Carlos Beltran understands who he is as a hitter. But that doesn’t mean he’s always the same hitter. The 37-year-old New York Yankees outfielder adapts according to feel and he focuses better in some situations than in others. Still, you can’t argue with the results: He’s hit .283/.356/.497 with 363 home runs since breaking into the big leagues with the Royals in 1998. In 51 postseason games he’s hit .333/.445/.683 with 16 home runs.

Beltran talked hitting prior to last night’s game at Fenway Park.

——

Beltran on mechanical adjustments: “Every year, you don’t feel the same so you have to find a way. You find a position where you feel comfortable mechanically and work with that. The way I hit last year compared to how I’m hitting this year is a little bit different. One thing is the position of the bat. Last year I felt good with my hands like this [slightly forward] and this year that feels a little uncomfortable. This year they’re back a little bit.

“When I was coming up in the big leagues, I talked to a lot of guys I looked up to. One of those guys was Edgar Martinez. I asked him if every year he feels the same. He said ‘No, every year I don’t feel the same.’ Your body feels different. Maybe some years you’re into your legs a little more, and other years you’re more comfortable a little bit taller. It’s basically how you feel. For me, left and right are two different swings. Depending on how I feel, I might be the same from both sides or I might be different.

“You need to feel comfortable, but you can’t be doing one thing in one at bat and in the next at bat do something different. You need to be confident with what you’re doing.”

On having a strong base: “I have to feel I’m in my legs. For example, if a pitcher takes a long time to release the baseball my legs are going to get tired. When I feel like the wind is moving me back and forth… like if it’s windy and I feel off-balance, I don’t like that. I need to step out and reset. When I feel set, I feel good hitting-wise. After every swing I take, I try to reset myself and think about my lower body. Once I feel like my lower body is there, then I transfer all my concentration on the pitcher.”

On his approach: “I concentrate on my strength. I’m not a guy who hits the ball a lot to the opposite field. I hit more center and right center and concentrate on getting a pitch in an area I know I can handle. If it’s a pitch on the outside corner, I know I can’t do much with that pitch. Unless I have two strikes, I don’t want to swing at it. If it’s a pitch on the inside corner and I don’t have two strikes, I don’t want to swing at it. That’s a pitch where, even if I take a good hack, I feel I’m not going to do much with it. I have to look for a pitch out over the strike zone, in or away. Basically, near the middle. Pitchers are going to miss and you have to be ready to hit and take advantage of that pitch when they miss.”

On hitting with runners on base: “I love RBIs. I love to drive in runs and take a lot of pride in those situations. I believe I’m a different hitter with guys on base. Leading off an inning, I feel like maybe my concentration is not there. When I have guys in scoring position I concentrate more because I know if I get a hit we can tie a ballgame, take the lead, add to our lead or shorten a deficit.

“You don’t want to make an out, but you have to be realistic. You’re going to fail a lot. I’m not trying to give away at bats, but like I said, I’m a different hitter with guys in scoring position.”

Mitch Nay is one of the top prospects in the Toronto Blue Jays organization. A supplemental first-round pick in 2012, the 20-year-old third baseman combines raw power and an advanced approach. His grandfather deserves a lot of the credit.

Nay grew up learning the game from Lou Klimchock. A journeyman infielder who spent parts of 12 seasons in the big leagues, Klimchock played for five teams and counts multiple Hall of Famers among his former teammates. He’s passed along much of what he knows to his grandson.

“He’s been a big influence on me,” said Nay, who is playing with the low-A Lansing Lugnuts. “He’s helped with instructional stuff, like hitting and throwing. He’s pretty much been my teacher since a young age.

“My grandpa is also the president of the Arizona Major League alumni, so I’ve been able to hang out with a lot of big names – historical figures in baseball – like Brooks Robinson and Bob Feller. I’ve been around the game my whole life, which makes being in pro ball almost second-nature.”

Nay is already older than his grandfather was when he debuted with the Kansas City Athletics at the end of the 1958 season.

“He played his first game at age 18,” explained Nay. “Last year when Jurickson Profar came up and hit a lead-off home run they were talking about the youngest guys ever to do that. My grandpa was on the list.”

Can he imagine what it would be like to play in the big leagues at such a young age?

“There’s so much I need to learn before that time comes,” admitted Nay. “It would definitely be a challenge, but my grandpa has talked to me about what it’s like. He’s told me to visualize it, to think of myself in some of these guys’ shoes. He says stuff like, ‘Imagine yourself getting on a plane in the middle of the night, going to a new city and waking up there to play a game.’”

Surprisingly, Klimchock practiced visualization in the 1960s. Less surprising is that his grandson does so now.

“When he played, he used to be on deck visualizing himself hitting a line drive over the shortstop’s head,” said Nay. “He says your mind doesn’t know the difference from what your body does. I do that sometimes too. If I’m facing a sinkerballer, I’ll visualize him getting it up and me hitting it in the gap.”

Nay describes his hitting approach as looking for a pitch that’s middle to middle-away, focusing on the right-center field gap, and having a good two-strike approach. You can probably guess where that comes from.

“My grandfather’s approach was pretty simple,” said Nay. “It was basically to stay up the middle and have a good two-strike approach. Growing up, he’d always talk to me about the importance of not giving away at bats. Don’t strike out; put the ball in play. I’ve come to realize you can sometimes hit the ball farther with two strikes, because your approach is better. You can still have power with two strikes.”

Klimchock has taught his grandson more than approach. He’s taught him about the past.

