KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The Pirates’ offense wasn’t expected to set the baseball world ablaze in 2021, but they hoped to do better than they did over the first two months. They’re last in the National League in slugging percentage (.349) and OPS (.650), have hit the fewest home runs (36) in baseball and have only scored more runs (175) than the Mets (161), who have played seven fewer games.
The first 52 games haven’t been kind to the hitters. And while injuries have definitely played a role for those struggles, it ultimately comes down to the individuals.
“We’re not putting at-bats together, by and large,” hitting coach Rick Eckstein told me over the weekend at PNC Park.
Eckstein and I talked this weekend about the offense, both on a macro and micro scale. If you missed my big-picture look on the offense, you can check it out here.
Half of our conversation was about individual players, so consider this the sister piece that dives into some specific hitters. There are some encouraging signs with these three hitters, but they aren’t without their blemishes. The Pirates will be relying on them to try to right the ship as the year progresses.
TUCKER’S NEW LOOK
Kevin Newman had a spring training for the ages but hit a wall as soon as the calendar turned to April. Eckstein cited “timidness” at times in his swing, rather than being aggressive like Derek Shelton wants from his hitters.
Eckstein likes how Newman has prepared for games and the work he’s putting in, but…
“Come game time, [he needs to] stay committed to that and execute,” Eckstein said.
Well, shortstop was the hot competition in spring training. How does Newman’s main competitor for the job look?
Signs are pointing to Cole Tucker being optioned back to Indianapolis again in the not-so-distant future so he can get everyday reps, especially since Ke’Bryan Hayes is nearing the end of his rehab assignment and Colin Moran and Phillip Evans are nearing the start of theirs’.
This was a chance to get a look at what Tucker had been working in Bradenton, Fla. offensively. Eckstein and I didn’t get into the details of what changed, but there are a couple mechanical tweaks visible:
Up top, his back shoulder is up instead of level with the front, and his hands are higher while going into his load. While waiting for the pitch, his front heel is up rather than being down.
The change in hand positioning definitely creates a new swing path and attack angle, and Eckstein emphasizes positioning, from which the footwork looks to be a product.
Tucker’s only had 11 plate appearances in the majors, so I don’t want to dive into any trends because the sample size is microscopic. Not saying that it’s a much larger sample, but a source revealed to me about a week before Tucker was promoted that his average exit velocity was about 88 mph, a decent spike from his 83 mph average last year. It’s minor-league pitching, so take that for what you will, but it looks like a step in the right direction.
Eckstein and Shelton were encouraged about the changes they saw in Tucker’s approach his time up here.
“[It was] the environment to challenge… Cole [with what he] was going to be challenged with,” Eckstein said. “Motor control and stability and get a ton of work in that direction. He has definitely showed strides in a positive direction, which is very exciting.”
STALLINGS' BIG TALK
Jacob Stallings came into this year wanting to contribute more on offense. So far, he’s done just that. While his batting average is just .234, he’s drawn enough walks to have a healthy .333 on-base percentage, and he’s shown more pop than usual, sporting a .435 slugging clip and a .194 isolated power mark. He won the starting job because of his defense, but the 112 wRC+ is just gravy.
But he didn’t exactly have a great April, and at one point was stuck in an 0-for-19 skid. Going into the Minnesota series last month, he and Eckstein would have what Stallings called a “come to Jesus” talk that helped get back on track.
“We just had a talk and I kind of reminded him of who he is and what he does,” Eckstein said. “I think when guys get away from who they are, whether it be mentally or physically, I try to step in with some sound advice to say what you are, this is who you are and these are your strengths. We need to center our focus around our strengths.”
The details of what is working doesn’t exactly make for an exciting chart or gif. In spring, one thing Stallings told me he is being conscious of is making sure his stride is a consistent length. An evaluator pointed out that his hands are coming down at a different time in the pitcher’s delivery. That could be a timing thing.
Plus, you have the aspects of hitting that Stallings has always done well. Controlling the zone, not chasing too many pitches. He’s swinging at more pitches in the zone this year (61.4% to 66.8%), and that extra aggressiveness has led to more solid contact. Last year, Stallings had four barrels (ideal launch angle and an exit velocity over 95 mph). This year, in the same amount of playing time, he has nine.
Stallings will always be viewed as a defensive catcher first, but he’s contributing on offense, too. Since that talk, he’s been as consistent as any hitter in the Pirates’ lineup.
BREAKING IN ON BRYAN
After that shocking sophomore slump last year, Bryan Reynolds has had a strong bounce back campaign in 2021, slashing .287/.389/.478 with six home runs over 204 plate appearances. While he’s not quite back to those dizzying highs he had his rookie season, comparing year-long results for the two campaigns, he’s a hair better this season.
Like that rookie year, though, he is primarily a fastball hitter. He hits the heat about as well as anyone in the game, but is having trouble against offspeed and breaking stuff. Here is how he is hitting every pitch he’s seen this year:
The two pitches that stick out are changeups and curveballs. While his expected stats against those pitches weren’t great in 2019, he did have actual batting averages of .299 and .273 on the changeup and curve, respectively.
Then you have games like Tuesday, where Reynolds saw 17 pitches. Of those, three were sinkers, nine were sliders, four curveballs and one changeup. He swung 10 times at breaking pitches and whiffed eight times. The only other hitter since the start of 2018 to whiff eight times on breaking balls in a single game was Miguel Sano of the Twins.
How do you combat that as a fastball hitter who isn’t getting as many fastballs? Well, the first step is to not change the approach.
“You still have to get ready, timing wise, to hit a fastball,” Eckstein explained. “The best way to go about hitting is being on time for the fastball and adjusting to the offspeed.”
There’s also a lot of cage work and pitch recognition drills, where Eckstein will stand from about 45 feet away and throw either four-seamers, 12-to-6 curves or slurves. (He gets some movement on those pitches. “They’ll tip their hat to me every once in a while,” he joked.)
Like with Stallings, Eckstein says it comes down to approach and preparation. Reynolds has gone deep twice this week since that eight-whiff game. Don’t let a bad at-bat, swing or game throw that off.
“Don’t let that hold me back from the next pitch,” Eckstein said on what the mindset should be. “Winning the next pitch. This is who I am, and this is how I get in the box, and this is how I set up, this is what I think about myself, and this is how I go about and execute what I do.”
