Article: For Young Hitters The Struggle Is Real

[Parker Hageman]

Tom Brunansky was recently asked what he saw as the biggest difference between handling veteran hitters and young hitters.

 

“The young hitters put the horse before the carriage,” Brunansky said about the desire for hits. “The young hitters, they see success as the result. The veteran hitter knows that the result is something we can't control and it is about the process. So that's where we step in and let them know that it is process, process, process. We have to change that mindset.”

 

With a clubhouse filled with hitters like Danny Santana, Kennys Vargas and Oswaldo Arcia -- all under the age of 25 and all expected to play key roles in the offense -- Brunansky will be busy spreading that message.Of course the Twins have players who are not far removed from being where those hitters are now and have come out on the other side in good shape.

 

Third baseman Trevor Plouffe discovered that trying to perform consistently at the major league level was a daunting task as an inexperienced hitter. After scuffling through several stretches of feeling overmatched, Plouffe would piece together a handful of at bats that would feed his confidence. It would be a fleeting feeling as opponents would introduce a new wrinkle that would send him back to the cages searching for answers.

 

“You have to show you can hit the four-spot fastball,” Plouffe said. “Once you do that, then teams start to make adjustments on you. That’s how this game works. As a hitter, you have to make adjustments to counteract those.”

 

The adjustments came easier after multiple seasons with steady playing time. The three-year stretch from 2012 through 2014 provided him with 1,500 plate appearances in which to learn what adjustments he needed to make. Plouffe’s results in that span showed an uptick in power and patience and a slight reduction in walks.

 

Plouffe did not just ground to second or flare one to right, he was able to do more damage last year going the other way than he had in previous seasons. He collected 13 doubles when driving the ball to the opposite field. That, he said, was the result of knowing how pitchers were approaching him.

 

“I know for me they like to show me [fastball] in and then go soft away,” Plouffe explained. “In those big situations where there’s runners on base, last year Bruno and I talked about using that whole field, just take what they give. When you get up there you are going to want to get those runs in no matter what, any way you can. If that means I gotta hit a groundball to second base or I gotta fly one out to right, that’s what I've got to do. Once I got the hang of that it was ‘alright, let’s drive some balls over there’. I think that makes you a more complete hitter.”

 

On the right side of the infield, teammate Brian Dozier experienced a similar learning curve in the majors. His first season with the Twins was an exercise in weak contact and an overeagerness that led to the count often being in the pitcher’s favor. Dozier leaned on the teachings of Brunansky as well as the guys in the clubhouse that had seen it all.

 

“One of the big things, especially coming up, a lot of different guys -- Morneau, Willingham and those guys -- that they could do a lot of good things hitting a fastball in this league,” Dozier said. “Always hunt the fastball.”

 

Dozier, an avid hunter off the field of all types of game, has been quite the marksman with the bat on the field. Over the past two seasons he has compiled a .509 slugging percentage while smacking 32 of his 41 home runs versus the heat. In addition to repeated hard hit balls, Dozier also has increased his zone awareness and getting deeper into the count and drawing more walks as of late.

 

“It might be geared towards pitchers tipping pitches or just knowing what’s coming,” Dozier said about his ability to ambush his opponent at the plate. “That’s another thing: a feel for the game. Knowing what the pitcher is trying do to you. Is he trying to elevate? Is he trying to come inside? Once you figure that out, it makes it a lot easier.”

 

Plouffe and Dozier were once overmatched kids trying to maintain at the majors. Now the lineup is filled with similarly promising talent that is striving for consistency. Oswaldo Arcia is one such talent who has shown flashes of light-tower power interspersed in periods of prolonged droughts. It is early in the 2015 season but the Twins left fielder is leading the league in striking out and faking like he is going to break his bat over his knee. But Brunansky believes the outfielder has made significant improvements to his approach and mechanics that will allow him to avoid those extended pitfalls.

 

“Cleaner. Cleaner is a good word,” Brunansky said of the left-handed power hitter’s current swing. “Any young hitter that comes up and has the ability to be here, there's always kind of movement that goes on that they're going to have to clean up a little bit once they get used to the league and the pace of the league and the league shows them as hitters what they need to do. That's where we are at right now.”

 

When he first arrived barely old enough to enjoy an adult beverage, Arcia displayed impressive power promise. In 2013, he launched 14 home runs including four to the opposite field. It was difficult to not envision a world in which a mature Arcia could mash two or three times that number over a full season. Of course, it didn’t take long for opponents to begin to use his aggressiveness against him.

 

“The first time he came up he was swinging at everything and we talked and worked on cleaning up the zone,” said Brunansky. “I didn't even talk mechanics to him. It was more about pitch awareness. That helped, he did better. And once he got that under control then we went to the next part. We went to the hands that got too low and never got back up in the zone which helped promote the uppercut so now we're trying to clean the bat path.”

