that this hitter pulls everything. That's exactly what he does. He struggles with anything outside. That second clip is a good example of how he typically deals with outside pitches. It's a "put the ball in play" swing. He also struggles with anything offspeed and high heat. Because he's so upright that high pitch looks so good, but he ends up popping it up or missing it entirely (if the pitcher throws hard). He likes pitches either inside or middle of the plate and belt high. If he gets a fastball there and gets a hold of it he will hit it a LONG way.
I don't see much loading of the middle in this hitter. N-y-m-a-n put up a side by side of him and Vlad Guererro a year or so ago and you could clearly see the differences in how each player loads. The inward turn of his front knee is deceiving. If I get time I'll put together a side by side to see if anything has changed. He tends to push through contact too.
Other than his parents this hitter hasn't received much instruction. Most of the comments I hear from his dad are things like "hands to the ball" and "don't drop your back shoulder". Change isn't an option for him. There's too much pressure to perform. He's been too good for too long and there are expectations for him. When he's struggling at the plate he's an emotional mess.
The kid is a super athlete and a fierce competitor. Plays RB/LB in football and is very aggressive. No matter what he's doing he wants to win. He also pitches. He throws left handed and hits right handed. He's fairly mature for his age too. I don't think he'll grow more than another inch or two. I could be wrong though. He's also benching around 200 lbs so he's pretty strong.
Jason
P.S. PGStaff you have a PM.