Heyward's new "old" swing, and his contact...

[TC in Mississippi]

Yes, but he's an arm bar type of hitter, so if he moves in much, he's just going to get pounded inside and break some bats. Heyward needs to be who he is at this point. If standing off the plate is comfort for him and he has improving numbers (appears so right now) you don't mess with him. It's not something I would teach or want to see out of my players, as it isn't ideal, but perhaps Chilli just asked him to get comfortable and consider working on launch angle more than anything. If that's what occurred, then that is great instruction, imho.

That's a good point. There's evidence that part of his problem has been overcoaching so, you're right, if he's improving leave him alone. I said before the season that if you got anything close to say 100-110 wRC+ out of him he would no longer be a liability in the slightest. He sits at 113 right now.

 

[Diehardfan]

Yes, but he's an arm bar type of hitter, so if he moves in much, he's just going to get pounded inside and break some bats. Heyward needs to be who he is at this point. If standing off the plate is comfort for him and he has improving numbers (appears so right now) you don't mess with him. It's not something I would teach or want to see out of my players, as it isn't ideal, but perhaps Chilli just asked him to get comfortable and consider working on launch angle more than anything. If that's what occurred, then that is great instruction, imho.

Ok, makes sense. But it seems to me from where he's standing now that on pitches that catch a good part of the plate, even if he squares it up, will be hit too close to the end of the bat and turn a potential extra base hit into a routine fly ball.

 

[Parade_Rain]

Ok, makes sense. But it seems to me from where he's standing now that on pitches that catch a good part of the plate, even if he squares it up, will be hit too close to the end of the bat and turn a potential extra base hit into a routine fly ball.

Heyward is 6'5". Unless he has the arms of a T-rex, he can cover the whole plate. My biggest issue with him being that far away would be the ability to control the outer third of the plate with his eyeballs.

 

[CSF77]

Heyward is 6'5". Unless he has the arms of a T-rex, he can cover the whole plate. My biggest issue with him being that far away would be the ability to control the outer third of the plate with his eyeballs.

I wouldn't offer to the outer half with his mechanics unless it was strike 2 and he was defending the plate and slapping at it.

 

[Parade_Rain]

I wouldn't offer to the outer half with his mechanics unless it was strike 2 and he was defending the plate and slapping at it.

Outer half is a lot of plate. I'm moreso discussing nibbling at the corner. I doubt as far off as he is that he can really tell the difference between a ball and a strike out there. And that would certainly be with 2 strikes.

 

[Diehardfan]

Heyward is 6'5". Unless he has the arms of a T-rex, he can cover the whole plate. My biggest issue with him being that far away would be the ability to control the outer third of the plate with his eyeballs.

You would think so but my eyes are telling me he isn't. I guess an over head view would be what I'd like to see...I'm certainly no expert on hitting, it's just what I'm seeing or maybe what I think I'm seeing.

 

[Parade_Rain]

You would think so but my eyes are telling me he isn't. I guess an over head view would be what I'd like to see...I'm certainly no expert on hitting, it's just what I'm seeing or maybe what I think I'm seeing.

If he wasnt able to cover the whole plate, the baseball nerds would have already figured that out and had their pitchers pound the outside corner.