Good Article on the Adjustments Pie Is Making

[vance_the_cubs_fan]

Link.

 

Cubs manager Lou Piniella told Pie to implement a higher front step into his swing to quicken and shorten him up. But Pie wasn’t getting his foot down in time, and with the higher step tended to drop his hands too early. As a result, Iowa hitting coach Von Joshua said Pie was doing the pitchers work for them.

 

“Just think of trying to throw a baseball before your foot gets down,” explained Joshua. “You can’t do it ... If you’re not creating a wall with your front side, your swing is going to be long, uppercut, loopy or whatever.”

 

 

and then this...

 

 

Recently, Joshua said he has seen Pie getting his “swerve back, so to speak,” referring to a return to his normal demeanor. He is beginning to build consistency in his new approach, which Pie says comes from practice.

 

“I get it now, so I feel comfortable,” Pie said. “I’m doing everything right now… My front foot, I put it in the ground on time. I’m working on it a lot now.”

 

Pie said that he’s not worried about his average, but instead about “working every day to get it.” With success at every minor league level, he hadn’t had to worry about his average until he was called up for the first time by Chicago last year

[CubsGM]

Win you pathetic losers.

Oh wrong board.

[vance_the_cubs_fan]

Oops. I didn't mean to post it here. Needs to be moved. :oops:

[Fred Hornkohl]

Oops. I didn't mean to post it here. Needs to be moved. :oops:

 

What's the matter with you, Vance ?? You know better than to post this in game threads.... and you chide me for being old and senile. Harumph !!

[manbearcub]

too much of the drinky-drinky?

[Fred Hornkohl]

too much of the drinky-drinky?

 

Multiple trips to Hooters can do that to you..... or so I hear. :wink:

[A New Era]

IB4M. (IB4 move). :mrgreen:

[RedFlash]

too much of the drinky-drinky?

 

Multiple trips to Hooters can do that to you..... or so I hear. :wink:

 

I thought that was called "motorboating?"

[rawaction]

He's starting to get it. 12-30, 2 BBs, 4 Ks, 4 XBH in his last 10 games.

[Sammy Sofa]

Mmmmm, adjusted pie.

[Outshined_One]

If Edmonds keeps up his torrid production with the Cubs, Pie can take as much time as he needs to get everything he needs taken care of.

 

Seriously, Edmonds' numbers with the Cubs have been absolutely stellar. I'm floored.

[Amazing_Grace]

Any word on whether Pie is working on taking more pitches and getting deeper into counts. I don't think he has the power to get away with being that much of a free swinger.

[UK1679666180]

Any word on whether Pie is working on taking more pitches and getting deeper into counts. I don't think he has the power to get away with being that much of a free swinger.

 

Do you really want Pie to work the count at this stage and end up in alot of two strike counts? I want him to get a good pitch to hit and try to hit it hard. He's never going to be a high BB guy, I'm more concerned with him putting the ball into play hard rather than BBs.

 

Which saying becoming less of a free swinger and me saying getting a good pitch to hit is different in semantics only. Although, I disagree with him needing to work the count at this stage.

[CuseCubFan69]

Any word on whether Pie is working on taking more pitches and getting deeper into counts. I don't think he has the power to get away with being that much of a free swinger.

 

Do you really want Pie to work the count at this stage and end up in alot of two strike counts? I want him to get a good pitch to hit and try to hit it hard. He's never going to be a high BB guy, I'm more concerned with him putting the ball into play hard rather than BBs.

 

Which saying becoming less of a free swinger and me saying getting a good pitch to hit is different in semantics only. Although, I disagree with him needing to work the count at this stage.

 

I'd be happy with better mechanics and pitch recognition.

[UK1679666180]

Agreed, but those adjustments and pitch recognition still have to lead to him centering the ball better. His recent stretch at Iowa hopefully is a sign of things to come, espec. if the make shift LF'ers struggle (although, Soriano might be ready soon rather than later).

[Balsa]

Good maybe he'll have some value when we trade him at the deadline.

[Amazing_Grace]

Any word on whether Pie is working on taking more pitches and getting deeper into counts. I don't think he has the power to get away with being that much of a free swinger.

 

Do you really want Pie to work the count at this stage and end up in alot of two strike counts? I want him to get a good pitch to hit and try to hit it hard. He's never going to be a high BB guy, I'm more concerned with him putting the ball into play hard rather than BBs.

 

Which saying becoming less of a free swinger and me saying getting a good pitch to hit is different in semantics only. Although, I disagree with him needing to work the count at this stage.

 

Yeah, it's a lot of semantics. I think what we're both really saying is he's got to stop swinging at pitches that bounce over the plate. Not everybody is going to be Grace or Fukudome, but we don't need any more Jacque Joneses. I'd like to see an IsoD of around .060 to .075 out of Pie at Iowa, which would probably translate into maybe a .040 to .050 in the majors. You have to be somewhat disciplined to produce unless you have phenomenal power like Ryan Howard. If we're in agreement that Pie doesn't have that kind of power, then we're really not disagreeing at all.

[CuseCubFan69]

Agreed, but those adjustments and pitch recognition still have to lead to him centering the ball better. His recent stretch at Iowa hopefully is a sign of things to come, espec. if the make shift LF'ers struggle (although, Soriano might be ready soon rather than later).

 

What I didn't like when he was up with the Cubs was his tendency to pull everything....or try too. I think that is what they were talking about regarding the lead foot.

 

I haven't seen him enough to watch his centering of the ball, what did they say was stopping that?

[TheDude]

Agreed, but those adjustments and pitch recognition still have to lead to him centering the ball better. His recent stretch at Iowa hopefully is a sign of things to come, espec. if the make shift LF'ers struggle (although, Soriano might be ready soon rather than later).

 

What I didn't like when he was up with the Cubs was his tendency to pull everything....or try too. I think that is what they were talking about regarding the lead foot.

 

I haven't seen him enough to watch his centering of the ball, what did they say was stopping that?

 

His biggest issue at the big league level was pitch recognition. I don't recall ever seeing a player take so many strikes and swing at so many balls.

 

I'm glad he is working on a quicker stroke. It will make him a better 2-strike hitter. But if he doesn't see the strike zone better, I'm not sure he's going to ever truly break out to potential.

[CuseCubFan69]

Agreed, but those adjustments and pitch recognition still have to lead to him centering the ball better. His recent stretch at Iowa hopefully is a sign of things to come, espec. if the make shift LF'ers struggle (although, Soriano might be ready soon rather than later).

 

What I didn't like when he was up with the Cubs was his tendency to pull everything....or try too. I think that is what they were talking about regarding the lead foot.

 

I haven't seen him enough to watch his centering of the ball, what did they say was stopping that?

 

His biggest issue at the big league level was pitch recognition. I don't recall ever seeing a player take so many strikes and swing at so many balls.

 

I'm glad he is working on a quicker stroke. It will make him a better 2-strike hitter. But if he doesn't see the strike zone better, I'm not sure he's going to ever truly break out to potential.

 

Yeah, letting strike one go by and then swinging horribly at strike 3 is not the way to improve. Once he starts nutting that first pitch pitchers will have to change their approach and if he can lay off the off speed stuff out of the strike zone on pitch one, he'll be in better shape.

 

I saw Lil Patt yesterday and the count was 2-0. Pitch 3 was a low pitch that his brother would have swung at but Eric let it go for Ball 3. Little things like that add up huge.