Swing adjustments create confidence for hot-hitting Bae
As Ji Hwan Bae stood in front of his locker stall Friday afternoon a smile flashed across his face while packing totes were scattered across the Pirates’ clubhouse. The Grapefruit League schedule is nearing it's end, roster cut day is approaching and Bae has done what he can to make a case for the opening day roster.
The infielder-turned-outfielder has thoroughly impressed this spring as he’s hitting .444 in 36 at-bats with a 1.168 OPS and leads the team in hits (16) and doubles (6) and has only struck out six times, the fifth-lowest total among Pirates hitters with at least 25 at-bats. However, it’s not just his performance at the plate that has stood out. Bae has showcased his athleticism on the base paths as he’s often stretched singles into doubles and has stolen three bases.
“I love the way he’s played, I mean you look back and he’s hit two or three balls that are regular ground ball base hits for the average human being and he’s turned them into doubles,” Derek Shelton said yesterday. “A ball kicked off (Anthony) Volpe’s glove the other day and the fact that he bunted on (Gregory) Soto in the Baltimore game, just little things like that stand out.”
Bae also advanced to second on that bunt on March 15 as Soto hurried the throw and ended up throwing it wide of the bag. But, according to Baseball Savant, it’s that type of pressure that Bae has put on defenses this spring as he ranks in the 91st percentile of Major League Baseball with a 29 feet per second sprint speed.
This season could be a big year for Bae as he’s consistently performed in the minor leagues but has yet to see that consistency translate to the major leagues. He’s a career .304 hitter over six years in the minors with a .823 OPS. But, when Bae has received opportunities with the Pirates, he’s underperformed.
Bae was sidelined at different times last year after suffering a left hip muscle sprain in early March and a right wrist sprain in June. He’s fully healthy now and took advantage of that throughout the offseason. Shelton said that Bae spent all of his time in the United States this offseason and was in Florida for most of it while working out at Pirate City one or two times a week.
“I think it’s really paid off for him,” Shelton said.
A lot of Bae’s success this spring can be attributed to his performance at the plate. During the offseason, he made adjustments to his swing and has looked more comfortable and balanced in the box as he’s sprayed the ball to all fields. He hit two doubles against the Rays on Wednesday, with both coming off Zack Littell, who made 29 starts for the Rays last season.
Bae told me, through translator Daniel Park, that he focused a lot in the offseason, and through this spring, on a new swing that has allowed him to become more consistent in the box and forget some of the bad habits that he’s developed throughout his career.
“I mean it’s honestly more of what I feel,” Bae said. “My dominant hand is my right hand and my right hand used to come forward before it was supposed to. I’m trying to use my top hand, which is my left hand, a little bit more rotated from the back side.
He also added that he’s started to shrink the strike zone a little more this spring which has helped him avoid chasing outside pitches and limit his strikeouts. During his first extended stint with the Pirates in 2023 when he played in 111 games, Bae hit .231/.296/.311 with a .608 OPS to pair with 17 doubles, two home runs and 32 RBIs. However, he struck out 92 times which was the sixth-highest total on the team.
“I think he’s done a really good job and he’s on balance, that’s the thing that stands out to me the most,” Shelton said. “I think in the past we saw him just get away with being a really good athlete, but now he’s on balance.”
It seems as though the three starting outfielder spots are solidified, at least for now, with Tommy Pham in left, Oneil Cruz in center and Bryan Reynolds in right. Bae is in competition for that fourth outfielder spot with Jack Suwinski,Billy Cook and Joshua Palacios. He’s made the decision tough and with just three Grapefruit League remaining, no matter where he ends up – whether that’s in Miami with the major-league team or in Indianapolis – Bae has built up a lot of confidence that he’s hoping to carry over into the season.
“I think the one thing that I am going to carry into the season is that I still have the confidence from spring training that I can carry into the regular season,” Bae said. “I’ve been playing pretty well. So I’m pretty confident about that.”
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THE ASYLUM
Swing adjustments create confidence for hot-hitting Bae
As Ji Hwan Bae stood in front of his locker stall Friday afternoon a smile flashed across his face while packing totes were scattered across the Pirates’ clubhouse. The Grapefruit League schedule is nearing it's end, roster cut day is approaching and Bae has done what he can to make a case for the opening day roster.
