- Thread starter
- #1
That's the hitting coach.
The Pirates' offense has been surprisingly good this year, with Josh Harrison suddenly turning into a productive hitter and a few others (Marte, Mercer, Martin, Walker) having pretty good seasons at the plate. There were a few corresponding bad seasons from Alvarez, Davis and Sanchez that really weren't that bad, and Snider has finally contirbuted something at the plate.
The improvement in Harrison's swing is the most impressive change. There's a good article about his initial troubles and subsequent success against fastballs. Marte has likewise seemed like a new hitter since he came back from his concussion, and an article on fangraphs credits mechanical changes which seem to have steadied his head.
I think it's possible that Jeff Branson has had an impact. I think that he's much like any coach in the sense that his advice won't make sense to every player, but he might have given just enough help to the right guys.
I also have to give the Pirates credit (so far) for the Holdzkom find, and for having the guts to deal Morris and Grilli.
Still pissed about the starting pitchers and I'm not looking forward to losing Russell Martin but there's also some good stuff happening and it deserves acknowldgement.
The Pirates' offense has been surprisingly good this year, with Josh Harrison suddenly turning into a productive hitter and a few others (Marte, Mercer, Martin, Walker) having pretty good seasons at the plate. There were a few corresponding bad seasons from Alvarez, Davis and Sanchez that really weren't that bad, and Snider has finally contirbuted something at the plate.
The improvement in Harrison's swing is the most impressive change. There's a good article about his initial troubles and subsequent success against fastballs. Marte has likewise seemed like a new hitter since he came back from his concussion, and an article on fangraphs credits mechanical changes which seem to have steadied his head.
I think it's possible that Jeff Branson has had an impact. I think that he's much like any coach in the sense that his advice won't make sense to every player, but he might have given just enough help to the right guys.
I also have to give the Pirates credit (so far) for the Holdzkom find, and for having the guts to deal Morris and Grilli.
Still pissed about the starting pitchers and I'm not looking forward to losing Russell Martin but there's also some good stuff happening and it deserves acknowldgement.