- Thread starter
- #1
element1286
Well-Known Member
- 9,150
- 218
- 63
- Joined
- Apr 26, 2010
- Location
- Pittsburgh
- Hoopla Cash
- $ 1,000.00
- Fav. Team #1
- Fav. Team #2
- Fav. Team #3
Buster Olney from Espn.com on McCutchen (Insider Only)
Andrew McCutchen's small adjustments have made a big difference in the box - MLB - ESPN
Andrew McCutchen did not wait before beginning his swing reconstruction last fall. He didn't head off to Aruba for a couple of weeks to decompress, didn't lie on a couch someplace, didn't spend October managing his fantasy football team.
The Pirates' 2011 season ended Sept. 28, and how long was it before McCutchen was back in a batting cage and adjusting to the significant changes he had made with his stance? "Three weeks," McCutchen recalled in a recent conversation. "I wanted to get comfortable."
While the Texas Rangers and St. Louis Cardinals journeyed their way to the World Series, McCutchen was back at work in a Florida cage with former teammate Steve Pearce, fixing his swing mechanics, working on getting the right measure of balance on his back leg. Too often, McCutchen had felt his timing had been inconsistent. "There were times when my [swing] path to the ball was either too early or too late," McCutchen said. "There were pitches that I should've been on" -- and mashing -- "but instead, I rolled over the ball."
Before McCutchen started in the cages, he had watched videotape of hitters he thought would help serve as models for a new setup. Manny Ramirez, who has always been viewed by his peers as one of the most balanced of hitters. Ryan Braun, who had an MVP season last year. Yadier Molina, who has gotten better and better at the plate throughout his career. "I wanted to see how they went through their swing -- the rhythm, the timing," McCutchen said.
McCutchen decided to open his stance: A right-handed hitter, he moved his front leg -- his left leg -- back from home plate.
Now, as a pitcher begins his delivery, McCutchen's swing mechanics are triggered. He raises the bat in his hands; he lifts his left leg slightly and then plants his front foot. His weight shift, from his back leg into his swing, is smooth and powerful, and he fires his bat through the zone.
But it didn't feel natural to him at the outset, when McCutchen first started his offseason work in the cage with Pearce at Florida Southern. "I told myself that the more that I did, the more I worked with it, the more comfortable I'd be," McCutchen said.
He kept swinging through November and December, and when he joined a minicamp the Pittsburgh Pirates held in January, he could feel the difference; he was able to really drive the ball to right-center "with some authority," he said.
The offseason work carried over into this season; he's hitting .332 with 12 homers, 39 RBIs, 14 steals, a .951 OPS.
If you filled out an NL MVP ballot today, it might look something like this:
1. Joey Votto, Cincinnati Reds
2. Braun, Milwaukee Brewers
3. David Wright, New York Mets
4. McCutchen, Pirates
5. Carlos Gonzalez, Colorado Rockies
6. Carlos Beltran, Cardinals
7. R.A. Dickey, Mets
8. Melky Cabrera, San Francisco Giants
9. Matt Kemp, Los Angeles Dodgers
10. Molina, Cardinals
Thought it was interesting...love hearing about guys who are already great players identify weaknesses and try to work on them. Can't say enough good things about Cutch, IMO.
Andrew McCutchen's small adjustments have made a big difference in the box - MLB - ESPN
Andrew McCutchen did not wait before beginning his swing reconstruction last fall. He didn't head off to Aruba for a couple of weeks to decompress, didn't lie on a couch someplace, didn't spend October managing his fantasy football team.
The Pirates' 2011 season ended Sept. 28, and how long was it before McCutchen was back in a batting cage and adjusting to the significant changes he had made with his stance? "Three weeks," McCutchen recalled in a recent conversation. "I wanted to get comfortable."
While the Texas Rangers and St. Louis Cardinals journeyed their way to the World Series, McCutchen was back at work in a Florida cage with former teammate Steve Pearce, fixing his swing mechanics, working on getting the right measure of balance on his back leg. Too often, McCutchen had felt his timing had been inconsistent. "There were times when my [swing] path to the ball was either too early or too late," McCutchen said. "There were pitches that I should've been on" -- and mashing -- "but instead, I rolled over the ball."
Before McCutchen started in the cages, he had watched videotape of hitters he thought would help serve as models for a new setup. Manny Ramirez, who has always been viewed by his peers as one of the most balanced of hitters. Ryan Braun, who had an MVP season last year. Yadier Molina, who has gotten better and better at the plate throughout his career. "I wanted to see how they went through their swing -- the rhythm, the timing," McCutchen said.
McCutchen decided to open his stance: A right-handed hitter, he moved his front leg -- his left leg -- back from home plate.
Now, as a pitcher begins his delivery, McCutchen's swing mechanics are triggered. He raises the bat in his hands; he lifts his left leg slightly and then plants his front foot. His weight shift, from his back leg into his swing, is smooth and powerful, and he fires his bat through the zone.
But it didn't feel natural to him at the outset, when McCutchen first started his offseason work in the cage with Pearce at Florida Southern. "I told myself that the more that I did, the more I worked with it, the more comfortable I'd be," McCutchen said.
He kept swinging through November and December, and when he joined a minicamp the Pittsburgh Pirates held in January, he could feel the difference; he was able to really drive the ball to right-center "with some authority," he said.
The offseason work carried over into this season; he's hitting .332 with 12 homers, 39 RBIs, 14 steals, a .951 OPS.
If you filled out an NL MVP ballot today, it might look something like this:
1. Joey Votto, Cincinnati Reds
2. Braun, Milwaukee Brewers
3. David Wright, New York Mets
4. McCutchen, Pirates
5. Carlos Gonzalez, Colorado Rockies
6. Carlos Beltran, Cardinals
7. R.A. Dickey, Mets
8. Melky Cabrera, San Francisco Giants
9. Matt Kemp, Los Angeles Dodgers
10. Molina, Cardinals
Thought it was interesting...love hearing about guys who are already great players identify weaknesses and try to work on them. Can't say enough good things about Cutch, IMO.
