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Zach Meisel has a very long column in The Athletic about how the Indians are trying to replicate their success in developing pitchers to the offensive side of the game. Here are some of the key points. The column is so long that I decided to highlight a few points that provide the general gist of what they're doing.
‘Everybody wants that magic answer’: The Indians’ bid to solve the hitting development riddle
Zack Meisel May 11, 2021
The Indians have showcased boundless wizardry in the pitching development domain, but that has prompted a parallel question: Why haven’t they mastered the other half of the equation? Where are the homegrown hitters?
As one member of the organization noted: If the club could simply churn out capable hitters and avoid subjecting itself to offensive inconsistencies, “we would just do it.” There’s no button to press. This is an inexact science. And it’s something many teams are prioritizing....
One scout said the most difficult assignment in the profession is to forecast how a position player will fare at the plate in the big leagues.
“The difference between good and great is so vast in hitting compared to pitching,” another scout said. “It just seems there’s more unknown with hitters, let alone when you start factoring in defense and position and profile and everything else that goes into it.”...
Cleveland has made a habit of plucking amateur pitchers out of obscurity and converting them into competent major leaguers. Conversely, zero of the team’s active position players were drafted by the Indians...Roberto Pérez, sidelined after finger surgery, was a 33rd-round draft choice, the 1,011th pick in 2008....
The Indians spent six first- and second-round picks on outfielders from 2012 to 2017: Tyler Naquin, Clint Frazier, Bradley Zimmer, Mike Papi, Will Benson and Quentin Holmes. They traded Frazier for Andrew Miller. The others have dealt with injuries and/or inconsistency in making contact.
Over the last decade, Cleveland’s outfield ranks 28th in the league in run creation....
The Indians haven’t drafted and developed an All-Star outfielder since Manny Ramirez — 30 years ago. In all, they have selected 12 outfielders in the first or second round since the turn of the century. The three from that group who reached the majors with the Indians — Naquin, Zimmer and Trevor Crowe — combined for 4.2 fWAR with the club....
The front office’s perspective is the team doesn’t need to produce more capable outfielders; it needs to produce more capable hitters....They value versatility because it allows them to find a spot for anyone who proves he can hit.
It’s never been more difficult to do so, after all.
Several front office sources said hitting data is starting to catch up, but pitchers are armed with the information advantage, which one source said “has been a huge game-changer over the course of the past 10 years.” Many have learned how to design their own pitches to craft an arsenal that forces hitters to guard against more than one signature out pitch....
Coaches used to rely upon instinct and experience to shape their advice to pitchers. Now, they have tangible evidence to support their inclinations, and front offices are stocked with analysts to decode the data so coaches can offer recommendations that pitchers understand and embrace. Instead of telling a reliever his fastball lacks life in the zone, a coach can point to a diagram that depicts the heater’s vertical and horizontal movements relative to the league average.
Hitters have attempted to adapt in recent years, by aiming to counteract a defensive shift with an opposite-field approach or optimizing launch angle to generate more power. But pitchers have the resources to devise a way to combat every modification.
“All of a sudden you have hitters swinging up and you have pitchers elevating,” [Tito] Francona said. “That’s not a good combination for success for hitters.”
Hits have plummeted. Strikeouts have soared. The league-average slash line is an unsightly .234/.311/.391, drawing comparisons to 1968, The Year of the Pitcher. Hurlers have already tossed four no-hitters, plus Madison Bumgarner’s seven-inning “notable achievement.”
And so, organizations are furiously scavenging for any competitive advantages in hitting development, any tool or theory that might aid their quest to shift the balance of power back toward those holding the bats.
“You’re looking for bat speed and if you see bat speed,” a longtime scout said, “you’re thinking, ‘This guy’s going to be fine. He makes solid, hard contact. He can drive the ball to all fields. Can’t miss.’ Well, a lot of those guys do miss.”
The key is identifying why they miss.
The Indians constantly tweak their approach in an effort to avoid committing the same scouting and drafting mistakes and to better understand how to back the next prospect. It’s not always an objective calculation, though. Is Ramírez’s transformation into a superstar slugger the product of the hitting development team or the case of an individual talent completing the necessary work to realize his potential? It’s usually a blend of both....
The Indians swear by individualized plans because what works for one player might not work for another. There’s no organization-wide mandate to swing for the fences or choke up on the bat with two strikes.
Coaches and front office members regularly recite the word “holistic” when describing their hitting development methods. Some players need coaches to instruct them on improving their bat speed or deciphering pitch spin more quickly. Others need trainers to push them in the weight room so they can hit for more power. Oscar Mercado revealed he wasn’t in the right headspace last season as he slumped through the 60-game campaign.
The Indians employ performance coaches to aid players in navigating the mental hurdles the game presents. They also hired two sports scientists who contribute to the club’s emphasis on biomechanics, ensuring a player has the strength, coordination and flexibility to allow for a fluid, adaptable swing. Teams have leaned on technology to track hitters’ movements and habits at the plate.