 

Dropping his hands played a key role in how teams began to adjust to Arcia. As it became increasingly apparent that the Venezuelan could not handle pitches up in the zone, that became the target for pitchers to exploit. In his first season, Arcia did a lot of his damage in hitter’s counts. Now when pitchers fell behind, they would just go upstairs and avoid his powerful swing.

 

Brunansky said that he did not want to change Arcia’s swing to counter the attack but rather instill the notion that he should simply lay off those pitches. As appetizing as a high fastball looks coming in, Arcia’s game is down in the zone. To correct Brunansky would occasionally flip him a high pitch in their front toss drills. If Arcia chased, the Twins’ hitting coach would remind him that that is not his real zone.

 

Arcia’s ability to perform against left-handed pitching was another deteriorating skill set that needed attention. After hitting a serviceable .254 against the sinister in 2013, he turned in a .198 batting line last year. Brunansky said the issue is pitch awareness. Pitch awareness and the point of contact.

 

“I think his bat path that we see against the left side it is kind of long and he pulls off just because he thinks he's going to hit the ball out here,” Brunansky said while gesturing to an imaginary location well out in front of himself. “And by the time the ball and bat should meet he's long gone.”

 

For a solution, this spring, Brunansky had Arcia do tee work and toss drills while using a fungo bat. The longer and end-loaded bat helped create a better feel for the barrel path for Arcia which Brunansky said he sees as much improved.

 

One of the more frustrating examples of a player unable to break through on the field has been the switch-hitting Aaron Hicks. Over the last few years Brunansky said the pair would drill endlessly during spring training or during practice on things that they felt needed to be fixed. In those conditions, Hicks would appear strong and ready. Once in the game, he would move back into bad habits that they spent so many man-hours to correct.

 

“The first couple years it was inconsistent,” Brunansky said about Hicks’ swing. “He couldn't find and then he'd find it and lose it and then he'd get frustrated. I think he's more mature and he's got an idea both right-handed and left-handed what his swing feels like and what it should feel like -- which should help make it repeatable. Which he has been in the cage. It's just the consistency in the game.”

 

Brunansky believes that they may have finally found something that could give Hicks sustained success: the leg kick.

 

“Hicksy moved his head a lot,” said Brunansky. “What's going to stop your head movement is a strong base. What's a strong base is your legs and core. So you have to get that under control to keep everything strong here which will stop your head from movement.”

 

In a small sample size at Rochester, Hicks has collected six hits so far this year, four of which went for extra bases. It is still too early to tell if the improved swing is paying off for Hicks but the takeaway for Brunansky is that those types of returns help a hitter trust the process and believe in themselves.

 

It may sound cliche but Brunansky and the Twins emphasize trusting the process with their young hitters. And Brunansky will be busy spreading that message. Beyond Arcia and Hicks, the lineup features rookie Kennys Vargas and Danny Santana in his sophomore season. Behind them, Josmil Pinto, Miguel Sano, Eddie Rosario and Byron Buxton. They will come up, fail at some point and that is when it is time to go to work.

 

As Brunansky said, process, process, process.

 

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[ashbury]

 

“The young hitters put the horse before the carriage,” Brunansky said about the desire for hits. “The young hitters, they see success as the result. The veteran hitter knows that the result is something we can't control and it is about the process. So that's where we step in and let them know that it is process, process, process. We have to change that mindset.”

Tom Brunansky as Quality Assurance Engineer. Who knew?

[Shane Wahl]

Great article.

 

It illustrates the need to get these players UP so as to begin the process, process, process. The question is going to really be whether or not they want these guys all playing every day. I can see a Twins roster by the end of June that is suddenly loaded with Sano, Hicks, Buxton, Rosario, Polanco, and Pinto. That would require six guys to replace: Schafer, Robinson, Nunez, Herrmann, Escobar/Plouffe, and a pitcher (ideally, somehow). But they can't all play everyday. When does half-time in MLB become better than full-time in AAA?

[clutterheart]

Arcia was "swinging at everything" in the minors why was this not addressed down there?

[Blackjack]

Excellent read!!! This is why I come to Twins Daily!!

[bird]

Wow, Parker. Thank you, what terrific insight!

[lightfoot789]

Great read. How much of that is emphasized in AA or AAA? Or do they wait to see if player can adjust on their own? My biggest question is How much video is shown to minor leaguers and are they taught how to watch film? Film is the biggest teaching tool in sports. In baseball it seems to be only emphasized at the MLB level. You never hear about minor league fim sessions with coaches. At least not like other sports. IMO

[Mike Sixel]

Great read. And yes, success is about the process.

[chopper0080]

 

Arcia was "swinging at everything" in the minors why was this not addressed down there?

