Hitting coaches, we had some??

[*bengalfan74*]

(10-12-2024, 05:41 PM)Forever Spinning Vinyl Wrote: The old saying "When you have two quarterbacks . . . you have no quarterbacks."

When you have three hitting coaches, there's too much thinking going on. I was raised in the Pete Rose approach to hitting the ball "See the ball . . . Hit the ball. I understand having someone there to help you with technique and stances/balancing . . . I'm pretty sure that three hitting coaches all had their own thoughts and views that were different from the others so I'm guessing that there was some conflicting ideas.

I've always felt that you make small adjustments and try them one at a time. Get to the point where it becomes natural and you don't think about it anymore then make another small adjustment.

For awhile, Elly would have a more balanced stance, with a slight lean towards the plate, and then he'd get back to his "trying to crush" mentality and get very off balanced. There was a game in Cincy where he had 2 HRs. One of them was a low inside fastball that he got the bat head in front and underneath the ball and hit a smooth line drive over the right field wall. He was balanced, he didn't try to get his body underneath because it was low. I was thinking "YES!!! That's how it's done!! Keep your body balanced and let the pitch provide the power!"

And later in the game, the Reds had a big lead in the bottom of the 8th, he was 3 for 3, he came to the plate and was way off balanced when he tried to hit his third homer and flared out to left field. Coaches should have sat him down and showed him . . . here's your balance on your first three at bats . . . he's your 4th.

The main reason I complain so much about him kicking his hips out and having his body at an angle is because he's moving his eye level while the pitch is being delivered. That's the crucial part about seeing the ball. Having your eye line the same so you can have a more accurate reading of the pitch.

Which brings me to another point that a hitting coach has probably never told him about his long swing. When the ball leaves the pitchers hand, you have less than a third of a second to put your bat in the right spot. Having a long swing and moving your eye level so much will lead to a lot of strikeouts. That's why I liked Hinds' swing so much . . . it's just that he wasn't kept in the lineup when he struggled and Elly was kept in the #2 hole almost everyday, even when he was struggling.

And to finish up, I'll use Sam LeCure's end of season analysis, "Not enough situational hitting, all across the board." I agree 100% Learn how to hit a ground ball to 2nd base and learn how to bunt. That's all coaching.

I'm right there with you.

I'm not sure I've ever seen a player in more dire need of good coaching than Elly? His stance, mechanics, everything has been all over the map all of last season. And as far as that goes most of the rest of the team needs it as well.

With almost no exceptions this team doesn't know or is just bad at the very basic fundamentals of the game.

Francona and Co. have their work cut out for them.