“He’s talked about facing pitchers like Don Drysdale,” said Nay “He’s told me about guys he played with, like Roger Maris and Hank Aaron. I’ve learned a lot about baseball history from him. He even played for a few teams that don’t exist anymore.”

——

Here is a description of the home run Klimchock hit as an 18-year-old, excerpted with permission from the SABR BioProject. It was written by Chuck Johnson.

“When he stepped to the plate as the leadoff hitter for the Kansas City Athletics on the final day of the 1958 season, 18-year-old second baseman Lou Klimchock was looking for his first major-league hit, not to make modern major-league history. Playing in just his second major-league game, Klimchock achieved both. On the mound that day for the homestanding Chicago White Sox was 19-year-old Stover McIlwain. A tall, lanky right-hander, McIlwain was also making his second major-league appearance, and, as fate would have it, his last. Klimchock picked out a McIlwain offering he liked and drove the pitch into the Comiskey Park right-field stands for his first major-league hit and home run. It was the first time in modern major-league history that a teenager had homered off a teenager.”

For those of you unfamiliar with the Baseball Biography Project, it is an invaluable and rapidly-growing resource. The Society for American Baseball Research [SABR] champions the game’s rich history, and the BioProject committee, headed by Mark Armour, is an ambitious part of those efforts. A primary goal is to publish a full-life biography of every major league player in history. Klimchock’s is one of 2,770 that have been completed as of this date.

According to Armour, it took close to six years to reach 1,000 bios, and another 3.5 years to get to 2,000. At its current pace the third 1,000 will take just over two years. The committee is currently producing 400-450 biographies annually, which is roughly twice the rate that new major league players are debuting. If you’re interested in becoming involved, please contact  bioassign@sabr.org.

——

Harry Chiti is still awaiting his biography. It needs to be written. A catcher for four teams from 1950-1962, Chiti broke into the big leagues with the Cubs as a 17-year-old bonus baby. His biggest claim to fame is that he was the first player ever traded for himself.

His son, Dom Chiti, was a minor league pitcher for six seasons before becoming a coach, scout and special assistant. He now serves as the Orioles bullpen coach. I asked Dom about his late father.

“My father was a huge influence on my baseball life,” said Dom. “I was probably more advanced mentally because of him. I learned to change speeds at an earlier age than most guys. He would talk about the game inside the game, like the cat-and-mouse that happens between pitchers and hitters.

“He’d relate stories about players and how to pitch to them. Ted Williams was one. He said Ted Williams used to walk to home plate and say ‘If you can throw three balls on the outside corner you can have my strikeout, but don’t miss.’ He also told me how he’d be going to catch a ball – it was right there – and Ted would take it right out of his glove. His bat speed was that ridiculous.”

In April 1962, the fledgling New York Mets acquired Chiti from the Indians. Two months later he was sent back to Cleveland.

“When he got traded for himself it was actually a cash deal,” said Dom. “I don’t know how many people know this, but the money went to pay for the Chief Wahoo that went up in right field at the old ballpark. That’s what the money was used for. My dad wasn’t so much traded for himself as he was traded for a sign.”

——

Many players excelled in multiple sports before settling on baseball. Orioles outfielder David Lough played two in college and could have played a third. His primary youth sport is the one he gave up first.

“I loved soccer,” said Lough, who came of age in Akron, Ohio. “I played my whole life. It was my No. 1 go-to sport in high school, and I received a lot of D-I offers, but I kind of grew out of it. I never grew out of baseball. I’ve loved being on the diamond from the time I was a little kid playing tee ball. I knew in college it was what I wanted to keep playing.”

Football replaced soccer as Lough’s second sport, despite him having played it only one year in high school.

“My senior year, I grew a real liking for football,” said the speedy 5-foot-10, 175-pound fly-chaser. “I ended up going to college to play both football and baseball. I went to Mercyhurst, a Division-II school in Erie PA, and was a receiver and kick returner. We were in the [Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference] when I played, with schools like Grand Valley State. It was good quality football.

“I started putting it together my junior year — I had a couple of touchdowns – but my first few years of college football were a real growing period. In high school, I’d go to the huddle and our quarterback would tell me what to run. I didn’t know the plays. I would go from football practice to soccer practice, and would have soccer games on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. On Friday I’d have a football game. I was a busy guy and missed a ton of practice time, mostly because of soccer.”

——

Tommy Hunter excelled in a less-traditional sport. The Indianapolis native was a two-time judo champion.

“I was young when I did judo, only 10-12 years old,” said Hunter “I didn’t have any special moves, or anything like that, but I was pretty good. I won the Junior Olympics in judo. It’s basically a national tournament, so while it’s not something you’d call prestigious, it was pretty big for me.”

The Orioles closer is 6-foot-3, 260 pounds. I asked how big he was as a preteen judo champion.

“I wasn’t big when I was 12,” said Hunter. “I wasn’t big until I was a sophomore in high school. I was a normal kid. I wasn’t abnormal.”

My response was, “Unlike now?”

“You think I’m abnormal?” answered the affable-but-large hurler. “Wow. That’s pretty [bleeped] up. But that’s alright. You’re entitled to your opinion. I think I’m pretty [bleeping] normal.”

His home state of Indiana is a hoops hotbed. What about basketball?

“I played in high school, but I wasn’t very good,” said Hunter, who wryly added “I was a white kid and played the token minutes. I kept the GPA up for the team.”

