=== Keep Your EYES On It, Kid ===

Problemo is this:  he's pulling his head off the ball early, in his greedy attempts to hit home runs.

Here the term "greed" isn't an insult, but a sports-psychology observation.  It appears to be much more contained from the right side.  But from the left side, the greed is noxious.

.......

If you care to, you can watch for it yourself the rest of the series.  

On the righty double Opening Day, his head was RIGHT DOWN ON THE BAT -- as the ball made contact with it.  Remember Ted Williams being able to tell where on the baseball he hit it with a tarred bat?

 ... but earlier?  on the lefty whiff with the bases loaded and the M's down 2-1?, his eyes pulled up to watch the 450-footer, and he almost hurt himself overswinging into a strike three (to end the inning and kill the rally IIRC).  Real weird followthrough.

This when a single was the ballgame, with Felix on the mound.  There were two runners in scoring position, the M's were down one, and a scratch hit put Felix in the lead.  Here's Smoak going for the upper deck with two strikes.

........

It wasn't isolated.  Smoak was usually pulling his head off from the left side.  The reason a batter does this, is to admire the home run.  (Smoak had plenty of time to admire his RH double, of course, after keeping his head down.)

There were times when Smoak followed the pitch into the catcher's mitt from the left side.  But when he pulled the trigger, he pulled his head, and his eyes came off way early.

Don't care who you are.  You can't stop watching the pitch during the swing.  Teddy ".500 OBP" Ballgame His Ownself wouldn't hit if he blinked during a pitch.

..........

Smoak won't hit like he can until he calms down from the left side.  He will, and he can.  Calm down, and rake, as in.  Let's hope sooner rather than later.

KEEP YOUR HEAD DOWN, KID.  

And take a few the other way until you're going good.  It's like a 3-iron off the first tee.  Plenty of time for the driver on holes 3-18, er, May-September, that is.

.

=== Greed For Success ===

Bruce Lee said, "This is not about winning.  It is about perfection."

To Americans it sounds funny, but in Japan it is first principles.  In an aikido dojo, they will talk about "greed for success," which causes you to rush, which causes you to tense up, which causes you to focus on the wrong things.

An aiki shihan will talk constantly to beginners about relaxing, about forgetting whether they get the pin or not, about being less "attached" to victory, as the Buddhists say.  Attachment produces negative emotions and poor state-of-mind. 

And what is the difference between Ian Snell and Doug Fister, but state-of-mind?

.......

It is not a condemnation of a person's character.  All athletes find themselves doing this.  ... when I play ping-pong, there are times I overplay and go for a winner when the ball is not up...

There is precisely one fix when you are in Justin Smoak's frame of mind.  That is to truly and sincerely take pleasure in the process, in the technique, in doing things correctly -- as opposed to dwelling on the end outcome.

This takes a lot of mental effort.  It would be nice if Smoak were willing to talk to Ichiro about this point.

You see in the picture, the sensei's fingertips?

.......

Failing a direct approach, "take the ball the other way" is an indirect route to the same thing, a time-honored way.  Ted Williams told Carl Yasztremski to take the ball up the middle when he was in a slump.  Would you agree that this (automatically) fixes "greed"?

.......

There is not a thing wrong with Justin Smoak's swing.  Nor his talent.  Nor his pitch recog.

He's just taking his eye off the ball early, from the left side.  That will happen when you swing out of your shoes.

.

Cheerio,

Dr D