 

It is tough to preach about the process or to fix things when a player is having success hitting.  That is one reason it is important to identify when a player in the minors is getting by on physical ability, and needs to be challenged at a higher level.  This is also the reason it would be stupid to send Arcia down to AAA.  His issues need to be worked out at the major league level because he can just rely on talent in AAA.

[blindeke]

Great article. This is exactly the kind of stuff that I wonder about as I'm watching this team struggle.

[Rosterman]

It's a tough job, especially on the major league level. With all the analyticals and such. It is truly amazing how many players do hit the ball directly to where someone is playing. The only way you get a hit is if it has that extra bounce, just goes over the head, or if you misfire and do hit it somewhere no one expects, And the fact that the better pitchers do have four strong pitches in the majors.

[Dantes929]

 

Arcia was "swinging at everything" in the minors why was this not addressed down there?

The actual quote was "the first time he came up he was swinging at everything".   Doesn't necessarily mean that is what he was doing in the minors,   His BB and SO rates were much better in the minors.   He was probably just too anxious when he got called up and then when things weren't going well thought he needed to hit home runs to justify being in the lineup.  Process vs results.    I would rather see him have good at bats and have his homers clear the fence by two feet than a lot of chasing with an occasional moon shot..  His minor league numbers indicate he is capable of hitting for average and power. 

The best analogy I have is the golf swing.   When the mechanics are right the swing is consistent, powerful and effortless.   When trying to hit long I might connect every once in a while but generally it is a lot more effort for less distance. 

[troyhobbs]

 

Great article.

 

It illustrates the need to get these players UP so as to begin the process, process, process. The question is going to really be whether or not they want these guys all playing every day. I can see a Twins roster by the end of June that is suddenly loaded with Sano, Hicks, Buxton, Rosario, Polanco, and Pinto. That would require six guys to replace: Schafer, Robinson, Nunez, Herrmann, Escobar/Plouffe, and a pitcher (ideally, somehow). But they can't all play everyday. When does half-time in MLB become better than full-time in AAA?

I'd say cut bait on Hicks, package him in a deal.  All those you mention can be cut loose including Escobar and Plouffe if Sano is ready.  Those caliber of players can be picked up in almost every offseason.  If the Twins still aren't competitive next year they could look at dealing Dozier and if they are competing (doubtful) they can look at dealing Polanco.  Way too many crumby veterans on the roster year after year.  Let's see which young guys can play at the top level already and go from there.

[drunksam]

I was reminded of this http://tinyurl.com/m3bdaxj article, while reading. Seasoning vs. control vs need, the has to be a balance, right?

[COtwin]

 

I'd say cut bait on Hicks, package him in a deal.  All those you mention can be cut loose including Escobar and Plouffe if Sano is ready.  Those caliber of players can be picked up in almost every offseason.  If the Twins still aren't competitive next year they could look at dealing Dozier and if they are competing (doubtful) they can look at dealing Polanco.  Way too many crumby veterans on the roster year after year.  Let's see which young guys can play at the top level already and go from there.

 

 

Still to early to quit on Hicks, and his value is low.  Way to early to dump Esco and Plouffe even if Sano is up.  Both of those guys have good value, either as solid trade material or bench players on a winning team.  I think we forget, after how poorly our bench has been put together, how important it is to have starting quality guys on the bench.  Sano will need to be solid for a year before I am ok with letting Plouffe go in a trade.

 

Esco was the number 5 OPS shortstop with min 450 PA last year.  Solid defense as well.  Very good asset, not to be given away.

 

Plouffe was the number 12 OPS 3B last year, and he played adequate defense.  Again, a very valuable asset.  

 

How we manage things like this in the transition to all of the young guys, will probably be a major factor in making us a complete team that can make World Series runs.

[jimmer]

Plouffe was a top 10 3B last year and is in his prime, those guys aren't available all the time.

 

Yeah, it took him quite awhile to become this player but then again, maybe if the organization realized he wasn't a shortstop a long time ago, it wouldn't have taken so long.

Edited April 16, 2015 by jimmer

[Loosey]

 

The actual quote was "the first time he came up he was swinging at everything".   Doesn't necessarily mean that is what he was doing in the minors,   His BB and SO rates were much better in the minors.   He was probably just too anxious when he got called up and then when things weren't going well thought he needed to hit home runs to justify being in the lineup.  Process vs results.    I would rather see him have good at bats and have his homers clear the fence by two feet than a lot of chasing with an occasional moon shot..  His minor league numbers indicate he is capable of hitting for average and power. 

The best analogy I have is the golf swing.   When the mechanics are right the swing is consistent, powerful and effortless.   When trying to hit long I might connect every once in a while but generally it is a lot more effort for less distance. 

I think he was just that much better than the pitchers in the minors and could get away with swinging at high pitches based purely on ability.  Now, the pitchers are better and he needs to learn and adjust to how he is being pitched rather than just go up whacking away like he was able to his entire life prior to be a MLB player.