——

Matt Bowman will elevate the GPA on most teams he plays for. The New York Mets pitching prospect majored in economics at Princeton University. Pro ball hasn’t been a steep learning curve for the 2012 draft pick. Last year he went 10-4 with a 3.05 ERA between low-A Savannah and high-A St. Lucie. This season he’s allowed just one run in 12 innings at Double-A Binghamton.

Bowman has a future in a big league front office when his playing days are over. The 22-year-old right-hander’s senior thesis had general manager written all over it.

“It looked into how much a win is worth in free agency,” said Bowman. “I looked into projected wins and what a team thinks they’re paying for a win as opposed to what they end up paying for a win. Why is there a discrepancy between the two? I looked at players and evaluated them basically as stocks paying off dividends in the form of WAR. What is their variance season to season, and based on that, what value do they hold?”

I asked him if any other players in the Mets’ organization speak the same saber-economic language.

“Jeff Reynolds, who is in St. Lucie right now, graduated from Harvard,” said Bowman. “I spoke to him a little bit about it. There are certainly players who like to play GM and will talk about who’d they’d want to acquire in free agency, but I think the numbers aspect might make me a little unique.”

Bowman’s approach to his own stats is more mainstream.

“When it comes to my personal experience, I’m the complete opposite,” admitted Bowman. “As a starter, I think the most important stat is innings pitched. It’s the old-school opinion that starting pitchers should be workhorses and eat up a lot of innings. I’m aware if certain other stats are good or bad, like my strikeouts-to-walks ratio, but I mostly try to avoid them. Getting caught up in stats can lead to complacency, or getting a little too involved if things are going poorly.”

Bowman had eye-popping numbers in this last start. Pitching against New Hampshire, he allowed four hits over seven scoreless innings with one walk and 11 strikeouts. Preparation played a big role in his overpowering outing.

“I got to scout them in the stands a few days before,” explained Bowman. “I talked to Kevin Plawecki, my catcher, and we came up with a game plan. I basically told him what I wanted to do with each hitter and asked him to remember it. Once I’m on the mound, I don’t like thinking about that. Whatever he put down, I threw. My fastball and slider were working and I sprinkled in my other pitches as well.”

The Princeton product keeps notes on batters he faces, but not on himself.

“I feel that breaking down your personal performance too much can be detrimental,” opined Bowman. “There’s a feel to pitching and the simplest numbers are the most important. How deep did you go into the game and did you put up a zero? If you’re trying to do more than that, I think you’re trying to be a pitcher you’re not.”

Tim Bogar was hired over the off-season to be Ron Washington’s bench coach in Texas. It looks like a good fit. Their relationship stretches back to Bogar’s minor-league playing days.

Bogar’s background is also a fit for the front office. The 47-year-old is well-versed in sabermetric concepts, having worked under Joe Maddon in Tampa and Terry Francona in Boston. He also spent a season with Bobby Valentine, giving him an up-close look at what can happen when managerial decisions are based more on whimsy than analytic judgment.

General manager Jon Daniels says Bogar wasn’t hired as a conduit to the team’s analytics department. That doesn’t mean he won’t influences the more-traditional Washington. Defensive-positioning is an early indicator.

“We’ve been shifting a little more this year,” Daniels told me earlier this week. “That’s something Tim Bogar is implementing. He, along with Wash, sets our infield. They communicate with Mike Maddux, so we can defend according to the game plan against hitters. I don’t know exactly how shifts are measured — how extreme a guy has to be out of “standard position” to qualify — but Wash and Dave Anderson did shift some in the past. Tim is a little more aggressive with it.”

According to Baseball Info Solutions, the Rangers shifted 355 times last season — 10th most in MLB — and are slightly ahead of that pace two weeks into the current campaign. What happens henceforth will depend on matchups and, as Daniels alluded to, interpretation.

“We’re shifting, although probably not as dramatically as some would want,” said Bogar. “There are a lot of people out there who would like everybody to be shifting in a certain way. I’d say we move guys enough to be noticed, but sometimes not enough for it to be considered a shift.”

Would there be more-pronounced shifting if he, not Ron Washington, was running the ball club?

“We’re just trying to put our players in the best possible position to succeed,” Bogar replied diplomatically. “Wash and I talk all the time about what we want to do with certain players and certain situations. Ultimately, it comes down to what he wants, but we discuss a lot of things.”

It was a different story when he served as Bobby Valentine‘s bench coach.

“Bobby didn’t ever ask my opinion,” said Bogar. “He actually didn’t talk to me at all. He wasn’t like Wash.”

“The way Wash runs his staff is very collaborative,” agreed Daniels. “He wants guys to speak their mind. Wash was actually Tim’s manager in A ball, so they weren’t starting from scratch. They already had a rapport. Wash has encouraged him to be an active part of the in-game decision-making process.”

Does Daniels hope Bogar’s saber-friendly approach will rub off on Washington?

“He wasn’t hired for that,” said Daniels. “I’m sensitive to the idea Tim was put in to implement front office strategy. That’s not the case at all. The bottom line is that Tim is a good baseball man. He’s a good coach and teacher. He’s smart, a good communicator, detail-oriented, and knows how to use information. He has the ability to merge both [traditional and sabermetic] ideas.”

Daniels does as well. As a matter of fact, the Rangers GM believes melding the two is essential.

“There’s a give and take,“ explained Daniels. “Wash and I talk about things and some we agree on and some we don’t. But at the end of the day, we supply as much information as we can and trust the staff to use it to the best of their abilities. I’m not looking to agree with every move we make. It’s more about the bigger picture of getting our players in the best position to succeed. There are different ways to accomplish the same goals.”

