If anything marked his first month’s struggle with the Rangers, it was that he was treating fastballs as if they were in an amnesty program. This is a guy who was in the top third of the league in batting average against high velocity over the last five years. In April, he hit just .125 on fastballs, regardless of their velocity.
Last year, he hit just .211 for the first month of the season with a .658 OPS while with Toronto. Then came May. Something, something in like a lamb, out like a lion. Maybe that’s the other way around. And a different month. But it fits. When he joined the Rangers, in addition to the weight that comes with a mega-contract, there was also the pressure of jump-starting a previously moribund offense. And maybe he took those responsibilities a little too seriously and tried too hard to be a good example. The Rangers want hitters to be aggressive, attacking early in counts if pitchers are going to try to sneak fastballs in to get ahead in counts.
“There’s been some inconsistency there from this year to last year and how his body is moving,” manager Chris Woodward explained. “But he’s been open to that. And he’s like: ‘I want to figure this out.’ I hope he doesn’t overwhelm himself. I don’t think it’s a huge fix. I think it’s pretty simple. But by simple, it may take a little time to get it perfectly right. I think he will be fine. He’s on the right trail to get solutions. That’s encouraging.
Evan_P_Grant This headline is weird and, without reading it, is probably just an apology piece. He’s had a slow start. Nothing more to see here…yet.
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