Jeff Branson

[Illinest]

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.

 

[Darkstone42]

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.

Just from an approach perspective, ignoring anything regarding mechanics, Branson has transformed the Pirates from hot-and-cold, home run-dependent, unsustainable offense to consistent, get-on-base-above-all-else, filtering some power in kind of offense, which is much more sustainable. Getting guys to wait for pitches they can drive has helped them improve their averages, and laying off more borderline pitches has led to the predictable and important increase in walks.

He's quieted down Martin's swing, too, I think, just as he has with Marte. Mercer has looked outstanding. Harrison kept his aggressiveness, but seems to have a better idea of what to do with pitches when he swings at them. Just all around a big success for Branson.

And I love Holdzkom. He made a simple adjustment to his grip, and it gave him better control of his fastball. When a guy who throws as hard as he does, with that much movement, having command is a huge plus. Throw in the fact that he throws an off-speed pitch perhaps no other major leaguer has in his palmball, which also has dynamic movement, and which he seems to control, and you have an effective reliever.

 

[sychmd]

seems like the players with the most success are those who are willing to use the whole field.
harrison is crushing it to right, as is marte.
cutch has his second year of doing it.
martin is hitting more to right as is mercer, and walker.

i think it takes him a couple years.
ike davis has the worst stance, prep, and load i have ever seen for a mlb serious player. hopefully branson can work on him because he has no chance at success with that huge hitch and bail out swing. too bad because his eye seems stellar. considering he swings at the fewest bad pitches, his average should be higher, not lower.