——

All pitchers have the same goal of throwing quality strikes. How they go about it isn‘t always the same. Red Sox left-handers Jon Lester and Andrew Miller deliver pitches from different sides of the rubber.

“I started out on the third base side, then I went to the first base side,” said Lester. “Now I’m not all the way on the first base side, but rather a little bit toward the middle. I moved about a year and a half ago when I was having trouble with my hip. This kind of alleviated some things. I felt it was easier for me to get the ball to the glove side.”

“I stand on the third base side,” said Miller. “I think that opens up the strike zone a little more. I was on the first base side until probably 2011. I think that adds to deception and creates better angles, but it narrows the strike zone for you. I sacrificed some angle, but my slider is a pretty big breaking pitch and I carry enough angle as it is.”

Physical starting points aren’t the only things that will differ. So is the focus pitchers put on endpoints.

“Each guy is going to have his own gig,” said Lester. “Take this guy pitching [on the clubhouse TV] for the Orioles. [Zach Britton] is a big power sinker guy, so he’s probably not throwing for the glove. A guy with a lot of movement is probably aiming for areas, but I’m a four-seam guy. I have to throw it to the glove. That’s where my focus is.”

Chris Hernandez, a left-handed pitcher for the Triple-A Pawtucket Red Sox, doesn’t throw to the glove.

“I never throw to the mitt, because I have so much movement,” said Hernandez, who features a cutter. “I just try to stay between the knees. I always tell my catcher to set up on halves of the plate. Let’s say the middle of the plate is the point. Instead of setting up on the outer black, I have him set up in between the point and the black. I throw the ball and let it play for a strike.”

Hernandez is more precise when it comes to breaking balls, but he‘s still not throwing directly to the mitt.

“If I’m throwing a curveball for a strike, I usually aim for his shoulder,” explained the left-hander. “My curveball is going to break from his right shoulder to the mitt. With a changeup, I’ll focus on the bottom of his face mask to drop it in for a strike. If I don’t want to throw it for a strike, I’ll focus more on the mitt and let it fall below the zone.”

Lester and Miller visualize their breaking pitches, albeit in slightly different ways.

“If I’m throwing a strike curveball, I’m looking at the glove,” said Lester. “I’m a visual person, so I pick out spots in my head, or remember a curveball I threw in the past that I can draw from. I visualize it and throw it.”

“A slider, a pitch that has that much action… personally, I have to visualize the whole path of the pitch,” said Miller. “I’m not throwing at a left-handed hitter’s hip. That’s too simplified for me. I need to see the whole thing in my head. If I wasn’t visualizing, I’d be in deep trouble.”

——

D.J. Baxendale has a backup plan. If his playing career doesn’t pan out, the 23-year-old Minnesota Twins pitching prospect will be interviewing his former teammates.

“I was a journalism major in college,” said Baxendale, who attended the University of Arkansas. “My aunt was a news anchor in Texarkana for awhile, and I’ve always wanted to do something in sports, so I jumped right in. I learned from taking classes that a lot of work goes into it, but I liked talking in front of the camera and interviewing people.”

The right-hander isn’t ready to switch sides of the microphone just yet. He went 12-7 with a 3.90 ERA between Fort Myers and New Britain in his first full professional season. This year he’s back with the Double-A Rock Cats, who are expected to add Byron Buxton to the roster once his wrist injury is fully healed.

“I can’t imagine what it would be like to be Byron Buxton,” said Baxendale. “Being such a high-profile guy… it’s got to be tough. Knowing Buxton, he was really shy about it at first. I give him a lot of credit for how much he‘s grown up in that area. He’s really worked on being able to talk in front of a camera, and to talk to reporters. He feels a lot more comfortable in that environment now. It’s not always easy.”

How do players view the media when they enter a clubhouse?

It’s kind of a mixed reaction,” opined Baxendale. “Some guys don’t really like talking to the media, because don’t feel comfortable with it. Some guys don’t really have a care either way, they just see it as part of the job. Then you have guys who really enjoy talking to the media. They like cameras. They get a real kick out of it.”

I asked if there is ever resentment toward a player getting the lion’s share of attention.

“No, it is what it is,” answered Baxendale. “We all have a pretty good idea of where we rank as prospects. We know the higher-up guys draw the most. There are first-round picks and there are 40th-round picks. That’s just part of life in the minor leagues.”

Where does he fit in?

“I don’t like to classify myself as far as prospect status,” said the 2012 10th-rounder. “I let all the big sources handle that. Whatever they want to say about me, they will. That’s how it works.”

——

Robbie Ross is working out of the Rangers rotation after spending the last two years in their bullpen. He embraces his new role. The 24-year-old southpaw told me he likes starting because “It’s your day. You work as hard as you can to get ready for it, and when you get out there you do your best. I like that mentality.”

Ross approaches his vocation the way he approaches life. His glass is half full, and he keeps everything in perspective.

“It’s important to slow things down and just do what you can to get outs,” said Ross. “If you put too much pressure on yourself it becomes difficult to perform. Sometimes you can press so hard it’s not a game anymore. Instead of something you enjoy, it becomes stressful. This is supposed to be fun. Control your mind so you’re not thinking the bad things. Think about the good things.

“We’re working as hard as we can, but we have to remember we get to be out here playing a game. I’m where I’m at because of what God has blessed me with. [A baseball career] is very short-lived, so I want to enjoy this and do the best I can.”

