Colvin to start taking grounders at 1B

[inari]

That's crazy considering the defensive changes that have been made from '09 to '10. Where's the downgrade coming from?

 

Ramirez I suppose. Theriot at 2B?

 

Yeah, this is really surprising. I wouldn't have been surprise to see a continuing decline, but that drop is insane. You had Byrd taking over in CF, which is a plus. You had Fukudome moving back to RF which is a plus. Is it the number of errors?

 

it may be. aren't we tops in both unearned runs and errors? i have no idea what happened to the defense either. but it has become an issue that needs to be fixed.

 

The errors seem to be the issue, but is it really something that can or should be "fixed?" If you end up looking to fix defense uber alles you tend to end up with some really underwhelming offense. It seems a ton of it can be attributed to to Aramis and Castro and Theriot. Aramis is definitely having an off year, and it seems to be a pretty safe bet that Castro will improve plus Theriot is gone, so there doesn't really seem to be a pressing need to "fix" the defense over the offense.

 

i will grant you trades may have helped in that getting some of that bad defense out. i think it may be better when a new manager comes in, because i don't think fundamentals were addressed very well though the season or in spring training.

 

but i also know that d-lee saved a bunch of errors too. how many errors do you think we pick up now that he's gone? no bs serious question.

 

personally i would rather have players who can catch the ball rather than hit the ball. and if a player can do both well its a bonus. i don't think having dunn at first base nets a positive runs produced/runs given up and dunn is in his 30s now. i don't think his defense is likely to improve much more.

 

You take your team of fielders and I'll take my team of hitters. Mine will be better 100% of the time.

[risico]

You take your team of fielders and I'll take my team of hitters. Mine will be better 100% of the time.

 

No, it really won't. Bottom line is that you want to play guys that are good at baseball. Tyler Colvin is a decent hitter but it remains to be seen how he'll play defensively at 1B. I doubt he'll be an above-average defender at the position.

 

Colvin's offensive skills are overrated.

[dew1679666265]

 

personally i would rather have players who can catch the ball rather than hit the ball. and if a player can do both well its a bonus. i don't think having dunn at first base nets a positive runs produced/runs given up and dunn is in his 30s now. i don't think his defense is likely to improve much more.

 

i'll take "cezar izturis and ronnie cedeno as the cubs middle infield tandem for the next decade" for 500, alex.

 

It's just one example, but look at this year's Mariners. All throughout the offseason, they were vaunted as a surprise team because they were building with defense and pitching, while pretty much ignoring offense. It didn't work at all.

[inari]

You take your team of fielders and I'll take my team of hitters. Mine will be better 100% of the time.

 

No, it really won't. Bottom line is that you want to play guys that are good at baseball. Tyler Colvin is a decent hitter but it remains to be seen how he'll play defensively at 1B. I doubt he'll be an above-average defender at the position.

 

Colvin's offensive skills are overrated.

 

What? I wasn't saying anything about Tyler Colvin. A good offensive player is more valuable than a good defensive player, period.

[XZero771679666304]

This development was totally predictable, and totally appropriate. You get Colvin more ABs, alleviate the logjam in the OF, and hopefully give Kosuke a chance to boost his value before the end of the year (he has a .977 OPS this month).

 

Either Colvin proves himself further, or tanks further so he can be written off as a regular going into the offseason.

 

Colvin is a nice story, and it would be nice if he panned out, but in my amateur opinion is that he has too many holes in his swing not to be exposed. The sooner this happens, the better.

[davearm2]

No, it really won't. Bottom line is that you want to play guys that are good at baseball. Tyler Colvin is a decent hitter but it remains to be seen how he'll play defensively at 1B. I doubt he'll be an above-average defender at the position.

 

Colvin's offensive skills are overrated.

Opinions on Colvin are all over the board.

 

His offensive skills are quite likely being underrated by the crowd that has already written him off as nothing but a funamentally flawed career 4th OF.

[MWV]

Hendry has Colvin in a keeper league. He's just trying to expand his positional availability.

