Why Can't Mauer Drive the Ball to RF?

[drjim]

 

Plenty of posts over the past couple years berating Dozier, and others, for being too pull happy. Demanding he "go with the pitch."

Being too "oppo happy" isn't any better. He hasn't had an .800 OPS for four years now. Teams abandon RF against him.

If he's so good, why can't he adjust?

 

I would never berate Dozier.

 

I can't answer your question for sure, my two theories are: 1. It is either too baked in after 20 years and it would take too much of a season to rebuild his swing to make that adjustment, or 2. He is too physically broken for a major change.

 

I accept there are other possible reasons, but those are the two I would think.

[prouster]

Regarding paragraph #1: He does not drive balls to RF because he spent his whole life honing a swing that fully-neglected driving the ball to his pull-side. Agree.

 

Regarding your last sentence: Thanks for clarifying that he has become physically incapable of making an adjustment necessary to drive the ball to all fields. I agree with you.

Joe Mauer can pull the ball to right field. In fact, he has done it many times in his career. Most of the games are televised, so you can actually see video of it occurring.

[peterb18]

His inability to pull the ball definately hurts his power. Most home runs are pulled, that's just the mechanics and physics of baseball.

If you're ok with that, fine.

But don't pretend that's not the case

A lot of Mauers success as a hitter, for average, has been waiting on the ball. His hands always seem ahead of the bat so to speak. Classic inside out swing. I think the poster has a point, it's a mechanical issue, when he tries to pull the ball he rolls over it. The same thing that made him a line drive gap machine, keeps him from being a power pull hitter. And just because he does not pull the ball into the seats, does not change the fact that he is definitely in the upper percentile of players who have ever played the game. Possibly his biggest drawback is he suffers from Rod Carew Syndrome. Everything looks so easy, he appears not to be trying.

Good explanation. It's like the golf swing somewhat....if you can't get the club head ahead of the hands(quickly) or body you'll never hit the ball hard. Doesn't mean that he's not a great hitter. He's a spray hitter, naturally.

[DrNeau]

Joe Mauer can pull the ball to right field. In fact, he has done it many times in his career. Most of the games are televised, so you can actually see video of it occurring.

He pulls the ball, on occasion, to the right side. Agree. Mostly choppers in the dirt. The question is why he cannot drive the ball to RF.

[yarnivek1972]

As your post shows perception can be illusionary. As can batting orders. Mauer has suffered? from being miscast as a 3 or 4 hitter. Of course I have also heard that the was adamant in his desire to hit 3, but is this true, or urban legend? For years I thought he would have made a wonderful leadoff hitter. He didn't have classic speed, but ran well enough not to clog the bases, and was a fairly astute baserunner.

People forget that Wade Boggs was a lead off hitter for much of his career. Roughly 40% of his PA. Roughly 75% were as a 1 or 2. He had 24 career stolen bases. Mauer has 52.

[Doomtints]

It's timing. Not likely to change at this point.

[caninatl04]

he's not a pull hitter. he's been in the league since 2004 and has never been a pull hitter. he's never going to be a pull hitter. it has nothing to do with mechanics.

I think he was a pull hitter when there was a baggie in short right field.

[twinsnorth49]

He pulls the ball, on occasion, to the right side. Agree. Mostly choppers in the dirt. The question is why he cannot drive the ball to RF.

What do you think the reason is? Do you see something in Mauer's swing mechanics that prevent him from driving the ball to RF?

[diehardtwinsfan]

Mod note:

 

This certainly could have been a decent thread. Unfortunately, there's a ton of trolling here that is making it difficult to keep on track.