Alex Verdugo has been one of many hottest hitters in baseball. Over his final 4 video games, the Boston Red Sox outfielder is 8-for-19 with 4 doubles and a pair of dwelling runs, and two of his hits have been of the walk-off selection. Moreover, he’s swung a productive bat all season. Verdugo’s left-handed stroke has produced a .317/.381/.524 slash line and 5 lengthy balls in 139 plate appearances. His wRC+ is a wholesome 148.
The 28-year-old Tucson native has slashed .290/.346/.433 in his three-plus years sporting a Red Sox uniform, and to say that his efficiency has attracted a good quantity of scrutiny can be an understatement. That’s comprehensible. In February 2020, Boston acquired Verdugo, together with Connor Wong and Jeter Downs, in trade for Mookie Betts and David Price.
Verdugo mentioned his evolution as a hitter, which has included the belief that attempting to hammer dwelling runs is detrimental to his success, previous to Tuesday’s recreation at Fenway Park.
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David Laurila: This is your tenth skilled season. Comparing now to then, how related or totally different are you as a hitter?
Alex Verdugo: “I believe I’ve the identical mindset of what I’m attempting to do. I’ve all the time been a man that likes to hit the fastball to left after which pull the offspeed pitches. What’s modified all through the years is how I deviate from my recreation plan. Back within the minors, again within the first couple of years, and even final 12 months… I do know my strengths, however I might be like, ‘You know what? I’m going to attempt to hit for energy. I’m going to attempt to elevate this. I’m going to attempt to pull a heater.’
“When I begin having these ideas, my entrance aspect, my hip, my entrance shoulder begins leaking out. It goes towards our first base dugout. I fly open on all the things, and if it’s an offspeed pitch, I don’t have an opportunity.
“This year, I’ve been adamant about continually working inside the ball, working on hitting heaters to left, and then pulling the offspeed pitches. So far, that’s what I’ve been seeing — I’m seeing the results from that game plan.”
Laurila: To what diploma have you ever deviated out of your strategy through the years? Have you ever made a purposeful try — a decided try — to hit for extra energy?
Verdugo: “Yeah, I’ve. But it simply doesn’t work for me. I find yourself attempting to hit the ball too far, or I simply attempt to hit the ball out entrance an excessive amount of. Like I mentioned, my swing breaks down. When little issues break down in your swing, that makes it so much more durable to hit towards this sort of pitching.
“I hit the most home runs when I have little thoughts. I’m literally trying to hit a line drive up the middle and get under the ball just enough. That’s what creates the homer. Or I’m just out front enough on the offspeed pitches. You get lift from that natural approach. When I try to hit one, I get a little bit more of an uppercut swing, and I get rotational instead of being through the ball. It’s been a constant fight that I had to have with myself.”
Laurila: To be clear, you’ve made a number of makes an attempt to hit for extra energy?
Verdugo: “Yes. The first time, I attempted to do a leg kick — I wish to say that was in 2015 — and it was slightly leg kick, not even an enormous one. It was simply, ‘Lift my foot up, hover, and go.’ That was in Low-A, and I hit about .230 in all probability all the best way till three video games earlier than the All-Star break, three video games earlier than halftime. I used to be like, ‘Man, screw this. I’m going again to my toe faucet and doing what I usually do.’
“I bought my common up over the subsequent couple of video games, after which within the second half of the season, I hit .330 or .300-something. I sort of took off. That actually informed me, ‘Brother, this is my game. This is who I am. I need to get my foot down early, be on time, and just have base hits on my mind.’
“There hasn’t been one year in the big leagues where I’ve exclusively tried to hit for more power. It goes in waves. You start having success — you started going on a little hot streak — and you’re like, ‘All right. I’m feeling good. Now I’m going to lift some home runs and do some damage.’ Suddenly, you find yourself in a slump. You’re struggling again. Instead of staying on pitches, you’re missing balls that are right over the middle that you normally hit. Again, for me it’s been a constant fight to stay away from that.”
Laurila: Are you principally searching fastballs center and adjusting from there, or are you in search of sure pitches from sure pitchers?
Verdugo: “There are some guys you are able to do that towards. You get sufficient info on folks to the place you might be, ‘Hey, this guy likes to…’ Devin Williams, from the Brewers, for instance. He’s a changeup man. It’s unbelievable. He’ll throw it 70% of the time, so you may go up there and search for that pitch, ensuring you’re seeing it up. So all of it relies upon. With sure guys and their tendencies, perhaps I’ll deviate slightly bit, however for almost all the time, sure, I’m searching fastballs.
“I’m trying to be on time with the heater. When I’m on time with the heater, it’s a line drive over the shortstop’s head. That helps me get enough play to where if I’m a little bit late, I’m going to go to left. If I’m a little bit early, I’m going to go to right. If I hit it right on time, I did exactly what I want: I hit that line drive to left-center. That’s when I’m seeing the changeup, the curveball, the slider. My barrel stays through enough, and now I’m going to right field instead of pulling off and swinging and missing, or fouling it off. My barrel just runs into it.”