[sneakypower]

No, it really won't. Bottom line is that you want to play guys that are good at baseball. Tyler Colvin is a decent hitter but it remains to be seen how he'll play defensively at 1B. I doubt he'll be an above-average defender at the position.

 

Colvin's offensive skills are overrated.

Opinions on Colvin are all over the board.

 

His offensive skills are quite likely being underrated by the crowd that has already written him off as nothing but a funamentally flawed career 4th OF.

what are his offensive skills, though? specifically, what does he do that's reliably repeatable?

 

i'd argue that the list is pretty much limited to only bad things

[Sammy Sofa]

No, it really won't. Bottom line is that you want to play guys that are good at baseball. Tyler Colvin is a decent hitter but it remains to be seen how he'll play defensively at 1B. I doubt he'll be an above-average defender at the position.

 

Colvin's offensive skills are overrated.

Opinions on Colvin are all over the board.

 

His offensive skills are quite likely being underrated by the crowd that has already written him off as nothing but a funamentally flawed career 4th OF.

 

What skills has he demonstrated at the plate besides some power?

[davearm2]

See these last two posts prove my point.

 

Hard to argue Colvin's offensive skills are overrated, when many folks think he has no offensive skills.

[Rob]

The short answer is that we have no idea what his repeatable skills are, since his production changes so radically year to year. Sometimes he hits for average, sometimes he doesn't. Sometimes he hits for power, sometimes he doesn't. Hell, sometimes he walks, sometimes he doesn't.

[fromthestretch]

See these last two posts prove my point.

 

Hard to argue Colvin's offensive skills are overrated, when many folks think he has no offensive skills.

 

The fact that many people here are realistic about what we can possibly expect from Colvin doesn't mean the majority of Cubs fans think that way.

[davearm2]

See these last two posts prove my point.

 

Hard to argue Colvin's offensive skills are overrated, when many folks think he has no offensive skills.

 

The fact that many people here are realistic about what we can possibly expect from Colvin doesn't mean the majority of Cubs fans think that way.

Well obviously some fans will overrate him. Same is true of anyone really.

 

It just sounds odd to hear someone say his offensive skills are overrated when all you ever hear around here is how much the guy sucks.

[fromthestretch]

See these last two posts prove my point.

 

Hard to argue Colvin's offensive skills are overrated, when many folks think he has no offensive skills.

 

The fact that many people here are realistic about what we can possibly expect from Colvin doesn't mean the majority of Cubs fans think that way.

Well obviously some fans will overrate him. Same is true of anyone really.

 

It just sounds odd to hear someone say his offensive skills are overrated when all you ever hear around here is how much the guy sucks.

 

The bolded/underlined part is what I'm getting at. What you hear around here doesn't necessarily mirror the opinion of the majority of Cubs fans. Read comments by Cubs fans on other sites, and it's somewhat easy to see that there's no shortage of people who think Colvin is fantastic.

[biittner77]

Two years ago people were saying that Colvin's ceiling was Jacques Jones (perhaps) minus the ability to play a passable CF. That was before the elbow surgery. Somehow, having the elbow surgery and hitting for more power in the majors than he ever had in the minors has reduced his ceiling to 4th OF.

 

Colvin isn't as good as the bulk of the fan base make him out to be or as bad as people here think he is. Hopefully he can be Jacques Jones- not a star but a decent contributor. That doesn't seem like such a stretch of the imagination to think that he reach that ceiling. If they upgrade 1st base they ought to be able to live with that level of production from RF.

[Schwarber Fan]

per Muskat he'll make his debut at first @ WSH

[davearm2]

See these last two posts prove my point.

 

Hard to argue Colvin's offensive skills are overrated, when many folks think he has no offensive skills.

 

The fact that many people here are realistic about what we can possibly expect from Colvin doesn't mean the majority of Cubs fans think that way.

Well obviously some fans will overrate him. Same is true of anyone really.

 

It just sounds odd to hear someone say his offensive skills are overrated when all you ever hear around here is how much the guy sucks.

