BJ Upton's Failure to Launch

The Braves were expecting big things from BJ Upton this year. His home runs coming into the season with the Rays were:

2010-18
2011-23
2012-28

This year with the Braves he only hit 9 in 126 games. Many articles involving the psychological aspects of going to a new team and playing with his brother Justin are prevalent online. To me it's obvious his mechanics are off. Mechanically speaking, BJ Upton will never be confused with Joe Mauer but his new hitch has created a monster. A lot of players will waggle before the ball is pitched and some will do a bat tilt which applies pressure on the wrists going into Launch (heel plant after stride). I suppose it breaks the inertia or establishes a feeling the player likes when he is getting ready to swing.

Evan Longoria, a former teammate of Upton's, has a tilt that moves the bat head just in front of his head with the barrel basically going toward the pitcher. From here he will move the bat to a more conventional position as his hands work back. I wont pretend to know why Longoria does this, but there is obviously some comfort that gets him to a good hitting position.

Now lets take a look at the progression of BJ Uptons hitch to Launch.

2011

2012

and this season 2013

Obviously, there has been a steady progression to a bat tilt similiar to Longoria in his pre swing movement. Unfortunately, his tilt waggles toward 1st base, if not the home dugout. Not to mention, the ball is halfway home when Upton waggles. In Longoria's tilt this happens as early as the pitchers release. Big difference in timing... how could he possibly control the inner half with this hitch? If he could find the same pre-swing movement he had in 2012 he will be more successful.

Rookie of the Year Changes

In 2011 Mike Trout started his first stint in the big leagues. While only batting .220 in 40 games, most knew there was something amazing about this player. I do remember thinking, great defense and amazing speed. Nothing about his hitting, aside from his exciting and regular infield hits, stood out to me. But then again, you couldn't help but think, "man if this guy could hit he would be a freak!". Then, all of the sudden, Bobby Abreu is hurt and Trout is called up in 2012.

He was a FREAK! What the heck happened? Well, many would say his .220 in 40 games in 2011 was meaningless. He was simply not familiar with big league pitching and on and on...Then, suddenly we are to accept that he familiarized himself enough to dominate all of the MLB's pitchers just by giving it a little thought in the off-season before the 2012 Rookie of the Year season? No...I can't accept that. So, I went back and looked at all of his home runs starting with the 6 in 2011. Not bad, considering he only played 40 games, but his BABIP (batting average for balls in play) .247? In 2012 his numbers jumped, batting .323 with a .383 BABIP! Oh, and he hit 30 home runs...

The image below demonstrates the difference in Trouts load to launch sequence from 2011 to 2012. I drew lines indicating the bat and where the knob is pointing. In 2011 he was set up to swing around the ball a touch as his 6 home runs were all pull side, and in 2012 & 2013 he was set up to cover the entire plate. His spray charts after this change show his ability to use the entire field as from this load and launch position it is "easier" to get to the pitch at any location (except perhaps the high pitch-which are few and far between in the mlb). Also, his crouch is less exaggerated as he is more upright with less bend in the knees. These may seem like subtle changes, but I think they're significant given the amount of reps these players take and something as simple as a grip change can feel awkward.

Better Not Give Up on Wallace

http://gif shop.tv/m/IHKM3LATAH/

The relationship is scary. Wallace and Adrian Gonzalez look identical. I would have Wallace tighten his hands into himself slightly and use the top half more as a unit through the ball. He uses his top side like a slingshot with all parts being separate. I like the kinetic link but think he needs to let the shoulders arms and hands work a little more together. This guy could be really good, but I'm afraid the Astros will give up on him #brettWallace