A Conversation With Colorado Rockies Prospect Ryan Vilade

Ryan Vilade knows what he does best with a bat in his hands. He also knows what he needs to do better. The son of a longtime coach — James Vilade has tutored hitters at both the college and minor-league levels — the 22-year-old outfield prospect possesses a smooth right-handed stroke, albeit one that has propelled fewer balls over fences than his size would suggest. Since being selected 48th overall out of a Stillwater, Oklahoma high school in 2017, the 6-foot-2, 225 pound Vilade has gone yard just 29 times in 1,783 professional plate appearances.

But he can square up a baseball. Playing at Triple-A Albuquerque this past season — his first action above High-A — Vilade slashed a solid .284/.339/.410, earning himself a late-September cup of coffee in Colorado. Prior to the 2020 COVID shutdown, Vilade put up a .303/.367/.466 slash line for the California League’s Lancaster JetHawks.

Vilade — No. 3 in our newly-released Rockies Top Prospects list — discussed his hitting approach, and the adjustment that should lead to more dingers, late in the Arizona Fall League season.

———

David Laurila: To start, who are you as hitter? What do you do well?

Ryan Vilade: “If I had to give a scouting report on myself, I would say that I drive the ball the other way really well. That’s my strength. One thing that I continue to work on is pulling ball in the air. I can do that well with off-speed; it’s the fastball that I go [opposite field] with. That doesn’t really bother me, because I feel like pulling the fastball is something that you just react to. But yeah, staying the other way and reacting off-speed. That’s kind of who I am.”

Laurila: Why is your swing conducive to driving the ball the other way?

Vilade: “That’s just kind of how I came up as a hitter. I was taught to drive fastballs the other way, pull off-speed, and have gap-to-gap power. One thing I believe in is that if you hit balls down the line, it’s insurance. You don’t want to try to hit balls down the line. If you can stay in the gaps — be in center field and that right-center gap with the fastball — you’re going to be able to handle anything else.”

Laurila: Hitters have told me that they’re trying to drive the ball over the center fielder’s head. Is that more or less your approach?

Vilade: “Absolutely. I think that’s the best thing you can do: stay to the middle of the field and be able to react to an off-speed pitch. If you’re a little late, you still have room on the right side of the field to drive the ball.”

Laurila: Are you looking to let the ball travel?

Vilade: “I wouldn’t say that. I’m trying to get the ball out front. It’s more of where the pitch is located, and catching it too deep can result in flaring stuff to right. That, or hooking stuff to the left side of the field.”

Laurila: How does a hitter go about catching the ball out front and driving it to the opposite-field gap? Is that mostly about the lower half?

Vilade: “It definitely has something to do with the lower half. It’s about having that good direction. Hitting is all about straight lines. You want everything going in a straight line. As soon as it goes off that straight line, everything gets rotational. If you ask any hitter, he’ll tell you that you want to stay away from being rotational. And I really believe in feeling your swing. You can feel if you’re rotational, or if your direction was good, by the flight of the ball.”

Laurila: And again, pulling more balls in the air — fastballs in the air — is a goal…

Vilade: “I’ve been working on catching the ball more out front, because if you’re catching it deep, your launch angle isn’t going to be big. Catching it out front is when the launch angle starts to show. That’s something I want to continue to work on and get better at, but again, it’s nothing to really worry about. The power will come.”

Laurila: I was surprised to see that you only hit seven home runs this year. Are you disappointed by that number?

Vilade: “No, because I hit .280 to .300 all year. The power will come. I’m a hitter first, and pitchers throw home runs — hitters don’t hit them. When they give me a pitch to do damage on, whether that’s doubles… I had 28 doubles and five triples this year. So, I’m not worried about the homers. Everyone else is, but I’m not worried.”

Laurila: Your father is a coach. I assume he’s played a big role in shaping who you are as a hitter.

Vilade: “My dad is the guy I really go to, and have gone to my whole life. He knows my swing better than anyone, and I trust him. I’ve also had success with the way my swing works. But we obviously have great coaches with the Rockies. They understand me, as well. Having a lot of great guys to go to for feedback is very helpful.”

Laurila: You got a handful of at-bats with the Rockies in September. What did it feel like to stand in a big-league batter’s box?

Vilade: “It was really cool. After the first pitch, I was back to normal. That first pitch, from Patrick Corbin, was like everything happened really fast. And it was 95 [mph] with sink, so it did come out really fast. But after that… I mean, baseball is baseball, no matter where it’s played. There is going to be buildup, and there are going to be some nerves for that debut, but then you kind of slow the game down. It doesn’t take long to realize that it’s the same game.”