 

The bolded/underlined part is what I'm getting at. What you hear around here doesn't necessarily mirror the opinion of the majority of Cubs fans. Read comments by Cubs fans on other sites, and it's somewhat easy to see that there's no shortage of people who think Colvin is fantastic.

I guess I'll take your word for it. I admit don't have my finger on the pulse of the majority of Cubs fans, although I'm certain there are plenty of oblivious and overly optimistic ones.

 

I know the vibe I get here, and the vibe I get listening to Pat/Ron/Len/Bob, don't support this overrated label.

[SouthSideRyan]

Commercials for broadcasts refer to them as "Tyler Colvin and the Cubs" take on "________ and the _______"

 

He's overrated

[lumafia]

Tyler Colvin has been intriguing to me based on the binary opposition of the fan base as it pertains to his future.

 

In reviewing his stats alone, it is easy to see why many fans who enjoy statistical analysis (I do) would be skeptical. His numbers are all over the place. His strikeout to walk ratio alone almost disqualifies him from ever being a significant ML contributor. There are a few players that compare favorably to Colvin in sample size, age and production that keep hin on the border of not "I'm not quite ready to give up on him". Larry Walker is a great example.

 

However, his swing tells me something different than his stats. Mechanically, Tyler is as sound as any hitter on the current Cub team, and vastly superior to many players around the league. I've often explained that the most important thing to a hitter is time. Time makes all the difference in the world. A fraction of a fraction of a second can make the difference between a dribbler down the 1B line and a 450ft line drive home run to left-center.

 

A hitter needs time to determine 3 things. Velocity, Location and Movement. The more time a hitter has to figure these 3 things out, the better he will be. The swing mechanics, and the mechanics prior to the swing are vital in increasing the time a hitter has to determine these 3 things. Tyler does not make any of the typical mistakes that ML hitters make. He doesn't drop his hands, or "hitch" (Corey Patterson). He doesn't have much vertical or horizontal movement of his upper or lower body perpendicular to the path of the ball. He doesn't have much horizontal movement parallel to the path of the ball. His load is quiet and well-timed. He gets great torque in his hip rotations without dragging his hands. His track to the ball is short and compact, and his track through the zone is generally pretty flat and the barrel of the bat stays in the zone for an appropriate amount of time. Again, his mechanics are pretty sound.

 

The only weak points I can see, which would be weak points with any tall hitter, is that his bat doesn't stay along the plane of the ball for very long. Since the strikezone is lower in relationship to his hands than a guy who is 6'1, the bat can't stay as flat. While tall hitters enjoy greater leverage, and the advantage of gravity assisting them on the downward plane through the strike zone, they can also be at a disadvantage if they stand upright. They can compensate for this disadvantage by being well-prepared, increasing strength and/or adjusting their stance to make them slightly lower to the ground. Widening your stance by 3 inches can lower the appropriate position of your hands by 1 to 2 inches. Doesn't sound like alot, but when you're adjusting for fractions of a second, a couple of inches is virtually a mile.

 

The other issue is his tendancy to drop his body slightly after the load and right before he swings. The problem here is that his head is moving. Tall hitters will do this in order to try to compensate for the fact that their swing is on too much of a downward plane through the strikezone. To a guy who is 6'3 or taller, a pitch in the lower part of the strikezone can take a swing similar to a golf swing. A tall hitter needs to be exponentially more accurate in order to make solid, level contact on a ball down in the zone.

 

Based on his current swing, I can't see any reason why he would have struggled the way he did in the minors. You can't teach a better swing than he has based on his body type. I'm beginning to wonder if added strength has been a factor in the sudden improvement. Everybody can talk all they want about the effect strength has on hitting, but it is enormous as long as everything else remains equal. If a guy with Colvin's frame adds just 15 pounds of muscle, the impact could be enormous. Because of the tall frame, he doesn't lose much flexibility or range of motion, but the added strength gives him additional time to determine Velocity, Location and Movement.

