CSCS | Hitting Guy | @DrivelineBB Hitting Trainer
Joined October 2014
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Why does bat path need to be more vertical on inside pitches?
Simple, the barrel's sweet spot. Flatter paths push it farther away; vertical paths bring it closer, letting you get behind the ball and work uphill.
That's why flat paths get jammed inside, cast, and pop up more.
Two hitters can have the same attack angle at contact and get there in completely different ways. Full signal attack angle shows us how the path enters the zone and how it travels to contact, so we can see what’s actually driving the number.
Art of Acquiescence - “to accept rather than fight every little thing.”
It can be a liberating feeling when you stop “caring” about the result, but I think it’s more about “accepting” whatever happens/the result.
Control what you can. You cannot fully control results.
NLCS MVP Jake Bauers shares how letting go of results helped him find a different level of freedom as a competitor.
"I think what changed for me this year was I stopped caring about results. I started caring about competing. I started caring about being in the moment and getting out of my own way."
Sometimes, the biggest obstacle to performing at your best isn't a lack of preparation or ability.
It's the pressure you place on yourself to produce a particular outcome.
You become so concerned with what you want to happen that you lose touch with what the moment actually requires.
Any performer can unlock a new level when they learn how to be fully invested in the competition without becoming imprisoned by the outcome.
🎥: Fox Sports
Jorge Arrate retweeted
More of our machine games tool, we've now added the ability to track swing decisions. This allows us to get very creative with some of our environments.
Here's @jlivingston45 absolutely dominating Banger+ off of a Fastball/ Curveball mix.
Jorge Arrate retweeted
This is a great drill for hitters with swing depth/direction issues that forces them to “create space” with the lower body and maintain their posture throughout their swing.
Jorge Arrate retweeted
While this trend is universal, there are many variables that alter the specifics — one of which is pitch location
For a typical hitter, deep➡️on time➡️out front might be:
Outside pitch — hard GB oppo➡️LD oppo gap➡️FB CF
Inside pitch — low LD to CF➡️LD pull-gap➡️HR pull-side
Jorge Arrate retweeted
Trea Turner went from one of the best shortstops in baseball to a below-average hitter in one year. What changed?
2025 → 2026:
📉 fWAR: 6.5 → 1.1
💥 wOBA: .352 → .298
🏆 2025: NL batting title (.304)
Turner’s avg and max exit velo were both down this year, despite a slight increase in bat speed from 2025. His hard hit rate and LA Sweet-Spot% also decreased, while his K% increased.
Contact quality 2025 → 2026:
⚡️ Bat speed: 71.2 → 71.7 mph
💥 Avg exit velo: 89.3 → 88.4 mph
🚀 Max exit velo: 111.7 → 110.1 mph
🔨 HardHit%: 42.1% → 39.3%
🎯 LA Sweet-Spot%: 36.8% → 32.7%
❌ K%: 16.7% → 21.0%
Turner’s batted balls were much less productive in 2026 than 2025. His oppo% went from 25.8% to 30.3%, and his air% increased by 3 points while his pull air% decreased. He also popped up nearly twice as often (4.3% → 8.0%).
But despite him going opposite field more often, his attack direction and point of contact both moved more pull-side.
While his barrel moved more pull-side in 2026, it’s likely that he struggled to release the barrel to match his direction. This would explain why he was going oppo more despite catching the ball further out in front. This was likely causing him to sidespin balls to the right side of the field and limiting his ability to flush balls in the air to the pull side, which could explain this change in ball flight.
In addition to this, his path moving further out in front coincided with his whiff rate and chase rate both increasing. He particularly struggled with pitches at the bottom of the zone.
Swing and miss 2025 → 2026:
🌀 Whiff%: 24.8% → 27.7%
⬇️ Low in-zone Whiff%: 14.9% → 20.0%
🔥 Low in-zone FB Whiff%: 6.2% → 12.6%
🪃 Low in-zone offspeed Whiff%: 16.7% → 28.6%
🔄 Offspeed Whiff%: 27.6% → 36.8%
These changes likely stem from a small mechanical change. While his bat speed improved from 2025 to 2026, his path made it harder for him to consistently square the ball up. He may benefit from a return to his 2025 bat path.
—@Stevie_T12
Jorge Arrate retweeted
Here's how the projected position players on the Rays and Brewers World Series rosters line up in terms of their average bat tracking metrics.
Jorge Arrate retweeted
Trying out a new video format to better visualize the barrel at contact for MLB hitters in game.
With the World Series starting on Friday, here are the top swings in terms of Win Probability Added so far this Postseason.
1. Jackson Chourio: 1B v. SD (DS)➡️+.736 WPA
Jorge Arrate retweeted
Trea Turner:
'25 - 6.5 fWAR, .352 wOBA, batting title
'26 - 1.1 fWAR, .298 wOBA
He went from one of the best shortstops in baseball to a below-average hitter in one year, what changed?
🧵
Jorge Arrate retweeted
An underrated aspect of being a good coach IMO is your ability to get athletes to "buy-in" to what you are trying to accomplish.
@DrivelineBB I believe this comes from the intersection of a data-driven objective approach & real relationship building.
More on this ⤵️⤵️
Jorge Arrate retweeted
When HAA & HBA are both aligned with the Spray Angle, flush contact produces true ball-flight.
When HBA is more pull-side than HAA (club face closed relative to swing direction), the ball will be hooked.
When HBA is more oppo than HAA (club face is open), the ball will slice.
-@kozy_shack
Jorge Arrate retweeted
The environment should drive the adaptation instead of giving the athlete an infinite amount of cues. Cues are fleeting, once the cues are gone, the move goes with them. A solution they found themselves is one they keep.
Jorge Arrate retweeted
Sometimes as a coach, what you don’t say is more important than what you do say.
When an athlete is learning a new move, the best solution is usually the one they find themselves, that's self-organization. Our job as a coach is to guide them, not control them. 🧵
Jorge Arrate retweeted
As coaches we must design a practice environment that promotes self-organization.
- pitch type
- pitch angle
- bat type
- ball type
- physical constraints
- ball flight goals
This doesn't mean setting up the environment and just stop watching the hitter.
A coach still monitors the athletes' progression. Create the environment for targeted changes and steer the player in the right direction.
Drew's Deck 🃏 Bat to Ball game
Draw a card, score total bases if you meet the rule:
♥ In the heart (take ♥ = -1, take non-♥ = +1, swing non-♥ = -1)
♦ Even = pull, odd = oppo
♣ 15-30° LA
♠ 90+ mph EV
Aces = x2
Some highlights ⬇️
