Sunday Notes: Grichuk’s Barrel, Kohl Stewart’s Moxie, Opening Day Is Here

Randal Grichuk demurred slightly when I asked if he identifies as a power hitter. The St. Louis outfielder hesitated, then said “I’m a guy who is gap-to-gap and can also drive the ball out of the yard.”

In the opinion of a teammate and his hitting coach, Grichuk was guilty of underselling his greatest strength. Infielder Mark Reynolds told me Grichuk “hits balls 500 feet, and at the end of the day, that’s who he is.” John Mabry said, “He’s a power hitter. There are plenty of things he does right, and that’s one of them.”

The 23-year-old former first-round pick did enough right in the Grapefruit circuit to earn a spot on the Cardinals’ opening day roster. His strong spring followed a season in which he catapulted 25 home runs in Triple-A and five more in the big-leagues. Two of the latter came in post-season action.

The Cardinals knew they were getting a potential impact bat when they acquired Grichuk (and Peter Bourjos) from the Angels in exchange for David Freese and Fernando Salas in November 2013. They also knew the player drafted directly in front of Mike Trout was a work-in-progress. Despite being on the doorstep of a breakout, he remains in search of an identity.

“I’m still learning,” admitted Grinchuk. “It takes reps and experience to figure out who you are as a hitter, and I got called up for the first time last year. I was still working on my swing, especially around the middle of the season when I got sent down for the second time.”

Grichuk was hitting .136, with one home run in 48 plate appearances, when he was demoted in mid-June. What Mabry saw was a young player not fully comfortable with his surroundings – or with his approach.

“Sometimes when you get here, you don’t know what animal you’re hunting,” said Mabry. “He got a little taste of it last year and had to figure it out on the fly. But he’s got the tools for this level, and he’s going in the direction he needs to go.”

How the right-handed hitter’s bat got from Point A to Point B underwent tweaking last summer. The implementation was presumably simpler than its explanation.

“It was about keeping the barrel still,” said Grichuk. “Some people kind of swing with loose wrists and I was trying to keep them tight so the bat head wouldn’t go in and out of the zone real quick. With a still bat, you stay in the zone longer and get to balls a lot easier, both inside and outside.”

Mabry explained it as “trying to get a little more length in the strike zone,” which prompted me to ask how that equates to being short and direct to the ball.

“It’s easy to get messed up in the verbiage,” responded Mabry. “When you’re talking about hitting, there’s a feel-versus-real kind of thing that people can debate for hours. Let’s go with this: He’s trying to control the barrel through the strike zone – understand where the barrel is throughout his entire swing – because if you lose that barrel, you open up holes in your swing.”

Grichuk has lost more baseballs than barrels since refining his stroke. He finished strong last season and his slash line this spring was .250/.365/.545. The slugging percentage stands out, and while the sample size is small, it’s also indicative of what he is. Whether he wants to admit it or not, Grichuk is a power hitter.

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Mark Reynolds is a power hitter who strikes out a lot and hits for a low average. For better or worse, that’s who he is. Prior to reaching the big leagues, he was something else.

Reynolds hit .280 on the farm, twice finishing north of the .300 mark. That number has plummeted in the majors – .229 over eight seasons – although he hasn’t necessarily sold out for power. It comes naturally, while making contact doesn’t. As he put it, “From personal experience, when you try to hit homers, you fail. You just want to put a good swing on the ball, and my natural ability is to hit the ball out of the park.”

The 31-year-old came to terms with his identity in his mid-to-late 20s, and while he wishes some things were otherwise, he’s satisfied with his lot.

“I’ve stuck to my strengths and still have a jersey,” said Reynolds. “It’s all good.”

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Kohl Stewart doesn’t lack confidence. Drafted fourth overall by the Twins out of a Houston high school two years ago, the 20-year-old looks in the mirror and sees a craftsman. Unlike most moundsmen his age, he considers pitchability a strong suit.

The right-hander’s repertoire includes two- and four-seam fastballs, a curveball, a slider and a changeup. According to minor league pitching coordinator Eric Rasmussen, his charge “uses all of his pitches and his offspeed is pretty advanced for a young guy.”