 

One thing I have noticed in comparing video from Colvin at Clemson to recent video is that he doesn't "wrap" the bat as much. This is when a hitter's bat wraps around his head during the load. At Clemson, his bat would almost be pointing at the pitcher prior the swing. Now, the bat has a more vertical position just before the swing. This can also make a huge difference as the bat has a shorter distance to travel prior to contact with the ball.

 

These are some general observations, as I do not have the time to review hours of video of Colvin. In summary, Colvin appears to have undergone some mechanical changes since college, which could have hurt him in terms of productivity while developing muscle memory, and he could have undergone some physical changes where added strength could easily account for offensive improvement.

 

In terms of mechanics, there is nothing in his swing that sends up a red flag. I'll take a mechanically sound hitter over a smart hitter all day long.

[Warpticon]

personally i would rather have players who can catch the ball rather than hit the ball. and if a player can do both well its a bonus. i don't think having dunn at first base nets a positive runs produced/runs given up and dunn is in his 30s now. i don't think his defense is likely to improve much more.

 

I mean, you're certainly entitled to believe this, but it's fundamentally wrong. Half the game is is offense, and half is defense. Of the defensive portion, at least 60% occurs between the mound and the plate. There are degrees and extremes, sure, in the case of exceptionally good or bad defense. But in general, it's clear that offense has a bigger influence on results than position defense.

[ELCABALLO45]

That's crazy considering the defensive changes that have been made from '09 to '10. Where's the downgrade coming from?

 

Ramirez I suppose. Theriot at 2B?

 

My guess would be Shortstop.

 

Theriot's UZR/150 at Shortstop

 

In 2007 was 4.4

In 2008 was 2.3

In 2009 was 4.1

 

2010 the shortstop for the Cubs

 

Ryan Theriot = -17.2

Starlin Castro = -1.7

[Bryants Disco Ball]

Tyler Colvin has been intriguing to me based on the binary opposition of the fan base as it pertains to his future.

 

In reviewing his stats alone, it is easy to see why many fans who enjoy statistical analysis (I do) would be skeptical. His numbers are all over the place. His strikeout to walk ratio alone almost disqualifies him from ever being a significant ML contributor. There are a few players that compare favorably to Colvin in sample size, age and production that keep hin on the border of not "I'm not quite ready to give up on him". Larry Walker is a great example.

 

However, his swing tells me something different than his stats. Mechanically, Tyler is as sound as any hitter on the current Cub team, and vastly superior to many players around the league. I've often explained that the most important thing to a hitter is time. Time makes all the difference in the world. A fraction of a fraction of a second can make the difference between a dribbler down the 1B line and a 450ft line drive home run to left-center.

 

A hitter needs time to determine 3 things. Velocity, Location and Movement. The more time a hitter has to figure these 3 things out, the better he will be. The swing mechanics, and the mechanics prior to the swing are vital in increasing the time a hitter has to determine these 3 things. Tyler does not make any of the typical mistakes that ML hitters make. He doesn't drop his hands, or "hitch" (Corey Patterson). He doesn't have much vertical or horizontal movement of his upper or lower body perpendicular to the path of the ball. He doesn't have much horizontal movement parallel to the path of the ball. His load is quiet and well-timed. He gets great torque in his hip rotations without dragging his hands. His track to the ball is short and compact, and his track through the zone is generally pretty flat and the barrel of the bat stays in the zone for an appropriate amount of time. Again, his mechanics are pretty sound.

 

The only weak points I can see, which would be weak points with any tall hitter, is that his bat doesn't stay along the plane of the ball for very long. Since the strikezone is lower in relationship to his hands than a guy who is 6'1, the bat can't stay as flat. While tall hitters enjoy greater leverage, and the advantage of gravity assisting them on the downward plane through the strike zone, they can also be at a disadvantage if they stand upright. They can compensate for this disadvantage by being well-prepared, increasing strength and/or adjusting their stance to make them slightly lower to the ground. Widening your stance by 3 inches can lower the appropriate position of your hands by 1 to 2 inches. Doesn't sound like alot, but when you're adjusting for fractions of a second, a couple of inches is virtually a mile.

