Level 102 Scan on Marlon Byrd
Still no POTD for yer

.

The M's continue to be rumored on Byrd as their solution.

Level 102 is also not a POTD.  Just chatter.  It's July, right?

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1.  In level 101, we gave you nothing but our past impression of him, and he's an NL player, at that.  Full disclosure, baby.  That being said:  we called him a "cosmetic change."  The M's believe otherwise.

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2.  In Mojo's article, we found that Byrd has been getting a lot of "crushed HR's."  This is a piece of evidence that weighs against Dr. D's impression that he has "garden-variety corner OF" bat speed, equal to or lesser than Logan Morrison's.

Spec, of course, has four gorgeous pages on Byrd.  If you haven't read them yet, which you have.

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3.  In Jeff Sullivan's superb article, posted just this week, he points out that Byrd has not merely traded contact for power; he is getting to outside pitches now.

Here is a video of Byrd, very easily taking an outside pitch to his pull field.

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3a.  This is because of a swing change.  I have never heard of "leading with your right elbow."  It sounds like "leading with the knob of the bat," which is an antidote for INSIDE pitches.  Calling RockiesJeff.

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3b.  Whatever the case, Byrd used to have a 1.4 grounder ratio; in 2013-14 he has become a flyball hitter.

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4.  We said "suppose he can hit 25 HR and get 85 ribbies.  Corey Hart can't?  Logan Morrison can't?"  But if Byrd actually did that down the stretch, well .... :- D   that's what would be different.

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5.  His EYE ratio is 0.21, which I hate and which normally presages a big slump ...  BaseballHQ says stay far, far away.  For what that's worth.  I doubt Ron Shandler had access to Spec's, Mojo's, or Jeffy's more detailed information.

.... and he would be coming to Safeco.  Can you pull outside fastballs into the LF seats in Safeco?  Adrian Beltre, anybody?

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6.  Byrd for Ackley, as a minor deal, ya youbetcha.  Just don't call it yer Big Move, wouldja mind.

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That's nothing more than chatter.  Having heard the latest round, I would be quite leery of asking a 36-year-old NL player to face new SP's, and to pull their outside fastballs into the Safeco bullpen.  But it's warming up, weather-wise, and hopefully you have more to add.

Cheers,

Dr D

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Comments

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RockiesJeff's picture

Doc Jeff, lead with the knob? Just watch a replay of Mr. Cabrera pulling that inside pitch in the All Star first inning tonight. Jeff (have to love the name right!) Sullivan’s excellent article stated that Byrd was “was taught to lead with his right elbow. He said the subtle adjustment creates ‘bat lag’ and ‘snap.’ The tweak created more lift in his swing plane and a longer period of extension in the hitting zone.” Moe would tell us that this sounds like he was peeking at the Golfing Machine! Load and lag. That is where the power in a golf swing/baseball swing (principles of physics overlapping) comes from. Angles created leverage. Leverage creates power. That is what a lot of the fence or screen work Cano had Smoak doing during Spring Training hopes to accomplish…and when he was hitting with authority as you know. I believe there is a huge difference between pulling the short swing through a longer hitting area versus the long sweeping swing. Long sweeping swings often look pretty but have K’s written all over it. Keep the angle through the zone….there will be power also.
You mentioned Byrd turning on the outside pitch. That was a non-breaking ugly hanger of an off speed. Part of pull the knob through the zone is to also be able to hit later and take line drives to the opp field. Byrd could pull that one. He won’t be pulling Sonny Gray like that. Batters that want to turn on everything also have K written on them, especially in Seattle’s spring swamp air. One quick way to discourage a starter on the mound is to take his best off the plate pitches to that field.

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