When things are going bad at the plate, what’s the best solution for the Boston Red Sox hitters? Hyperfocus on technique and tinker, tinker, tinker? Or just turn the brain off and go swing?
The Sox don’t want their players doing one or another, according to hitting coach Tim Hyers.
"In general if we could just shut the brains down, think about one thing at a time that we would be OK," Hyers said. "As our general philosophy we try to think of one mechanical cue and then concentrate on the baseball because the baseball is the most important thing.
"Be on time with the baseball and that’s where our hitters, when they get into the zone and they do their best work is when they do less thinking and more competing."
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"Why a guy comes out of it or why he gets in it, a lot of times when you get in it it’s something mental to get out of it - it can be a hit a homer a bunt hit," said manager Ron Roenicke when asked about Jackie Bradley Jr.’s recent hot streak. "Jack got one the other day. A lot of things contribute to it but that’s the big question that we always deal with it with guys is how to get them in and out of these little funks that they get into."
The Red Sox’s lack of potency at the plate has been noticeable and the abbreviated season isn’t helping much. There’s a lot players have to think about that they didn’t in the past – COVID-19 testing, travel requirements, adjustments to their daily routine – that it makes getting out of a rut maybe more difficult than it was in the past.
It’s not to say Boston would be firing on all cylinders if this was a 162-game season, but this wasn’t an ideal season to not be hot from Opening Day on.
"Players are trying to get three hits in one at bat," Hyers said. "It’s that pressure of producing and it’s not just producing for stats, it’s producing for the organization, for their teammates and I think it’s just added pressure in wanting to do well in a short period of time and they know that each day it kind of climbs on them."
It’s not just a problem that affects young players either. Traditionally in baseball veterans have a way of figuring out issues because, at some point in their career, they’ve dealt with it directly or been taught something by someone who has.
The distractions and issues with the short season are something no one in MLB has ever dealt with, so everyone’s learning at the same time.
"I don’t want it to come across as excuses, but it is what it is and the players are trying to grind through it. I think it is getting much easier," Hyers said. "We’re getting used to how our day works and what’s expected of us and think the players have done a good job, the last couple of weeks, have done a good job of producing on the field offensively."
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The Link LonkSeptember 06, 2020 at 11:46PM
https://www.providencejournal.com/sports/20200906/for-red-sox-fixing-swing-isnrsquot-as-easy-as-grabbing-bat
For the Red Sox, fixing a swing isn’t as easy as grabbing a bat - The Providence Journal
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