 

The other issue is his tendancy to drop his body slightly after the load and right before he swings. The problem here is that his head is moving. Tall hitters will do this in order to try to compensate for the fact that their swing is on too much of a downward plane through the strikezone. To a guy who is 6'3 or taller, a pitch in the lower part of the strikezone can take a swing similar to a golf swing. A tall hitter needs to be exponentially more accurate in order to make solid, level contact on a ball down in the zone.

 

Based on his current swing, I can't see any reason why he would have struggled the way he did in the minors. You can't teach a better swing than he has based on his body type. I'm beginning to wonder if added strength has been a factor in the sudden improvement. Everybody can talk all they want about the effect strength has on hitting, but it is enormous as long as everything else remains equal. If a guy with Colvin's frame adds just 15 pounds of muscle, the impact could be enormous. Because of the tall frame, he doesn't lose much flexibility or range of motion, but the added strength gives him additional time to determine Velocity, Location and Movement.

 

One thing I have noticed in comparing video from Colvin at Clemson to recent video is that he doesn't "wrap" the bat as much. This is when a hitter's bat wraps around his head during the load. At Clemson, his bat would almost be pointing at the pitcher prior the swing. Now, the bat has a more vertical position just before the swing. This can also make a huge difference as the bat has a shorter distance to travel prior to contact with the ball.

 

These are some general observations, as I do not have the time to review hours of video of Colvin. In summary, Colvin appears to have undergone some mechanical changes since college, which could have hurt him in terms of productivity while developing muscle memory, and he could have undergone some physical changes where added strength could easily account for offensive improvement.

 

In terms of mechanics, there is nothing in his swing that sends up a red flag. I'll take a mechanically sound hitter over a smart hitter all day long.

 

In case nobody else says it, thanks for the effort on this post. I'm not sure what I think of Colvin overall, but this was a very informative post and interesting to read.

[chopsx9]

Tyler Colvin has been intriguing to me based on the binary opposition of the fan base as it pertains to his future.

 

In reviewing his stats alone, it is easy to see why many fans who enjoy statistical analysis (I do) would be skeptical. His numbers are all over the place. His strikeout to walk ratio alone almost disqualifies him from ever being a significant ML contributor. There are a few players that compare favorably to Colvin in sample size, age and production that keep hin on the border of not "I'm not quite ready to give up on him". Larry Walker is a great example.

 

However, his swing tells me something different than his stats. Mechanically, Tyler is as sound as any hitter on the current Cub team, and vastly superior to many players around the league. I've often explained that the most important thing to a hitter is time. Time makes all the difference in the world. A fraction of a fraction of a second can make the difference between a dribbler down the 1B line and a 450ft line drive home run to left-center.

 

A hitter needs time to determine 3 things. Velocity, Location and Movement. The more time a hitter has to figure these 3 things out, the better he will be. The swing mechanics, and the mechanics prior to the swing are vital in increasing the time a hitter has to determine these 3 things. Tyler does not make any of the typical mistakes that ML hitters make. He doesn't drop his hands, or "hitch" (Corey Patterson). He doesn't have much vertical or horizontal movement of his upper or lower body perpendicular to the path of the ball. He doesn't have much horizontal movement parallel to the path of the ball. His load is quiet and well-timed. He gets great torque in his hip rotations without dragging his hands. His track to the ball is short and compact, and his track through the zone is generally pretty flat and the barrel of the bat stays in the zone for an appropriate amount of time. Again, his mechanics are pretty sound.

 

The only weak points I can see, which would be weak points with any tall hitter, is that his bat doesn't stay along the plane of the ball for very long. Since the strikezone is lower in relationship to his hands than a guy who is 6'1, the bat can't stay as flat. While tall hitters enjoy greater leverage, and the advantage of gravity assisting them on the downward plane through the strike zone, they can also be at a disadvantage if they stand upright. They can compensate for this disadvantage by being well-prepared, increasing strength and/or adjusting their stance to make them slightly lower to the ground. Widening your stance by 3 inches can lower the appropriate position of your hands by 1 to 2 inches. Doesn't sound like alot, but when you're adjusting for fractions of a second, a couple of inches is virtually a mile.