Laurila: Has your swing path or setup modified through the years?
Verdugo: “I want to say they’re relatively similar. When I go good, I’ve always been a toe tap guy, kind of… like, when I was in the minors, I would stand really, really open, and I’d come back, then ‘Boom.’ Sometimes my hands would be up here. Sometimes they would be down here. But it’s always been a relatively similar move that I’m making. I haven’t deviated from my actual swing since high school.”
Laurila: What are you in search of on video while you’re scuffling?
Verdugo: “I’m normally taking a look at my decrease half. I’ve an issue the place my decrease half will slide below… my hips will slide out. When my hip flies open, I’m late and my swing turns into one thing I actually don’t need my swing to change into. I really feel slower. I really feel like I can’t get to pitches.
“When I’m struggling a little bit, we have a couple of cues we look for. I go to the video and it’s like, ‘All right, man, you’re doing this.’ Somewhere, whether it’s the start of it or the actual move towards the ball — whether I’m diving, collapsing, or whatever it is — we’ve just got to make sure we nip it in the bud.”
Laurila: What modified while you got here right here from the Dodgers? I’m considering primarily about what you hear out of your hitting coaches.
Verdugo: “Nothing actually modified an excessive amount of about that. I really feel like I’ve had good relationships with all my hitting coaches. I’m all the time open ears, however none of them have actually tried to alter the mechanics or how I hit. They simply say, ‘You’re pure. That’s the way you do it. Your physique works that method.’ All they’ve actually performed is assist me get my cues. Like I mentioned, once I’m going flawed, or I’m feeling one thing, it’s from this, this or this. Maybe there are a few drills that can assist me really feel what I have to really feel, to get me again to the place I have to be.
“I talk every day. I talk to all the veterans and to guys in general. Everybody always talks about their swings. For me, a lot of it basically goes to, ‘Am I on time?’ If I start with a pitcher late, and I’m late, I’m going to rush. Something is going to have to happen to try to get that barrel to catch up to the ball. It might be my shoulder flying open. Something. That’s usually when I find myself in trouble. So a lot of it for me is timing. That and having a strong base.”
Laurila: You’ve clearly been requested about this earlier than, however we should always handle that you just got here right here as a part of the Mookie Betts commerce. That provides additional stress to carry out…
Verdugo: “I mean, a trade is a trade, right? We’ve done this before. It’s not the only trade in baseball, and it’s not the only big trade, either. You know, I feel like part of it is a blessing. In other ways, it sucks to kind of always be on that, the ’Oh, the Mookie trade, the Mookie trade.’ But I’ve never let it bother me. It’s like, ‘Hey, I got traded for a great player and it is what it is.’ I just want to play my game and be the person I am, the teammate I am. I need to just do what I do, and not try to replicate somebody else. Everybody always wants to bring it up, but to me, it’s not a big deal. I don’t stress out about it.”
Laurila: Is hitting enjoyable?
Verdugo: “Yeah. Hitting is the funnest thing. It can be the worst, but it’s also the funnest thing. We love it, man. As a hitter, you go through so many ups and downs, and just so many emotions throughout the season. But I love this. I wouldn’t be doing this if I didn’t.”
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Earlier “Talks Hitting” interviews can discovered via these hyperlinks: Jo Adell, Jeff Albert, Greg Allen, Nolan Arenado, Aaron Bates, Alex Bregman, Bo Bichette, Cavan Biggio, JJ Bleday, Bobby Bradley, Jay Bruce, Matt Chapman, Michael Chavis, Gavin Cross, Jacob Cruz, Nelson Cruz, Paul DeJong, Josh Donaldson, Brendan Donovan, Donnie Ecker, Rick Eckstein, Drew Ferguson, Justin Foscue, Michael Fransoso, Ryan Fuller, Joey Gallo, Devlin Granberg, Andy Haines, Mitch Haniger, Robert Hassell III, Nico Hoerner, Rhys Hoskins, Eric Hosmer, Tim Hyers, Connor Joe, Josh Jung, Jimmy Kerr, Heston Kjerstad, Steven Kwan, Trevor Larnach, Doug Latta, Evan Longoria, Michael Lorenzen, Gavin Lux, Dave Magadan, Trey Mancini, Edgar Martinez, Don Mattingly, Hunter Mense, Owen Miller, Ryan Mountcastle, Cedric Mullins, Daniel Murphy, Logan O’Hoppe, Vinnie Pasquantino, Brent Rooker, Drew Saylor, Trevor Story, Fernando Tatis Jr., Spencer Torkelson, Mark Trumbo, Justin Turner, Trea Turner, Josh VanMeter, Robert Van Scoyoc, Chris Valaika, Zac Veen, Mark Vientos, Matt Vierling, Luke Voit, Anthony Volpe, Christian Walker, Jared Walsh, Jordan Westburg, Jesse Winker, Mike Yastrzemski, Nick Yorke, Kevin Youkilis
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