Stewart considers his slider his best secondary pitch, followed by his changeup and his curveball. The ranking follows a predictable order, as the slider was his out pitch in high school and he didn’t throw a curveball until after he signed.

The introduction of Uncle Charlie is somewhat curious, as many pitchers are limited to one breaking pitch in the early stages of their development. Youngsters who throw both a curveball and slider are frequently told to put one in their back pocket. The Twins opted to have him add rather than subtract.

“It depends on the guy, and whether those pitches are defined,” explained Rasmussen. “When they start bleeding into each other, which they usually do, you have to make a choice. Otherwise you end up having two crappy breaking balls that look the same. But if one is a slider and one is a curveball, which is the case with Kohl, then they’re OK.”

Rasmussen told me Stewart “has a pretty good idea of who he is,” and the youngster certainly isn’t backing away from the assessment. When I suggested it will take him time to go from thrower to pitcher, he took umbrage.

“I don’t know about that,” responded Stewart, who logged a 2.59 ERA in low-A last year. “I feel like I’m a pitcher. I’m still learning to use my stuff – that’s part of growing up and having a better picture — but I have a plan and know what I’m doing. I think know how to pitch.”

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In the opinion of a pair of Red Sox pitchers, Kohl Stewart may not be far off base. I shared the youngster’s comments, but not his name, with Craig Breslow and Rick Porcello.

“Every individual is a case-by-case basis,” said Porcello. “Just because it takes most people time to figure it out doesn’t mean it’s going to be the same for him. If he’s confident and feels like he has a good idea, then maybe he’s right. It’s not that he won’t keep learning – the process never stops – but I don’t think you can just say ‘He doesn’t know how to pitch at 20.’ He very well could know how to pitch at 20.”

“It’s possible that he’s got a pretty good feel for pitching,” agreed Breslow. “The way you approach a game as a 20-year-old may not be exactly the same in terms of pitch selection and sequencing. But if he has the ability to command a couple of pitches, read swings and change speeds, while his abilities may adapt as he gets older, his feel for pitching may remain exactly the same.”

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When I talked to Andy Oliver two weeks ago, I expected to be writing about how the Rule 5 pick had won a spot on the Phillies pitching staff. At the time, he was throwing strikes and putting up zeroes. Further aiding his cause was the announcement that fellow lefty reliever Mario Hollands has a damaged elbow.

Things didn’t work out as planned. The 27-year-old has reportedly been placed on waivers, putting at least a temporary damper on his rejuvenation.

Once one of the top prospects in the Tigers system, Oliver went from failed starter to overpowering bullpen arm in Triple-A last year. Pitching for the Pirates’ Indianapolis affiliate, he allowed just 35 hits in 64 innings, and punched out 85. The one negative was his long-standing lack of command, as he walked 47.

His numbers this spring eventually forged a similar path. In 12 innings, the reclamation project allowed five hits while walking 10 and fanning 21. Initially, the free passes were at a minimum, justifying speculation that he’d earn a job. Unfortunately, they began to multiply and his chances to go north with the club went south.

Prior to Oliver’s downturn, pitching coach Bob McClure told me the left-hander “has a good arm and is locating the ball better.” Regarding Oliver’s career path, McClure conjectured that “Maybe this is just his time. Some guys struggle here and there, then all of a sudden, Boom! They can just play.”

As of right now, where Andy Oliver will play the 2015 season remains a question.

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Andrew Lambo doesn’t have much left to prove in Triple-A. The past two seasons, his OPS in Indianapolis has been .933 and .952. His production in Pittsburgh is a different story. Playing primarily in September, he is 17 for 69 with a lone long ball.

The 26-year-old is about to get April at bats for the first time, but probably not enough to enhance his standing. Right now he’s a spare part, and when Jaff Decker’s calf strain heals he could end up back on the farm. Further compounding the situation is the difficulty of hitting when playing time is at a premium.

“You can’t use that as an excuse,” Lambo told me in Bradenton. “When you get your opportunity, you have to shine. It is what it is, and you can’t control how many at bats you get. What you can control is what you do when you get them. You have to showcase yourself.”

