BRADENTON, Fla. – There seems to be an easy solution across baseball if you want to be a good hitter while adding power to your game: Change your swing to add lift, create leverage, and focus on launch angle.
The idea seems to be that any hitter can just make this adjustment and become a better player. Some players see success with this new approach, which only leads other players to attempt the switch. But the adjustment doesn’t always work out.
Pirates’ infield prospect Stephen Alemais is an example of how the adjustment isn’t for everyone.
Last year I wrote about how Alemais worked out with Carlos Beltran and Jose Reyes during the offseason. The young hitter got tips from the two big league players, including tips from Beltran on how to hit with more leverage with his swing. He entered the season looking to hit for some more power, and he did that. But the power came at a cost.
“I just feel like I’ve seen both sides of it,” Alemais said of the launch angle discussion. “That first month, I did hit three home runs in April, and I got hurt in May. But I also struck out more than I’ve struck out in my entire life. I struck out 32 times. I’m a guy who strikes out 20 times, 30 times a year. And I had 32 strikeouts in the [first month]. So I’ve kind of seen both sides.”
Alemais was injured in May, which led to him returning to extended Spring Training, and then the GCL to work on his swing. He worked with hitting coordinator Larry Sutton on adjusting away from the new swing with leverage, and adding a swing that was better suited to his game. This also involved accepting what type of hitter he would eventually become.
“I was into that whole launch angle stuff,” Alemais said. “When I got hurt, I was [at Pirate City] for a while, so I was able to just go over everything with Sutt, and talk about what type of player I’m going to be down the road. It’s just not me. I’m not going to be a guy who hits 40 home runs. I’m going to be a top of the order guy, or a bottom of the order guy, depending on where I’m at. My job is to get on base and score runs. That’s what we kind of bought into.”
Alemais and Sutton broke down his swing, making a lot of adjustments. Some of the key adjustments were closing off his swing, and having him finish a swing with two hands. He would previously fly open with his swing, which prevented him from driving balls to the right side, and pulling off certain pitches. The new adjustments allowed him to keep through the path of the zone longer, making it easier for him to get the barrel on the ball.
As for accepting what type of player he was going to be, Alemais said that he realized he wouldn’t become a power hitter, but instead would be a gap-to-gap hitter who relies on getting on base.
“I just know I kind of fell in love with my identity,” Alemais said. “We sat down and talked about what kind of player I’m going to be down the road. I’m going to be a guy who is gap-to-gap, who is going to get on base. They told me to think more 100 runs a year than 100 RBIs. I kind of bought into that. I saw everything take care of itself. The last two months in Bradenton, it kind of played out, and the results showed when I bought into sticking with my approach and line drives.”
The results for Alemais did pay off in the final two months in Bradenton. He hit for a .317/.393/.406 line. The power was down, with an ISO below .100. But that’s an acceptable trade off for a high average and a high OBP. His walks were also up considerably, going from 3.8% at the start of the year to 11.5% in the final two months. And his strikeouts were down, going from 24.4% to 11.5% in those same time spans.
“I saw a lot more line drives in Bradenton, and I saw a lot more success,” Alemais said. “I stuck with that, and it translated a lot this Spring Training. … At the end of the day, I just look at what player I’m going to be down the road. I’d rather hit over .300 and have ten home runs or whatever it is, than having all of these strikeouts. At the end of the day, that’s not what’s going to make me successful. That’s not what’s going to get me to the big leagues.”
Alemais can afford to ignore power and focus on his average and OBP at the plate, primarily because of his defense. He’s the best defensive shortstop in the system, and his defense up the middle, combined with the possibility of hitting .300 and getting on base, would lead to a nice starting option.
The hitting in Bradenton got him promoted to Altoona this year, even though it was a sample size of 122 plate appearances. As a result, he will be on the same team as Cole Tucker, who looks to be the shortstop of the future in Pittsburgh. The Pirates have Alemais learning second base this year, due to being on the same team as Tucker. As you can imagine, the adjustment isn’t too difficult for Alemais.
“It’s actually easier for me,” Alemais said of second base. “I think it’s an easier position to handle than short. My footwork around the bag is what has been a little challenging. Turning double plays from that side. But everything seems to be a little easier. The throws are a little shorter, I don’t have to use my arm as much. Everything has been good.”
One of the problems Alemais had last year came with his throwing errors. There would be some plays where he would make an ill-advised throwing attempt. There would be others where he would make more of a mental error on an easier play.
“I have an ability to get to balls that some people don’t,” Alemais said. “Sometimes I feel like I try to do too much with the ball than if I just swallowed it. But since I’ve made plays before that are similar, then I try to do a little too much, which sometimes allows me to throw the ball away because it’s a difficult play. Sometimes it’s a lack of focus because I think it’s an easier play, and I end up over-throwing it. Just putting more focus on the mental side of the defense.”
The throws from second will be easier for Alemais. He could still figure out the throwing issues at shortstop if he eventually moves back to the position. For that to happen, he will either need to show more overall upside than Cole Tucker while in the Pirates’ system, or show a continued ability to hit and get on base in the upper levels, making him a trade option for another organization if Tucker works out as expected in Pittsburgh.
Either way, Alemais looks to be on the right track. I’ve talked to a lot of hitting prospects over the years, and very few have an understanding of hitting mechanics the way Alemais does. He can break down mechanics and has an understanding of what to do, regardless of whether that involves lift, or his current approach of hitting toward the gaps. He now has an approach that is working for him so far, and that could help lead to him improving his prospect status and reaching his upside in the majors as a starting middle infielder, preferably at shortstop.
