Alex Cora discovered a comparability he likes for Alex Verdugo.
Cora recommended that Verdugo’s early-season energy spike is a reminder that Verdugo might observe the trail of Jose Ramirez, a perennial MVP candidate with the Cleveland Guardians.
“It’s kind of like – this guy is a freak, one of the best hitters in the big leagues, Jose Ramirez,” Cora mentioned of Verdugo. “He went from hitting 50 doubles to hitting 30 doubles and virtually 40 house runs. That’s the development. Hopefully that is the start of one thing nice.
“We went through this path before. I don’t want him to try to hit homers. I want him to just hit homers. This guy can hit 40 doubles and 20 homers. If he does that we’ll be very happy. If he runs into 30, that’ll be great.”
Ramirez hit 46 doubles with 11 homers in his third large leagues season in 2016, then turned an elite energy hitter who has eclipsed 30 house runs twice, together with a 39-homer season in 2018.
Verdugo, in his fourth full season, is coming off a yr wherein he hit 32 doubles with 13 homers.
With three homers by the staff’s first eight video games, Verdugo is on tempo for a 60-homer yr.
“I feel like each year I always try to say, I’m going to hit 30 and I hit like 12,” Verdugo mentioned. “So this year, it’s really the other way around. Just trying to hit the ball hard, try to hit as many doubles as I can and just finding it at the moment they’re carrying a little further.”
Last postseason, when Verdugo hit .310 with three doubles, one house run and 6 RBIs in 11 video games, Cora in contrast him to Andrew Benintendi, a doubles hitter who sometimes runs into a protracted ball.
This time round, Cora is seeing a extra mature hitter who might make the most of his energy with a easy method.
“I don’t want him to get off who he is as a hitter, because when we talk about pure hitters, he is that guy,” Cora mentioned of Verdugo. “He can go the opposite approach. He can work the depend. He can pull the ball. Now he’s driving the ball, so clearly game-planning goes to come back into play, most likely, once they see him driving the ball that approach.
“But the fact he can go to left left field is something very important. We know he can do it. He knows it. I just don’t want him to get caught up on the homers, because last year he got off to a decent start power-wise, and then it took him a while to get to 10. He tried a lot to get to 10. Hopefully we don’t try to get four now. Just stay within yourself, you’re going to run into a few and just be a pure hitter.”
Verdugo has been hitting fifth behind J.D. Martinez and in entrance of Trevor Story as a result of Cora likes Verdugo as a run producer in the midst of the lineup.
Verdugo, who turns 26 in May, is attempting to withstand the urge to hit for extra energy.
“I think the biggest thing is when you’re loose and relaxed at the plate, that’s when you’re whippy and your bat kind of generates power,” he mentioned. “When you’re stiff and trying to force something, you’re slower so the ball doesn’t jump off as much. For me, I try to use the opposite field, try to go the other way and the pitches you get out over, you take them to right field.”
Source: www.bostonherald.com