[puckstopper1]

Great article.  Bruno does have his work cut out for him.  There will be a TON of pressure on the Twins staff to continue to cultivate and improve the young crop of players - especially in the batters box.  I hope, like many Twins fans do, that he is VERY successful in doing just that.

[Mike Sixel]

My biggest nit is that the clubhouse isn't "filled" with young hitters (that's a nit on the article, and indictment, imo, on the FO).

[Parker Hageman]

My biggest nit is that the clubhouse isn't "filled" with young hitters (that's a nit on the article, and indictment, imo, on the FO).

 

 

And when the media and coaching staff are in the clubhouse the average age gets much older too. Way too literal of an interpretation of that line. But I understand your overall point -- the offense is young that the league's average but certainly not the youngest. 

 

Three players under the age of 25 are expected to play key roles in the lineup this year and there should be more up at some point before the end of the season. 

 

 

[Mike Sixel]

It's a tiny nit, I almost didn't post it. I look forward to it being filled up with youth, and hope Bruno proves effective with them.

[HitInAPinch]

Don't know about anyone else, but I'd like to hear a lot more from Brunansky.

[zenser]

Just a general question for all of you.  What do you think a realistic season for Arcia could be if he has a year he is capable of having in terms of average and homers?  Would it be too much to think that .280 and 35 would be doable? 

[John Kelsey]

 

Just a general question for all of you.  What do you think a realistic season for Arcia could be if he has a year he is capable of having in terms of average and homers?  Would it be too much to think that .280 and 35 would be doable? 

 

Maybe somewhere down the line. This year I don't see that happening at all. 

[Mike Sixel]

35? That's a lot in this day and age. I'd think more in the 25-30 range. Adjust to the new world order!

[troyhobbs]

 

Still to early to quit on Hicks, and his value is low.  Way to early to dump Esco and Plouffe even if Sano is up.  Both of those guys have good value, either as solid trade material or bench players on a winning team.  I think we forget, after how poorly our bench has been put together, how important it is to have starting quality guys on the bench.  Sano will need to be solid for a year before I am ok with letting Plouffe go in a trade.

 

Esco was the number 5 OPS shortstop with min 450 PA last year.  Solid defense as well.  Very good asset, not to be given away.

 

Plouffe was the number 12 OPS 3B last year, and he played adequate defense.  Again, a very valuable asset.  

 

How we manage things like this in the transition to all of the young guys, will probably be a major factor in making us a complete team that can make World Series runs.

It'd be a gamble based on my speculation (not fact) that Plouffe and EE played above their true selves last year, plus if EE is the 5 best SS based on last year's OPS he's not doing the Twins much good riding pine 5 days a week. IMO until the Twins have a formidable pitching staff I'd take youth and potential over past results all the time. You only have 25 roster spots and a loaded farm system so eventually those kind of moves will have to be made. Hicks, Plouffe, and Escobar are 3 guys I'd look to move in the short term for more prospects or pitching. Don't know if it's right for sure but that's how I'd roll.

[diehardtwinsfan]

Just a general question for all of you.  What do you think a realistic season for Arcia could be if he has a year he is capable of having in terms of average and homers?  Would it be too much to think that .280 and 35 would be doable?

Like Mike said, probably more in the 25-30 range, but I could see a peak season happening at 35. His minor league stats, while showing impatience say he can hit .300 with ease. I think he's got to be a bit more patient (not necessarily draw more walks, but let pitches go that he has no business swinging at), but if the plate discipline picks up, I could easily see him putting up a .300/.350/.520 type line cracking .900 OPS in his peak seasons. The kid has power.

[Parker Hageman]

His minor league stats, while showing impatience say he can hit .300 with ease.

 

 

Using Arcia's minor league track record as a gauge for future production is a bit misleading. When he was spending full seasons in the minors, he used a different approach that allowed him to use the entire field more but with less power potential. 

 

Brunansky said he did not want to change him from what he is now back to where he was but he wants to refine the approach so that he can have the power potential with a higher batting average. 

 

http://twinsdaily.com/_/minnesota-twins-news/minnesota-twins/twins-trying-to-make-oswaldo-arcia-a-complete-hitter-r3045

 

http://i.imgur.com/AoaBdR0.gif

http://i.imgur.com/4IOzAsG.gif

[ashbury]

 

35? That's a lot in this day and age. I'd think more in the 25-30 range. Adjust to the new world order!

I for one welcome our new low-offense overlords.

[ashbury]

 

 

Hicks, Plouffe, and Escobar are 3 guys I'd look to move in the short term for more prospects or pitching. Don't know if it's right for sure but that's how I'd roll.

These three together probably would not bring in return what Span brought. And they would be tough to package. Individually, you get future Eduardo Escobars and Logan Darnells in return.