James Harris, the Indians’ vice president of player development, scours science textbooks, sleep and nutrition studies, and other materials, searching for information that could spark the discovery of some competitive advantage.
The Indians have incorporated more video evaluation into their scouting and development processes. Some of that stems from the lack of a minor-league season and in-person scouting last year amid the pandemic. Instead of racking up tens of thousands of miles on country roads to watch prospects on high school and college diamonds, scouts pored over video of hitters’ swings.
Teams aim to collect as much objective data and analysis of each player as possible. That helps to clarify whether a hitter is actually progressing. There just isn’t as much of it, yet, as there is for pitchers. They can register a hitter’s bat speed and contact point during batting practice, but that environment doesn’t fully equip a hitter for the assignment of conquering Gerrit Cole.
“We can build the perfect swing and we can get him to hit the ball hard,” Eckelman said, “but that might not show up in a game if he’s just not seeing the slider off of the fastball. … We can work on all of the stuff, (but) it’s still going to be tied to how the player perceives the pitch coming in, how he reacts to a situation, how he builds an approach, anticipates, all of these things. That’s why that’s our challenge on the hitting side: How do we develop the player holistically?”....
“We look for players who are athletic, have tools and skills on both sides of the ball,” said Paul Gillispie, the team’s vice president of international scouting. “A lot of times, I think it just happens to be that those players are in the middle of the diamond.”
They have also favored hitters who have demonstrated an ability to make frequent contact. It’s not as teachable of a quality; otherwise, Zimmer and Bobby Bradley wouldn’t strike out in 35 percent of their plate appearances. Eckelman stressed it’s on the industry to devise ways to make some of those inherent skills — hand/eye coordination and pitch recognition, for instance — more teachable.
As one evaluator said, “the things that go into making consistent contact are really hard to measure and potentially develop.” The Indians helped Lindor, Ramírez and Brantley add some power to their contact-friendly profiles. Miller or Tyler Freeman could follow a similar developmental path...
Will any of these adjustments in philosophy actually pay dividends? Eckelman stressed the organization is “way beyond where we were.” The wave of position-player prospects nearing the major leagues should supply an answer. They’ll determine whether the Indians remain a pitching factory or evolve into a player factory.
“Hitting is much more complex and much more difficult to do,” Antonetti said. “I feel like we’ve made a lot of progress organizationally over the last five years in that respect. Like anything, we have a long way to go. But I do feel like we’ve made progress.”
‘Everybody wants that magic answer’: The Indians’ bid to solve the hitting development riddle
Zack Meisel May 11, 2021
The Indians have showcased boundless wizardry in the pitching development domain, but that has prompted a parallel question: Why haven’t they mastered the other half of the equation? Where are the homegrown hitters?
As one member of the organization noted: If the club could simply churn out capable hitters and avoid subjecting itself to offensive inconsistencies, “we would just do it.” There’s no button to press. This is an inexact science. And it’s something many teams are prioritizing....
One scout said the most difficult assignment in the profession is to forecast how a position player will fare at the plate in the big leagues.
“The difference between good and great is so vast in hitting compared to pitching,” another scout said. “It just seems there’s more unknown with hitters, let alone when you start factoring in defense and position and profile and everything else that goes into it.”...
Cleveland has made a habit of plucking amateur pitchers out of obscurity and converting them into competent major leaguers. Conversely, zero of the team’s active position players were drafted by the Indians...Roberto Pérez, sidelined after finger surgery, was a 33rd-round draft choice, the 1,011th pick in 2008....
The Indians spent six first- and second-round picks on outfielders from 2012 to 2017: Tyler Naquin, Clint Frazier, Bradley Zimmer, Mike Papi, Will Benson and Quentin Holmes. They traded Frazier for Andrew Miller. The others have dealt with injuries and/or inconsistency in making contact.
Over the last decade, Cleveland’s outfield ranks 28th in the league in run creation....
The Indians haven’t drafted and developed an All-Star outfielder since Manny Ramirez — 30 years ago. In all, they have selected 12 outfielders in the first or second round since the turn of the century. The three from that group who reached the majors with the Indians — Naquin, Zimmer and Trevor Crowe — combined for 4.2 fWAR with the club....
The front office’s perspective is the team doesn’t need to produce more capable outfielders; it needs to produce more capable hitters....They value versatility because it allows them to find a spot for anyone who proves he can hit.
It’s never been more difficult to do so, after all.
Several front office sources said hitting data is starting to catch up, but pitchers are armed with the information advantage, which one source said “has been a huge game-changer over the course of the past 10 years.” Many have learned how to design their own pitches to craft an arsenal that forces hitters to guard against more than one signature out pitch....