 

The other issue is his tendancy to drop his body slightly after the load and right before he swings. The problem here is that his head is moving. Tall hitters will do this in order to try to compensate for the fact that their swing is on too much of a downward plane through the strikezone. To a guy who is 6'3 or taller, a pitch in the lower part of the strikezone can take a swing similar to a golf swing. A tall hitter needs to be exponentially more accurate in order to make solid, level contact on a ball down in the zone.

 

Based on his current swing, I can't see any reason why he would have struggled the way he did in the minors. You can't teach a better swing than he has based on his body type. I'm beginning to wonder if added strength has been a factor in the sudden improvement. Everybody can talk all they want about the effect strength has on hitting, but it is enormous as long as everything else remains equal. If a guy with Colvin's frame adds just 15 pounds of muscle, the impact could be enormous. Because of the tall frame, he doesn't lose much flexibility or range of motion, but the added strength gives him additional time to determine Velocity, Location and Movement.

 

One thing I have noticed in comparing video from Colvin at Clemson to recent video is that he doesn't "wrap" the bat as much. This is when a hitter's bat wraps around his head during the load. At Clemson, his bat would almost be pointing at the pitcher prior the swing. Now, the bat has a more vertical position just before the swing. This can also make a huge difference as the bat has a shorter distance to travel prior to contact with the ball.

 

These are some general observations, as I do not have the time to review hours of video of Colvin. In summary, Colvin appears to have undergone some mechanical changes since college, which could have hurt him in terms of productivity while developing muscle memory, and he could have undergone some physical changes where added strength could easily account for offensive improvement.

 

In terms of mechanics, there is nothing in his swing that sends up a red flag. I'll take a mechanically sound hitter over a smart hitter all day long.

 

In case nobody else says it, thanks for the effort on this post. I'm not sure what I think of Colvin overall, but this was a very informative post and interesting to read.

 

Yeah you lost me initially at "binary opposition of fan base" but based on the above prodding I took a second look and it was, indeed, an interesting read.

[risico]

personally i would rather have players who can catch the ball rather than hit the ball. and if a player can do both well its a bonus. i don't think having dunn at first base nets a positive runs produced/runs given up and dunn is in his 30s now. i don't think his defense is likely to improve much more.

 

I mean, you're certainly entitled to believe this, but it's fundamentally wrong. Half the game is is offense, and half is defense. Of the defensive portion, at least 60% occurs between the mound and the plate. There are degrees and extremes, sure, in the case of exceptionally good or bad defense. But in general, it's clear that offense has a bigger influence on results than position defense.

 

Prove it and I'll believe it. Until you don't, I won't.

 

Pitching is obviously a vastly important part of the defensive game, but being able to catch the ball matters. How much it matters probably varies greatly depending on the pitcher, the ballpark, etc.

 

I don't know how valuable defense is in such vague terms, but I don't think you can make a blanket statement like, "A good offensive player is more valuable than a good defensive player."

 

What if the good defensive player has an average bat and the good offensive player is a Carlos Lee clone? There are some good hitters whose defensive gaffes cost their team a good amount of runs. What if the good defensive player costs you $2MM and the good offensive player costs you $12MM? Contracts have to be taken into consideration when assessing value.

 

Face it, most people value offense more highly than defense because offensive stats are more easily quantifiable. That doesn't mean that defense isn't important - it just means we need to continue to create and refine better defensive stats.

 

To me, in the end, the best value is the quality that's being under-appreciated in the current market. For awhile defensive skill was being almost ignored and some of the more savvy teams (Minnesota, Boston) used this to their advantage by signing good players to cheap contracts. I think now more value is being placed on good defense.

[Magnetic Curses]

Tyler Colvin has been intriguing to me based on the binary opposition of the fan base as it pertains to his future.

