Smoak starting to hit to the opposite field.

[PolarVortex]

Anyone else notice this? In the last two games I've seen Smoak hit the other way (with decent power)three times. I don't recall seeing much of this in previous years. I get the feeling that this is more of the influence Robinson Cano is having on him. If he can continue to hit to the opposite field consistently, opposing defenses will eventually have to abandon the shift against him.

It's a good sign. Will it matter much in the long run? I don't know. When he goes into one of his prolonged batting funks, he can't hit the ball to any field.

 

[Mariners_44]

This year feels a little different than years past with Smoak, and I think you are right, Cano is making an impact there. I can't wait for it to heat up, I have a feeling that he starts to rip the cover off of the ball.

 

[dude82]

Even if he starts hitting the ball to the opposite field on a regular basis, it's going to take a while before teams adjust to it because they've been playing him to pull for years for a reason. Until that adjustment happens, I hope he takes advantage of it as much as possible.

 

[seahawksfan234]

This year feels a little different than years past with Smoak, and I think you are right, Cano is making an impact there. I can't wait for it to heat up, I have a feeling that he starts to rip the cover off of the ball.

This year feels different to me with Smoak probably because I've just resigned myself to the fact that he is mediocre and I don't expect anything other than .230-.240 out of him anymore.

 

[TDs3nOut]

My impression of Smoak, which is based mostly on when he played for Texas, is that he can pull the ball or hit the opposite way. He used to hit much better against RHP than he did against LHP, but his numbers so far this year suggest that he might be improving from the right side of the plate. He is often a frustrating player to root for, since he clearly has potential, but he seems to be in a slump more often than not.