tmoney6

When the Cubs first drafted Harvey I was in the Cubs system. I remember watching him take his first couple of BP's in Mesa. I had two immediate thoughts - man that guy has crazy power, he would hit balls that looked like routine fly balls that would carry 20-30 feet out. He just got great backspin on the ball. The other thought was - his balance at the plate is terrible, and if I were a pitcher, I would never throw him a fastball. Unfortunately for the Cubs, both of those thoughts turned into reality. With Baez, the swing and miss is a little concerning, but I don't think it is a balance swing issue, it is a discipline issue. Granted I have only seen Baez on tv, but it is not an issue with Harvey, of not being able to hit breaking balls or swining through strikes a lot.

Long time reader, first time poster. It's great to see all the walks and the emphasis on drawing walks and working counts. I actually played a year in the Cubs system under the old regime. I remember many a time when a hitter would take a pitch, and the manager would yell from the dugout, swing the bat! It definitely was not a point of emphasis in the previous regime. It comes down to can you teach patience or not. I think you can to some level, but the previous regime was definitely teaching how not to be patient. The thinking was you can't become a better hitter if you dont' swing.