Coaches used to rely upon instinct and experience to shape their advice to pitchers. Now, they have tangible evidence to support their inclinations, and front offices are stocked with analysts to decode the data so coaches can offer recommendations that pitchers understand and embrace. Instead of telling a reliever his fastball lacks life in the zone, a coach can point to a diagram that depicts the heater’s vertical and horizontal movements relative to the league average.
Hitters have attempted to adapt in recent years, by aiming to counteract a defensive shift with an opposite-field approach or optimizing launch angle to generate more power. But pitchers have the resources to devise a way to combat every modification.
“All of a sudden you have hitters swinging up and you have pitchers elevating,” [Tito] Francona said. “That’s not a good combination for success for hitters.”
Hits have plummeted. Strikeouts have soared. The league-average slash line is an unsightly .234/.311/.391, drawing comparisons to 1968, The Year of the Pitcher. Hurlers have already tossed four no-hitters, plus Madison Bumgarner’s seven-inning “notable achievement.”
And so, organizations are furiously scavenging for any competitive advantages in hitting development, any tool or theory that might aid their quest to shift the balance of power back toward those holding the bats.
“You’re looking for bat speed and if you see bat speed,” a longtime scout said, “you’re thinking, ‘This guy’s going to be fine. He makes solid, hard contact. He can drive the ball to all fields. Can’t miss.’ Well, a lot of those guys do miss.”
The key is identifying why they miss.
The Indians constantly tweak their approach in an effort to avoid committing the same scouting and drafting mistakes and to better understand how to back the next prospect. It’s not always an objective calculation, though. Is Ramírez’s transformation into a superstar slugger the product of the hitting development team or the case of an individual talent completing the necessary work to realize his potential? It’s usually a blend of both....
The Indians swear by individualized plans because what works for one player might not work for another. There’s no organization-wide mandate to swing for the fences or choke up on the bat with two strikes.
Coaches and front office members regularly recite the word “holistic” when describing their hitting development methods. Some players need coaches to instruct them on improving their bat speed or deciphering pitch spin more quickly. Others need trainers to push them in the weight room so they can hit for more power. Oscar Mercado revealed he wasn’t in the right headspace last season as he slumped through the 60-game campaign.
The Indians employ performance coaches to aid players in navigating the mental hurdles the game presents. They also hired two sports scientists who contribute to the club’s emphasis on biomechanics, ensuring a player has the strength, coordination and flexibility to allow for a fluid, adaptable swing. Teams have leaned on technology to track hitters’ movements and habits at the plate.
James Harris, the Indians’ vice president of player development, scours science textbooks, sleep and nutrition studies, and other materials, searching for information that could spark the discovery of some competitive advantage.
The Indians have incorporated more video evaluation into their scouting and development processes. Some of that stems from the lack of a minor-league season and in-person scouting last year amid the pandemic. Instead of racking up tens of thousands of miles on country roads to watch prospects on high school and college diamonds, scouts pored over video of hitters’ swings.
Teams aim to collect as much objective data and analysis of each player as possible. That helps to clarify whether a hitter is actually progressing. There just isn’t as much of it, yet, as there is for pitchers. They can register a hitter’s bat speed and contact point during batting practice, but that environment doesn’t fully equip a hitter for the assignment of conquering Gerrit Cole.
“We can build the perfect swing and we can get him to hit the ball hard,” Eckelman said, “but that might not show up in a game if he’s just not seeing the slider off of the fastball. … We can work on all of the stuff, (but) it’s still going to be tied to how the player perceives the pitch coming in, how he reacts to a situation, how he builds an approach, anticipates, all of these things. That’s why that’s our challenge on the hitting side: How do we develop the player holistically?”....
“We look for players who are athletic, have tools and skills on both sides of the ball,” said Paul Gillispie, the team’s vice president of international scouting. “A lot of times, I think it just happens to be that those players are in the middle of the diamond.”
They have also favored hitters who have demonstrated an ability to make frequent contact. It’s not as teachable of a quality; otherwise, Zimmer and Bobby Bradley wouldn’t strike out in 35 percent of their plate appearances. Eckelman stressed it’s on the industry to devise ways to make some of those inherent skills — hand/eye coordination and pitch recognition, for instance — more teachable.
As one evaluator said, “the things that go into making consistent contact are really hard to measure and potentially develop.” The Indians helped Lindor, Ramírez and Brantley add some power to their contact-friendly profiles. Miller or Tyler Freeman could follow a similar developmental path...
Will any of these adjustments in philosophy actually pay dividends? Eckelman stressed the organization is “way beyond where we were.” The wave of position-player prospects nearing the major leagues should supply an answer. They’ll determine whether the Indians remain a pitching factory or evolve into a player factory.
“Hitting is much more complex and much more difficult to do,” Antonetti said. “I feel like we’ve made a lot of progress organizationally over the last five years in that respect. Like anything, we have a long way to go. But I do feel like we’ve made progress.”
