INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – Bligh Madris is a new hitter.
This is apparent both from his big Spring Training, to just watching his swing.
Last season, Madris with crouched and had his hands lower. Despite a pretty successful 2021 campaign at Triple-A, Madris opted to re-work his approach this year. Now, he is upright, with his hands higher and loaded.
With the efforts to adjust, he noticed the dividends pay off quickly in the swing alterations. Madris hit .368 with three homers and two doubles in the spring. However, any large-scale changes come with challenges as well.
“Coming into Spring Training, the swing changes really helped me stay through the middle of the field and get the ball in the air more consistently when I am on time,” Madris said. “It is gradually a bigger move, but it is a fight to stay on time. That is just the biggest thing that I am working on everyday, is just being on time with every pitcher that is out there.”
After joining Indianapolis post-camp, Madris saw a lot of challenges. In April, Madris hit an even Mendoza line .200 with just a pair of extra base hits. Both average and power have came around in May.
Indianapolis manager Miguel Perez told me that this turnaround was coming in early May after the tough start.
“I am not worried about Bligh,” Perez said at the time. “He is a guy who is always going to bring energy and good vibes to the team in the clubhouse, in the dugout, and on the field. He has been working on some things in the cage with Eric Munson and [assistant] Brady [Conlan]. He is a guy who is going to put up a good at bat every time that he steps to the plate. He is big on the process. Every time that he has a good at bat, he knows that if he stays consistent with that, the results are going to be successful.”
Along with Perez’s observations, Madris gives Indianapolis hitting coach Eric Munson and assistant Brady Conlan a lot of credit in his adjustments at the plate.
“I was just working out with Eric Munson, our hitting coach here,” Madris said. “I was getting to know him in Spring Training. He dives deep into every single guy who is in this clubhouse. He really takes pride in all of his hitters. It was just him and Brady [Conlan] looking at film. I have to give Brady a lot of credit, he is the guy in the cage with us every single day. He sees it just as good as Munson does. In Spring Training, it was a fresh set of eyes on my swing.”
While he knew that the results were there in 2021, with a .273 average and .786 OPS in 385 at bats with Indianapolis, Madris is always trying to improve.
“It is refreshing and trying to gather myself from the year I had last year and keep it rolling,” Madris said. “Off to a little bit of a slow start here, but I know I will pick it up. Munson will not let me not pick up. I am just looking forward to taking advantage of the at bats I have here and building.”
