Yesterday came across an article that talked about Brett Baty, his struggles and what they hoped to accomplish with him in the minors. The article featured quotes from Syracuse hitting coach Collin Hetzler, who said this:
“Being selectively aggressive is good, but at the same time you don’t want that to turn into taking heaters for strikes, taking get-me-over breaking balls for strikes and putting yourself in bad counts,” Hetzler said. “It doesn’t matter who you are: if you put yourself in a bad count, it’s going to be difficult to do damage and hit the ball hard on a consistent basis.
“So it’s shrinking the zone and being ready for something you can hit hard. And when he gets it, putting a good swing on it rather than being stuck in the middle of ‘I’m hoping for this’ instead of ‘This is what I’m going to do up there.”’
If I didn’t know better, I’d swear he was talking about Mark Vientos.
Source: Tim Britton, The Athletic
Baty is a more accomplished hitter that Vientos. (Duh, Metsense!) Baty can be a major league player if he changes his approach…maybe. Vientos, when he gets a hold of one, he he hits it very hard, the analytics people salvation. His problem is too many strikeouts and the major league pitchers are better than the minor league pitchers. He is destined to his a AAAA player.
Vientos should be sent down, too, and work on the same things. If Baty can change, so can Vientos. But it’s pretty clear that both have work to do.
“He is destined to his a AAAA player”
Welcome to the club! When the ever optimist Metsense calls someone an AAAA player, you know it’s over for that player.