Last September, Ross did his best to support an important cause. He and his wife, Brittany, participated in the NOH8 campaign, a charitable organization promoting marriage, gender and human equality.

“It was important to us because it was a no-hate campaign,” explained Ross. “[Gays and lesbians] are being discriminated against. There’s a lot of bitterness and hate being directed toward them. What we were saying is that they shouldn’t be treated wrong. They’re people and should be showed love.

“There are obviously guys [in MLB] who are gay. That’s something we’re going to have to deal with [when players start coming out]. We should love people and accept them for who they are. As a Christian, I believe God is going to ultimately judge us for how we live our lives. There’s no reason for us to be judging.”

Ross is non-judgmental, but the same can’t be said for everyone wearing a big-league uniform. I asked him what the response was from teammates and others within the game.

“No one really had much to say about it,” said Ross. “It was mostly just Christian people asking me what I thought. It was different for a lot of them, but I think there was a lot of acceptance. They knew my heart was in the right place. I was just trying to be accepting and show people love.”

When I asked Kyle Lohse if he’ll be a pitching coach someday, his response was, “In some ways, I already am.” The 35-year-old right-hander is more than a mentor to the younger members of the Milwaukee Brewers’ pitching staff. Last season he led the club in innings pitched [198.2] and ERA [3.35]. Two years ago, with the St. Louis Cardinals, he threw 211 innings and had a 2.86 ERA. Lohse relies on control. Since breaking into the big leagues in 2001 he has walked just 2.5 batters per nine innings.

Lohse talked about his evolution as a pitcher, including the formative years he spent working with Dave Duncan, when the Brewers visited Fenway Park over the weekend. Read the rest of this entry »

Will Smith’s repertoire includes two- and four-seam fastballs, a slider, a curveball, and a changeup. How frequently he used each of those pitches changed markedly from 2012 to 2013. Last season he threw 14% more two-seamers and 15.9% fewer four-seamers. He also threw 18.3% more sliders and 5% fewer curveballs. His changeup became mostly an afterthought.

The results were striking. In his first season as a reliever, Smith lowered his ERA from 5.32 to 3.24 and upped his K/9 from 5.92 to 11.61. He did so while pitching for the Kansas City Royals. The 24-year-old southpaw is now with the Milwaukee Brewers, having been dealt in the offseason for Norichika Aoki.

I asked Smith about pitch usage prior to Friday’s game at Fenway Park. I began by inquiring about his scant use of two-seamers in his first two outings. He pointed to small sample size, adding that he‘ll throw more as the season goes along. Fair enough. He also mentioned feel and scouting reports. Again, fair enough.

His comments about last season were similar. Regarding slider and curveball usage, Smith said “That was just what the scouting reports called for and what I felt comfortable with. [The slider] was working for me and it’s hard to go away from something that‘s working. Same thing with my curveball. Some hitters are better curveball hitters than slider hitters, and a lot of the guys I faced were better curveball hitters.”

Knowing he would have faced a higher percentage of same-sided hitters as a reliever than he did as a starter, I asked if lefty-lefty match-ups were a big part of it. He said, “Yes, I would say so.”

Following our conversation, I went back to his stat page. I knew he dominated lefties last year — .157/.204/.353 in 77 plate appearances — but I hadn’t looked at his 2012 numbers. They weren‘t what I expected. In 101 plate appearances, lefties hit him to the tune of .356/.402/.495.

A follow-up seemed in order. After the game — a 6-2 Brewers win in which Smith threw 23 pitches — I dug a little deeper. I first asked about his fastball usage that day, as I couldn’t tell from the press box if he was throwing two- or four-seamers. “I threw more twos today,” he told me. Why? “Mostly scouting reports.“

According to PITCHf/x, Smith threw an equal number of two- and four-seamers on Friday, nine of each. He also threw three curveballs and two sliders.

Last year he utilized his slider nearly 30 percent of the time. Opposing batters hit .093 against it.

Scouting reports or feel? I didn’t press Smith on yesterday’s pitch selection, but I did regarding 2012 and 2013. Given the difference in results, both pitch-specific and overall, was he maybe downplaying feel? Was his slider simply his best pitch?

“It was more feel last year,” admitted Smith. “I didn’t have as much confidence with the slider [in 2012]. It was still kind of a new pitch for me, so I was trying to get used to it.”

His best pitch in 2014? We’re only a week into the season, so it’s too early to tell. But if Smith has the same feel for his slider as a year ago, expect him to be very good out of the Brewers’ bullpen.

——

Expectations are high for Maikel Franco. The 21-year-old third baseman is the top-rated prospect in the Philadelphia Phillies organization. Last year he hit .320/.356/.569, with 31 home runs, between high-A Clearwater and Double-A Reading. He’s beginning this season with the Triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs.

No one questions Franco’s bat speed or power. Both are plus-plus. There are, however, some concerns about his plate discipline. The free-swinging Dominican walked 30 times last year in 581 plate appearances.

I asked Franco if he’s too aggressive at the plate.

“Sometimes, yeah,” responded Franco. “Sometimes I feel like I’m too aggressive, but when that happens, I say to myself, ‘Just keep it nice and easy, he’ll come to you. Just be ready for everything.’ I’ve been here five years now. Coming to the USA, they said ‘Do it like you do.’ When I go out there, I try to see the ball good, swing, and try to make good contact.”

Franco does make contact. He fanned just 70 times last year. According to Lehigh Valley coach Mickey Morandini, the youngster has made great strides in the plate discipline department, despite his aggressive ways.

