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Isotopes sluggers share their tips for consistent hitting
Photo by Craig FritzTribune
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Isotopes left fielder Chad Hermansen takes a cut at the plate, slapping a double against the Portland Beavers. Hermansen leads the Isotopes and ranks fifth in the PCL with a .358 batting average. "I keep it real simple," he said of his routine at the plate. "I don't need to adjust my gloves; I just need to be focused and ready to hit." Hermansen is also fourth in the PCL - and first on the ÕTopes - with 28 RBIs.
Photo by Craig FritzTribune
Tribune
Robert Andino warms up on deck at Isotopes Park. The season began miserably for Albuquerque's leadoff hitter and shortstop, but he's raised his average from .140 to .267. "I think the repetition is really important," he said, "but I really don't know all the secrets." Lil' Wayne songs and a relaxed on-deck approach are part of Andino's hitting routine.
Top tips
Three Isotopes hitters and their coach share some words of wisdom for up-and-coming sluggers:
Chad Hermansen, left fielder who bats third: "You have to work at your craft. The guys who make it are the ones who are constantly watching and learning from other guys. And then you have to practice what you learn. You have to hit every day."
Valentino Pascucci, first baseman who bats fourth: "It's all mental. You have to develop a good approach you are comfortable with and stay positive even when the hits aren't coming. If you can figure out how to not get too up when things are good or too down when things are bad, you'll be in good shape."
Robert Andino, shortstop and leadoff hitter: "You have to visualize your personal highlight tape. You never want to see the bad stuff, just the good stuff right before you're about to hit. That reminds you that you're a good hitter. You have to do stuff like that because every level you move up in the game, it becomes more and more mental."
Steve Phillips, hitting coach: "The biggest mistake I see from young guys is over-swinging. Everyone wants the big hit, the home run. They want to blast it out of the park, but they end up throwing off their swing and killing their timing. Relax and go for good form. Then the strong hitting will come naturally."
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It's all about timing.
Ask a player who has been slamming the ball sweet and smooth, and he can ramble on all night about the beautiful art of hitting.
Ask a player mired in a crippling slump, and he'll speak of the dreaded batter's box like a fickle lover who betrayed him more than once.
It may be pure joy for some and utter torture for others, but collectively the Albuquerque Isotopes seem to have found their hitting groove. The hot hitting helped the 'Topes climb out of an ugly hole in the Pacific Coast League standings, opening the year 8-11.
The Isotopes, who collected a 6-2 home loss to Portland on Thursday night, are 18-16 and first in the PCL American South Division. The loss snapped a four-game Isotopes winning streak and saw Manager Dean Treanor ejected for the fourth time this season. This time Treanor got the axe while making a pitching change in the sixth inning, although he did not digress into a tirade as he headed for the clubhouse.
The Isotopes struggled against Portland, but the club can still build on the major strides it has made the past 15 games.
Albuquerque always boasted strong numbers in Isotopes Park, a hitter's park, but the road numbers haven't been nearly as glamorous. Somehow the ÕTopes reversed the trend during their 12-game road trip and posted an 8-4 mark thanks to strong hitting.
"I looked at the numbers when I got here, and it was hard to believe were actually 10 points lower on the road," Isotopes hitting coach Steve Phillips said. "It definitely boosts our guys' confidence when we hit well on the road, and I take a lot of pride in how well they did on that road trip. It isn't easy to dig a hole and climb out of it."
So how did they catch baseball fire in a bottle, hitting so well on the road?
Three Isotopes players shared their thoughts on battling through droughts and pushing for consistent hitting.
Robert Andino: Mention hitting and Andino groans.
The numbers show he opened the season on a brutal slump, hitting .140, but the shortstop has since rebounded to a .267 average as Albuquerque's leadoff hitter.
Andino isn't so sure the strikeout ghosts are behind him.
As a hitter, he's confident but wary. Andino's been around long enough to know it's impossible to always be a star slugger because slumps can strike at any moment.
"You have to stay positive," he said. "I learned from a lot of veterans that you have to visualize and see yourself hitting the ball. You can't let it mess with your head when you aren't hitting stuff you know you should be hitting."
Andino is no Nomar Garciaparra, who cycles through an exaggerated glove adjustments and bat taps before every pitch. But Andino does have a routine every game day.
He listens to rapper Lil' Wayne before every game to pump him up and boost his confidence. Andino stares at the pitcher while in the on-deck circle and practices some languid warm-up swings.
"I think everyone in baseball brushes the dirt, touches their helmet and adjusts their gloves," Andino said. "I don't even know what I do. It's just automatic now, but I definitely would know it if I changed something. It's what I do to stay focused."
Andino spent hours studying film of pitchers and tweaking his swing, making he sure fear didn't own him in the batter's box.
"I think the repetition is really important, but I really don't know all the secrets," he said. "Maybe I'm the wrong guy to ask because I'm still trying to figure it all out."
Chad Hermansen: Strong hitting wasn't optional for Hermansen.
"I wasn't even sure I was going to make this team in spring training, so I really wanted to make my mark once I did get a roster spot," said Hermansen, a left fielder. "I focused a lot on being the best hitter I could be to help the team."
Hermansen leads the Isotopes and ranks fifth in the PCL with a .358 batting average. He also is the club's top RBI hitter - fourth in the PCL with 28 so far this season.
For Hermansen, it's all about preparation.
He studies as much as he can about pitchers, which can be tough with so much movement between Triple-A and major league clubs.
"No matter how much I've seen of them, I'm always watching the pitcher from the start of the game to figure out how he's throwing and what he's comfortable with that night," he said.
Hermansen treats batting practice as his best chance to keep his job, focusing on maintaining a good rhythm and form.
On game day, he tries to clear his head of every possible distraction.
He eschews the extended tics heading into the batter's box, only moving the dirt to plant his feet and make sure he has good balance.
"I keep it real simple," he said. "I don't need to adjust my gloves; I just need to be focused and ready to hit."
Valentino Pascucci: Pascucci has made a career out of making sure his teammates aren't stranded on base in crunch time. The first baseman usually hits fourth in the Isotopes lineup, a position with the pressure of clearing the decks and putting points on the board.
Pascucci has responded well. He leads the Isotopes and the PCL with nine home runs.
"It's the spot I've played all my life, so I've kind of gotten used to the pressure," he said. "I like it. I like the responsibility. I also think the pitcher has to be pretty nervous with those guys out there on base."
Like Hermansen, Pascucci says he has no elaborate pregame or batter box rituals.
He is more focused on the pitcher's routine than any adjustments he might need to make.
"You have to push away all distractions and be ready for that first pitch," he said. "A lot of guys aren't ready for the first pitch and sometimes it's the best one you're going to get."
