Robinson Cano's "Net Drill"
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There's a spirited debate, in the shout box, as to the value of Cano's "net drill." Some think it's a panacea; others think it's just the "placebo effect" of having a Real Hall of Famer(TM) personally coach you. One amigo wondered, plausibly, whether Smoak had actually done the "net drill" from the right side of the plate anyway (before his short, off-field double that day).
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First of all, here is the Ryan Divish video. It shows Smoak taking batting practice, with a "fence" (net) set up close to him, so that he has to swing with the knob of the bat on his belly button.
If you're going to read further, YOU MUST VISIT THIS PAGE FIRST. ;- ) Very simple texts, awesome .gifs.
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Second of all, it is true that most hitting tweaks don't matter much. By "MOST" we do NOT mean "ALL."
Bill James observed that most MLB athletes get far, far too much coaching. That's true. But just because 80%, or 90%, or 98%, of suggestions do not help ... does that mean that none of them do?
Randy Johnson, for example. He spent five years trying to figure it out, and then hit on The Golden Tweak. Nolan Ryan told him to land on the toe of his foot, rather than his heel. That was it. One tweak, and you had the 2nd-greatest left hand pitcher of all time.
I believe Mo' Dawg (a scratch golfer) will /cosign this section. Most tweaks are fruitless, BUT ... find just the right tweak and, amigo, That Is How Stella Got Her Groove Back.
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Third of all, let this saying sink deep into your ears:
Scott Baker was on 710 ESPN last week. They asked him, what is it like to pitch to Robinson Cano.
With gusto, Baker said, "The one thing about Robinson Cano is that he is quicker on the jam pitch than any other hitter in baseball. You cannot throw the ball inside to Robinson Cano. He's just too fast. So if the entire inside third is taken away from you, it just makes it very tough to get him out."
That was it. Baker's reaction to Robinson Cano: don't throw the ball inside. He's way too fast inside.
Edgar Martinez, the only other .300-and-plenty hitter in Mariner history, was also famous for his ability to pull his hands in and drive the ball hard.
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From an aiki standpoint ... the first principle of aikido is "Turn When Pushed, Enter When Pulled."
Let's say something suppresses you (a mugger jumps out of a bush and into your personal space before you have time to establish your spacing). You need to turn, to pivot away from the pressure. (ANY street fighter knows you have to be able to hip-flip an enemy. The U.S. Army, too.)
Any hitter -- say, Justin Smoak -- who extends his "ki" (and arms, and CG) too much, at a pitch IN on him, is violating this law of nature.
- The pitcher releases the ball
- Smoak strides in, ready for a Mighty Hack, his belly button lunging out to grab the incoming energy
- The ball gets into Smoak's personal space too much
- Smoak is not in position to work "around" the suppressing energy
In other words, O'Sensei has great enthusiasm for Robinson Cano's alertness to suppressive pressure. You have to know how to deal with invasion, before you can go out and invade anybody else.
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RockiesJeff, a hitting coach, uses this "stay inside the ball" approach to increase a player's HIT tool. Does Justin Smoak need to improve the soundness of his attack? Does Michael Saunders? Does Nick Franklin?
Lodge me in the "panacea" group. I think there are a lot of "greedy" Mariner youngsters who need to stabilize their approach to the pitcher/hitter matchup. You have to deal with suppression (a hot inside fastball) first.
There are MLB stars whose approach is unsound -- Josh Hamilton, for instance -- but Robinson Cano ain't one of 'em.
BABVA,
Dr D