“I’ve really seen him grow,” said Morandini, who managed Franco in A ball. ““He wants to swing the bat, but his recognition of breaking balls is much better now. He used to swing at a lot of balls out of the zone, and he‘s learned how to lay off some of those pitches. One thing he does better than anyone I’ve seen in his age group is he’ll swing at a pitch out of the zone, and when he gets that pitch again, he won’t swing at it.”

IronPigs manager Dave Brundage has less experience working with Franco, but likes what he sees.

“What he mostly needs is experience,” said Brundage. “He has great hands, both offensively and defensively. He just needs to shorten things up a little bit and not try to do too much. That’s typical for a young player. They get to big league camp for the first time, like he did this year, and want to show everybody all at once what they can do. They maybe swing a little harder, wanting the ball to farther. But Maikel has the complete package. It’s just a matter of tightening things up, making sure his mechanics are sound and he’s staying within himself.”

In batting practice, Franco’s focus is all about discipline. Once the game starts, he goes back to what comes naturally.

“In the cage, I hit to the opposite field,” explained Franco. “Center field, right field, center field, right field. That’s what I’m thinking about in BP, But when I go out there [in the game], I know I can just throw my hands, so I don‘t think about anything. It’s just see the ball, hit the ball hard.”

——

Will Middlebrooks came up through the Red Sox system with a profile similar to Franco‘s. A power-hitting third baseman, he was the team’s top prospect despite plate discipline issues. To some extent, they’re still there. Middlebrooks has drawn 34 free passes in 675 big-league at bats. He also has 33 home runs and projects to hit many more.

Carlos Gomez is likewise not shy about letting it fly. His power has emerged in recent seasons — he went deep 24 times last year — but the Milwaukee Brewers outfielder has walked only 146 times in 2,737 plate appearances.

I asked Middlebrooks and Gomez how Franco might best be served going forward. Based on their own experiences, should the young Phillies’ prospect begin taking more pitches, or should he stick with what’s gotten him this far?

“I don’t know him, so I can only speak for myself, but I got better by figuring out my swing and figuring out my plan,” said Middlebrooks. “In the minor leagues, I felt like a lot of guys would try to get ahead with heaters, so I’d be up there hacking at heaters right from the first pitch. Instead of looking at one part of the plate, I’d see a heater and whether it was inner third or outer third, I’d hack at it. I hadn’t learned to zone guys up. Now I’ll take that pitch.”

I asked him if it’s easier to be patient if you’re allowed to be yourself at the plate. In other words, is it easier to be disciplined if you aren’t thinking about being disciplined?

“I think that’s true,” said Middlebrooks. “I feel if you’re told to be disciplined, you get passive. I dealt with that some. I was trying to be more disciplined, trying to see more pitches, and ended taking good pitches to hit. I was up there almost predetermined, like “I’m going to take here.’ I think you need to learn your zone and just be yourself.”

Gomez had a similar take.

“It’s hard to tell what he should do, because I don‘t know him,” said Gomez. “But if he’s got power… not everybody is the same. What makes me do better at the plate is when I swing aggressive and hard. I dominate when I swing at a ball I can dominate, not when I chase pitches. But I’m aggressive, so I look for a pitch I can drive out of the ballpark. I tried to be different, but it didn’t work. In the last year and a half, I’ve just been me.

“When I was younger, I wasn’t really told to see more pitches. It was more to hit the ball on the ground and run. When I first came up, they saw me as a speed guy, not a power hitter. Now I’m trying to hit a high line drive to the middle of the field, or a home run. They’re just letting me be myself. I think that‘s what you have to be.”

——

Players aren’t always themselves when they step between the white lines. Over the course of a long season, there are going to be times you‘re nowhere close to 100 percent. The issue isn’t always physical. It can also be mental, and sometimes it‘s not simple.

Mike Nickeas has been through the grind. Currently playing for Toronto’s Triple-A affiliate, the Buffalo Bison, the 31-year-old catcher is in his 11th professional season. Nickeas knows you occasionally have to fight demons in order to survive.

“I’ve seen guys get in the batter’s box and be tight,” said Nickeas. “It’s happened to me as well. You feel anxiety, and that hinders your performance. I’ve played with guys who have had to go on medication because they were mentally crippling themselves. I’ve also seen guys who aren’t as talented, yet they’re the best players on the field because their minds tell them they are. The psyche is really powerful. You can tell yourself anything you want, but if it’s not something you truly believe in your subconscious, it’s not going to do anything for you.

“Fear exists in baseball, and how you deal with it is personal. To each player it’s a different thing. If anyone on this field tells you he’s never experienced fear, whether it’s fear of failure, fear of success, fear of being hurt, he’s lying. And fear drives anxiety. You need to find ways to cope with that.”

——

J.A. Happ had to cope with fear last season. The Blue Jays left-hander was taken from the field on a stretcher after being hit in the head by a line drive in early May. He didn’t return to the mound until August. Following his return, I asked him about the mental demons Nickeas talked about.

“At this level, everybody has the physical tools to be successful, so the mental part of it is everything,” said Happ. “I’ve obviously had ups and downs with that. You’ve had success before, but for whatever reason, doubt creeps in and your confidence level isn’t where it needs to be.

“My experience [of getting by the line drive] was that I was just anxious to get back out there. I wasn’t real concerned about getting hit again. If I’d have thought about that, I think it would have crippled me as far as being able to execute and finish pitches.