The infielder-turned-outfielder has thoroughly impressed this spring as he’s hitting .444 in 36 at-bats with a 1.168 OPS and leads the team in hits (16) and doubles (6) and has only struck out six times, the fifth-lowest total among Pirates hitters with at least 25 at-bats. However, it’s not just his performance at the plate that has stood out. Bae has showcased his athleticism on the base paths as he’s often stretched singles into doubles and has stolen three bases.
“I love the way he’s played, I mean you look back and he’s hit two or three balls that are regular ground ball base hits for the average human being and he’s turned them into doubles,” Derek Shelton said yesterday. “A ball kicked off (Anthony) Volpe’s glove the other day and the fact that he bunted on (Gregory) Soto in the Baltimore game, just little things like that stand out.”
Bae also advanced to second on that bunt on March 15 as Soto hurried the throw and ended up throwing it wide of the bag. But, according to Baseball Savant, it’s that type of pressure that Bae has put on defenses this spring as he ranks in the 91st percentile of Major League Baseball with a 29 feet per second sprint speed.
This season could be a big year for Bae as he’s consistently performed in the minor leagues but has yet to see that consistency translate to the major leagues. He’s a career .304 hitter over six years in the minors with a .823 OPS. But, when Bae has received opportunities with the Pirates, he’s underperformed.
Bae was sidelined at different times last year after suffering a left hip muscle sprain in early March and a right wrist sprain in June. He’s fully healthy now and took advantage of that throughout the offseason. Shelton said that Bae spent all of his time in the United States this offseason and was in Florida for most of it while working out at Pirate City one or two times a week.
“I think it’s really paid off for him,” Shelton said.
A lot of Bae’s success this spring can be attributed to his performance at the plate. During the offseason, he made adjustments to his swing and has looked more comfortable and balanced in the box as he’s sprayed the ball to all fields. He hit two doubles against the Rays on Wednesday, with both coming off Zack Littell, who made 29 starts for the Rays last season.
Bae told me, through translator Daniel Park, that he focused a lot in the offseason, and through this spring, on a new swing that has allowed him to become more consistent in the box and forget some of the bad habits that he’s developed throughout his career.
“I mean it’s honestly more of what I feel,” Bae said. “My dominant hand is my right hand and my right hand used to come forward before it was supposed to. I’m trying to use my top hand, which is my left hand, a little bit more rotated from the back side.
He also added that he’s started to shrink the strike zone a little more this spring which has helped him avoid chasing outside pitches and limit his strikeouts. During his first extended stint with the Pirates in 2023 when he played in 111 games, Bae hit .231/.296/.311 with a .608 OPS to pair with 17 doubles, two home runs and 32 RBIs. However, he struck out 92 times which was the sixth-highest total on the team.
“I think he’s done a really good job and he’s on balance, that’s the thing that stands out to me the most,” Shelton said. “I think in the past we saw him just get away with being a really good athlete, but now he’s on balance.”
It seems as though the three starting outfielder spots are solidified, at least for now, with Tommy Pham in left, Oneil Cruz in center and Bryan Reynolds in right. Bae is in competition for that fourth outfielder spot with Jack Suwinski, Billy Cook and Joshua Palacios. He’s made the decision tough and with just three Grapefruit League remaining, no matter where he ends up – whether that’s in Miami with the major-league team or in Indianapolis – Bae has built up a lot of confidence that he’s hoping to carry over into the season.
“I think the one thing that I am going to carry into the season is that I still have the confidence from spring training that I can carry into the regular season,” Bae said. “I’ve been playing pretty well. So I’m pretty confident about that.”
Want to participate in our comments?
Want an ad-free experience?
Become a member, and enjoy premium benefits! Make your voice heard on the Steelers, Penguins and Pirates, and hear right back from tens of thousands of fellow Pittsburgh sports fans worldwide! Plus, access all our premium content, including Dejan Kovacevic columns, Friday Insider, daily Live Qs with the staff, more! And yeah, that's right, no ads at all!
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