The former phenom has matured since he entered the 2009 season as the Dodgers’ top-rated prospect. Adversity – some of his own making – has taught him well, as evidenced by his approach toward bettering his game.

“It’s all about mastering your craft,” said Lambo. “You can take something as a negative and think, ‘Oh no, I need to do something,’ or you can go, ‘Hey, let’s learn something new today.’ And it’s not so much, ‘Let’s get back to the big leagues,’ it’s ‘Let’s have success in the big leagues.’ You need to break that barrier and go from minor-leaguer to major-leaguer.”

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A few weeks ago, a cloudburst cut short a minor-league contest on the back fields in Fort Myers. Fortunately for Rays corner infield prospect Richie Shaffer, rainy days don’t get him down.

Standing under cover as the skies cried, I asked the 2012 first-rounder about his so-so numbers in pro ball. The 24-year-old is a .247/.324/.426 hitter, but based on his response he’s nowhere near shedding tears.

“Each player’s progression is his own path,” said Shaffer. “Just because I haven’t hit .300 or had any landmark numbers doesn’t mean I’m not progressing. I’m very confident right now, and think I’m going to have a great year.”

I have no reason to doubt the former Clemson Tiger, but I nonetheless asked why.

“I finished last year really strong,” answered Shaffer. “I’ve made adjustments and am more direct to the ball with my hands, and more under control with my lower half. I’m mechanically sound and more physical this year.”

Shaffer also admitted he’s been too aggressive and needs to do a better job of waiting for his pitch. Rather than staying within himself, he’s been “wanting to hit the ball hard every time.” Going forward, he plans to “zone into my hitting zone and not think I can hit everything that crosses the plate.”

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My February 22 column mentioned how MLB managers and coaches pay union dues but don’t receive full representation. A source in the same story suggested coaching salaries, especially when compared to the major-league minimum for players, should be higher.

I asked Tony Clark, the head of the MLBPA, about the perceived discrepancy.

“It does come up,” said Clark. “Unfortunately, the representation we provide is not salary representation. They negotiate their individual salaries with the clubs. I think a better conversation would be to talk to management as to why a lot of the coaching staffs are paid the way they are. At the end of the day, some clubs value what these coaches bring to the table, and some clubs don’t appear to nearly as much.

“With respect to our representation, they’re part of our benefit plan. Pension, medical, retirement – those are the areas we can provide support for. Their individual salaries, we don’t.”

I asked MLBPA’s executive director how long the dichotomy has been in place.

“That was established going back to Marvin Miller,” answered Clark. “Just a little while ago.”

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OPENING DAY CARDS-CUBS FACTOIDS

The Cardinals and Cubs have faced each other 34 times on opening day. Chicago holds a 20-12 edge. There have been two ties, each time with the game called on account of darkness after 11 innings.

In 1911, the Cubs and Cardinals played to a 3-3 tie on opening day. Cubs starter Ed Reulbach was lifted after walking the first two batters of the game. Orlie Weaver relieved him and promptly hit the first two batters he faced, forcing in a run. Weaver recovered and completed the contest.

In 1965, the Cubs and Cardinals played to a 10-10 tie on opening day. In the bottom of the ninth, down three with two out and none on, the Cubs got a pair of singles and a home run from Ernie Banks to send the game into extras. Steve Carlton made his MLB debut that day, walking the only batter he faced.

RANDOM FACTS AND STATS (AND A QUOTE)

In 1913, Boston Braves’ rookie shortstop Rabbit Maranville got three hits off Christy Mathewson on opening day.

Walter Johnson had seven opening day shutouts.

On this date in 1979, Earl Weaver got win number 1,000 of his managerial career. The Orioles beat the White Sox 5-3 on opening day.

On this date in 1971, the Cardinals return Rule 5 pick Cecil Cooper to the Red Sox. Cooper made his MLB debut later that year and went on to hit .298/.337/.466 over 17 seasons.

Duke University has produced 45 MLB players. The University of Wisconsin-Madison has produced 30 MLB players.

“The game begins in the spring, when everything else begins again, and it blossoms in the summer, filling the afternoons and evenings.” – A. Bartlett Giamatti