“Does fear exist? It’s part of the game, whether it‘s fear of getting hurt or fear of giving up the big hit. Baseball humbles people. As far as throwing a pitch and giving up a big hit, it happens and you have to move on. You realize it’s not the end-all and be-all, but at the time it’s hard to convince yourself of that. Everybody wants to succeed. But in the grand scheme of things, there are more important things in life.”

Jordy Mercer is the new starting shortstop for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Clint Barmes is now a moving part, an accomplished glove man on call at multiple infield positions. The shift will have an impact on both sides of the ball.

From an offensive standpoint, the changing of the guard makes perfect sense. The 35-year-old Barmes is a .246/.294/.383 hitter in 1,040 big-league games and has been trending in the wrong direction. The 27-year-old Mercer has less of a track record — just 145 games — but has hit a solid .273/.325/.425.

Mercer will supply more bang for the Bucs, but he won’t replicate Barmes in the field. The 6-foot-3 Mercer isn’t a defensive liability, but he came up through the system as an offense-first shortstop who dabbled at second base and at third base. The player he’s replacing is a pitcher’s best friend.

“Clint Barmes is one of the best defensive players in baseball,” Scott Spratt, of Baseball Info Solutions, said. “Since 2010, only Brendan Ryan (73) and Andrelton Simmons (60) have more Defensive Runs Saved at shortstop than Barmes’ 50. He has tremendous range and has been an above-average contributor on balls to his left (+28 plays), straight on (+23 plays) and to his right (+8 plays).

“Jordy Mercer is still a bit of an unknown,” Spratt added. “He falls just short of 700 career MLB innings at shortstop, where we estimate he has cost the Pirates one run with his defense. With the caveat that the small sample could have an impact on this, Mercer’s biggest weakness appears to be his throwing arm. He has made eight bad-throw Defensive Misplays and Errors (DMEs) in his limited innings. That is approximately one bad throw per 87 innings at the position, which is the sixth-worst rate of the 51 shortstops who have 500 or more innings since 2012. Barmes has just 13 bad throw DMEs over that time in nearly 2,000 innings, which is one per 151 innings.”

Mercer merits a chance to show those numbers can be thrown out the window. He knows he’s not Barmes, but he’s not short on confidence. When I caught up to him in spring training, he fielded questions about his defense ability with self-assured honesty.

“I’m happy with my defense,” Mercer told me. “I’ve always considered it one of my strong suits. I’m not worried about that at all. Everybody is going to say, ‘He needs to improve, he needs to improve.’ Well, of course I need to improve. But I’m not going to stress about it. I’m going to do my job and continue to try to get better.”

Mercer has a good mentor. He also has the luxury of playing for a team that will optimize his opportunities to make plays.

“I’ve worked with Clint ever since I’ve been up here,” said Mercer, who debuted with the Pirates in 2012. “He’s taught me about different angles on balls, how to position guys, reads off the bat, pretty much everything. A lot goes into being at the right spot at the right time, and that‘s something he‘s really good at.

“Positioning is huge,” he added. “A batter will hit a ball where it might normally be a base hit, and you‘re right there. Instead of it being something you maybe can’t get to, you moved over a few steps and made the play.”

Mercer’s comment on positioning is especially pertinent. The number of balls he and Barmes get to aren’t solely a product of their individual skills. SABR president Vince Gennaro addressed the subject in a more general sense at last month’s SABR Analytics Conference: Does having better data on positioning reduce the premium we put on a fielder’s range and increase the premium we put on sure-handedness? In the opinion of ESPN’s Jon Sciambi, the answer is probably yes. Sciambi pointed to the Pirates infield as an example, saying last year’s team had three guys with average to below-average range — Barmes being the exception — yet played plus defense.

Barmes is on board with his team‘s probability-driven approach to defense, but cautions that data points only go so far.

“It’s safe to say positioning is what gives you range,” Barmes told me in Bradenton. “Putting yourself within a step or two of where the ball is going to be hit is the goal. It’s the key to making as many plays as possible.

“We have the percentages on each hitter and will position accordingly. But as the game goes on, things can change. Maybe the pitcher doesn’t have his command and is missing his spots. When guys are missing toward the heart of the plate, professional hitters are going to hit holes a lot easier. That makes it more difficult for us, as infielders, to know where to be on certain pitches.”

Jeff Locke knows the value of experience. He also has full confidence in Mercer.

“Barmes is so educated at playing his position,” the Pirates left-hander said. “He’s played a lot of games there, so his anticipation is really good. But Jordy isn’t much different. He’s just a younger version.”

I asked Locke to elaborate on the similarities between Barmes and Mercer.

“I can’t really say how they play individually, but I can collectively,” Locke said. “They’re both going to give us great defense every time out. Last year Jordy spent a lot of time mirroring, and learning from, Barmes.”

After pausing for a moment, the lefty continued.

“One thing I love about Barmes is that he’s not one of those guys where if there’s a slow runner it’s ‘pump, pump, I’ve got time.’ He likes to get the ball and get rid of it. I played with Jordy throughout the minor leagues and he’s not really any different. We don’t have much flash on this team. You’re not going to see glove flips and behind-the-back tosses. Our guys get the ball and make the out.”

I asked the two shortstops how their styles compare.

“There are some similarities, but there are some differences as well,” Mercer said. “The similarities are the way we take angles and how we position ourselves. The difference is — and he’ll tell you this, too — is that he’s an unorthodox fielder. I’m a more-traditional fielder.”