 

In reviewing his stats alone, it is easy to see why many fans who enjoy statistical analysis (I do) would be skeptical. His numbers are all over the place. His strikeout to walk ratio alone almost disqualifies him from ever being a significant ML contributor. There are a few players that compare favorably to Colvin in sample size, age and production that keep hin on the border of not "I'm not quite ready to give up on him". Larry Walker is a great example.

 

However, his swing tells me something different than his stats. Mechanically, Tyler is as sound as any hitter on the current Cub team, and vastly superior to many players around the league. I've often explained that the most important thing to a hitter is time. Time makes all the difference in the world. A fraction of a fraction of a second can make the difference between a dribbler down the 1B line and a 450ft line drive home run to left-center.

 

A hitter needs time to determine 3 things. Velocity, Location and Movement. The more time a hitter has to figure these 3 things out, the better he will be. The swing mechanics, and the mechanics prior to the swing are vital in increasing the time a hitter has to determine these 3 things. Tyler does not make any of the typical mistakes that ML hitters make. He doesn't drop his hands, or "hitch" (Corey Patterson). He doesn't have much vertical or horizontal movement of his upper or lower body perpendicular to the path of the ball. He doesn't have much horizontal movement parallel to the path of the ball. His load is quiet and well-timed. He gets great torque in his hip rotations without dragging his hands. His track to the ball is short and compact, and his track through the zone is generally pretty flat and the barrel of the bat stays in the zone for an appropriate amount of time. Again, his mechanics are pretty sound.

 

The only weak points I can see, which would be weak points with any tall hitter, is that his bat doesn't stay along the plane of the ball for very long. Since the strikezone is lower in relationship to his hands than a guy who is 6'1, the bat can't stay as flat. While tall hitters enjoy greater leverage, and the advantage of gravity assisting them on the downward plane through the strike zone, they can also be at a disadvantage if they stand upright. They can compensate for this disadvantage by being well-prepared, increasing strength and/or adjusting their stance to make them slightly lower to the ground. Widening your stance by 3 inches can lower the appropriate position of your hands by 1 to 2 inches. Doesn't sound like alot, but when you're adjusting for fractions of a second, a couple of inches is virtually a mile.

 

The other issue is his tendancy to drop his body slightly after the load and right before he swings. The problem here is that his head is moving. Tall hitters will do this in order to try to compensate for the fact that their swing is on too much of a downward plane through the strikezone. To a guy who is 6'3 or taller, a pitch in the lower part of the strikezone can take a swing similar to a golf swing. A tall hitter needs to be exponentially more accurate in order to make solid, level contact on a ball down in the zone.

 

Based on his current swing, I can't see any reason why he would have struggled the way he did in the minors. You can't teach a better swing than he has based on his body type. I'm beginning to wonder if added strength has been a factor in the sudden improvement. Everybody can talk all they want about the effect strength has on hitting, but it is enormous as long as everything else remains equal. If a guy with Colvin's frame adds just 15 pounds of muscle, the impact could be enormous. Because of the tall frame, he doesn't lose much flexibility or range of motion, but the added strength gives him additional time to determine Velocity, Location and Movement.

 

One thing I have noticed in comparing video from Colvin at Clemson to recent video is that he doesn't "wrap" the bat as much. This is when a hitter's bat wraps around his head during the load. At Clemson, his bat would almost be pointing at the pitcher prior the swing. Now, the bat has a more vertical position just before the swing. This can also make a huge difference as the bat has a shorter distance to travel prior to contact with the ball.

 

These are some general observations, as I do not have the time to review hours of video of Colvin. In summary, Colvin appears to have undergone some mechanical changes since college, which could have hurt him in terms of productivity while developing muscle memory, and he could have undergone some physical changes where added strength could easily account for offensive improvement.

 

In terms of mechanics, there is nothing in his swing that sends up a red flag. I'll take a mechanically sound hitter over a smart hitter all day long.

 

In case nobody else says it, thanks for the effort on this post. I'm not sure what I think of Colvin overall, but this was a very informative post and interesting to read.

 

yeah good read. impressive observations there. i think the walks will come if he can keep up the power numbers, too.