Mariners start the season colder than a clam ~ Again
TheRoarOfTheCrowd
Member, Swaye's Wigwam Posts: 1,730 
One guy above 300 and he is batting down the order… most players sub 200, I know its early but this is a continuation of a disturbing trend ~ dig a giant hole in the first third of the season.
When asked, Edgar said his secret was hitting the ball off of a tee a million times… set the ball at different heights and practice a repeatable swing that reaches the ball throughout the zone, over and over, endlessly. Imprint the brain path. Endless effort, not relying on inherent instincts sharpened over time.
I get the feeling that Seattle just does not practice hitting enough, do not have solid mechanics and do not put out a coherent coaching thought process to teach the habits from the minors all the way up. Ethic and intention. Like every winner knows, work smart on fundamentals, and out work every other team in the game.
Curious what those that know would think about solutions to correct the hitting development within the organization.
Comments
I don't understand why Scott Servais isn't held accountable to reach a standard
indeed, if you are going to build an offense with draft picks and inexpensive signings, you better have a high level developmental plan and quite obviously the mariners do not… that’s on the GM and minor league developmental program staff
they need to starting succeeding with their 3-6 round draft picks and international signings
Not enough offense players developed and those that do arrive aren’t ready to consistently hit in the majors… once here are not making big time progress… that’s on the majors coaching staff
A couple things…
The Mariner's hitters murder fastballs. All MLB hitters hit fastballs, no matter how fast they are. The scouting report is out, and they are getting a steady diet of breaking balls/cutters/sweepers/splits and whatever else has been invented over the winter.
"The Plan" is based on getting into counts where the probability of a FB is high ("controlling the zone")…historically the first pitch of the AB, or when the pitcher is behind in the count. No MLB hitter will admit to "guessing", but they all do, hence Julio taking a cock-shot FB for strike three yesterday, for example. If your'e sitting breaking ball and get the heater, you have NO shot. Sit FB and keep your hands back, you can shoot it the other way, which great hitters do, and have done for ever.
The second part is that you need to adjust from pitch to pitch, count-wise. Sequencing is everything to a pitcher, and they have known tendencies, ie: 0-0 FB for a strike, followed by a breaking ball. 0-0 FB for a ball, double it.
You can't try to pull a quality off speed pitch unless you are sitting on it, you have to hit it up the middle or the other way. France is back to doing this, using the whole field. Julio is back where he was this time last year, pull, pull, pull. Spring training is a part of this, because now pitchers are just throwing a ton of FB's, trying to get dialed in, and not tip their hand.
/2
As far as minor league development, there are a shit-ton of guys that have superior, elite, I dare say, athleticism. They have bat speed, power, speed, everything you want in a baseball player. They are stand-outs in the minors. It's not MLB. You add the third deck, and it's a whole new game. Aptitude, able (and willing) to make adjustments, mental toughness to play a game of failure at the highest level, every day. And, as a young player knowing that if you fail you will be sent down. There is a lot of shit here, and it is overwhelming. Minor league pitchers make mistakes, and you drill them. MLB pitchers make much fewer mistakes.
As for not enough hitting practice, I have no knowledge of the workloads, but I do know that hitters hit as much as they want to, and sometimes they hit too much. You cannot replicate facing a MLB pitcher, in a stadium full of fans. Machines can come close, with video and dial-a-pitch, but it is not the same, not even close. I've seen 60 year old coaches hit 95 mph off a machine.
It is the job of pro coaches to know what their hitters look like when they are right, and make suggestions / point things out when they aren't. It is up to the players to follow through, or not. They don't "teach" hitting, or pitching, or anything else. It is all adjustments at that level.
As for Servais, he is a cog in the machine. He is the face, he executes moves based on analytics, and (most importantly) manages supremely talented, highly driven, gigantically ego'ed young people. As long as he has the clubhouse, I'm good with him. We get tired of hearing the same lines over and over, probably as much as he gets tired of saying them.
They will adjust, the weather will warm up, and they will get rolling. They are a good club in a league of good clubs. That's why they play 162…
tl/dr potd…
I don't feel like the manager has much effect on how guys hit or otherwise perform. He can help set the mood and attitude and play with the lineup but he's not doing much training. It doesn't mean I think he gets a free pass but I usually feel like Servais is doing his part of the job well. The attitude and effort doesn't seem to slip hence the consistency with which they rebound from these slow starts.
But what the fuck? Do they have to hit like shit every spring? I've felt like something is rotten in their hitting program for a couple of years. They are bad at what they preach which is controlling the zone. The reason they are among the worst teams in the league against breaking balls is that they are unable to stop swinging at breaking balls for fuck's sake. When they lay off, hit the fastballs they do see, don't chase, and take a lot of pitches they are a good offense.
M's haven't had a team average over .250 since 2018. I know the game is entirely focused on home runs, but that is pathetic. I've never particularly cared for Safeco or whatever they call it because bats die there, but they seem to suck just as much on the road.
Bring back steroids and make baseball great again.