Barmes agreed: “I’ve heard the word ‘unorthodox’ a lot. I could probably sit here all day and come up with things I do a little differently as far as technique goes. Over the years, I’ve become comfortable doing things in a way a lot of guys may not teach.”

I asked Barmes for examples.

“More than anything, it’s probably my footwork and how I set up on a routine ground ball,” he said. “For most guys, the left foot is half a step in front of the right when they go down to field the ball. That ties me up, so I go the opposite. I like my right foot to be maybe half a step in front of my left foot. It frees up everything and I can watch the ball into my glove better. If it takes a hop, I’m able to react a little quicker.

“Another thing that’s helped my career is the backhand. That’s something I’ve worked with Jordy on. Instead of worrying about trying to get around balls — fighting to get myself in that position — when in doubt I’ll go to my backhand, The more I worked on it, the more confident I got. Then it became throwing on the run, putting my body in a good position to make a strong throw on a ball that’s going away from first base. But as for comparing Jordy and me, he has his footwork and way of throwing the ball, and I have mine.”

Clint Hurdle’s assessment of the two?

“They spent the entire season together last year and it’s been a work-in-progress — a learning-in-progress — for Jordy,” Hurdle told me. “Barmes has been there to offer advice, and Jordy has learned a lot by watching Clint play. But the skill sets are similar — the ability to throw on the run, the ability to backhand the ball across the body, the throws. Probably the biggest thing Barmes has helped Jordy with is establishing good angles and routes to ground balls. I’d say Jordy has a similar skill set on the defensive side of the ball than Barmes.”

Would the Pirates manager place Mercer on the same tier of defensive excellence as Barmes?

“No, it’s going to take time,” Hurdle said. “He has to get games under his belt and make plays.”

Barring the unforeseen, Mercer is going to get a lot of games under his belt on a team with World Series aspirations. There’s a high likelihood he’ll out-hit his predecessor — perhaps by a meaningful margin — but Pirates pitchers are used to elite defense in the middle of the diamond. How much Mercer contributes with his glove may go a long way in determining whether Pittsburgh returns to the postseason.

Seth Rosin is a Texas Ranger. At least for now. The 25-year-old right-hander learned yesterday he’ll be on the opening-day roster, but as a Rule 5 pick he will have to be offered back to the Phillies if he doesn’t remain with the big-league team all season.

Rosin‘s suitcase has been kept busy. Originally drafted by the Giants in 2010, he was traded to the Phiilies two years later. The Mets took him in last December’s Rule 5 and proceeded to sell him to the Dodgers. Rosin pitched well in spring training, but with no room in a loaded LA bullpen, they cut him loose. The Rangers picked him up on Wednesday.

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Ryan Kalish has freed up his mind and added fluidity to his swing. As a result, the 25-year-old outfielder has a chance to earn a roster spot with the Chicago Cubs. That’s only part of the story.

The once-highly-regarded prospect reached the big leagues with the Red Sox in 2010. His future looked bright, but instead of breaking out, he began breaking down. Injuries have dominated Kalish’s career. He missed all of last season and faced the possibility of never playing again. More on that in a moment.

The adjustments to Kalish’s left-handed stroke began in the off-season. Following a long stint on the shelf, he had to rediscover who he was.

“I was a little mechanical with everything,” said Kalish. “Coming back [from injuries] you think you’re going to just snap back into place. but it’s not that easy. A lot of baseball — especially the swing — is about fluidity and whatever feels most natural.

“Early in the off-season, I was just kind of taking a stride and swinging,” continued Kalish. “With fluidity, you have some sway, or what we like to call ‘swag.’ You have movement and flow. With everything that happened to me, I was concerned with all these little things. The advice I got was, ‘Hey, this is baseball and you have to be natural, you have to let your body do what it wants to do.’ You also have to free your mind. When you’re in the box, thoughts of what you’ve worked on have to go out the window. A lot of what we did as children, I’m trying to get back to now. Back then, we weren’t thinking about anything.”

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Bill Geivett says Brett Anderson will be successful pitching at Coors Field. The Colorado Rockies acquired the 26-year-old left-hander from the Oakland A’s this past December as part of a three-player deal. Hampered by injuries, Anderson appeared in just 16 games last season, and in 35 games during the past three years. When he’s healthy, he’s been effective. The former second-round pick has a 3.81 ERA and a 7.1 K-rate in 450 big-league innings.

Geivett knows those numbers, and more. His title in Colorado is senior vice president of major league operations. According to the Rockies media guide, he provides “direction and input with the roster.” Formerly the head of scouting and player development, he is entering his 14th season with the Rockies.

Geivett appeared on a panel at last weekend’s SABR Analytics Conference, in Phoenix. Afterwards, I had an opportunity to ask him about the acquisition of Anderson, and the impact of Coors Field on the organization’s decision-making process. Here is Geivett’s breakdown: Read the rest of this entry »

Dylan Bundy is on his way back to being Dylan Bundy. That’s great news for the Orioles, as the 21-year-old right-hander was the game’s top pitching prospect heading into last season. He underwent Tommy John surgery in June.

Bundy’s story is well-known. Drafted fourth overall in 2011, out of an Oklahoma high school, his work ethic and training regimen were front-page news. So was his mid-to-high-90s fastball. He made just 23 professional appearances before reaching Baltimore late in the 2012 season. One year ago this month, his elbow began to ache.

Bundy continues to progress. Exactly when he’ll be game-ready is unknown, but a mid-summer return seems likely. Bundy talked about his injury status, and how he approaches the game, just over one week ago. Read the rest of this entry »