The Many Takes of Luke Keaschall

[Matt Braun]

Image courtesy of Mark J. Rebilas, IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Batter’s box antics are nothing new. Humans are creatures of habit, and hitters are even more so. The maniacal, unthinking routines of players at the plate are a part of their personhood; reflecting character and philosophy, even if they aren’t fully aware of what they’re doing, much less why they’re doing it. Luke Keaschall is one of these people. Let’s look at a sample of his behavior from just one game.

We start with the mild: a good-not-great sweeper from Eduard Bazardo that Keaschall saw all the way for an easy take. In response, he digs in aggressively with his back foot, though hesitates slightly, as if he found and then took aim at an especially ugly bug. He does this move often. Typically in frustration after a poor take. 

The next is a twist, literally. An outside sinker from Michael Rucker never darts back to the zone, and our hero lets everyone know it, shaking his head with an Arraez-ian vigor before rotating in a half-Chubby Checker. He concludes his antics with the common movements of an anxious hitter, with spit, adjustments, and a stare-off towards nowhere in particular as he prepares for the next offering.

Keaschall is a habitual shaker. He can’t help it. And with a career walk rate of nearly 10%, he’s earned the right to communicate to players and fans alike what he believed the relationship between any given pitch and the strike zone to be. This kind of self-affirmation may seem indulgent—and perhaps it is—but when the line between ball and strike, out and hit, is razor thin, constant positive feedback could help a batter stay on top of their game. Or at least help them fend off the madness innate in the 162-game slog. Or maybe they were crazy all along.

Perhaps it's no surprise, then, that Keaschall is Challenger. His right hand might as well be magnetically connected to his helmet. He leads all Twins hitters with 21 challenges, though his success rate is a tepid 52%. Still, his massive challenge rate has neutered four strikeouts and added two walks, making his attempts to thwart the home plate umpire an overall net positive for the team, even if it may result in a flustered feeling. Keaschall doesn’t care. He knows his process is sound.

The downside of his tendencies played out on Friday night, with the youngster reminding us of the visceral embarrassment that arrives when one protests what turns out to be just. Bryce Miller spots a perfect pitch. His 0-1 fastball beautifully clips the bottom outside edge of the strike zone. Keaschall disagrees. He shakes as he pulls himself back, hears the umpire call the pitch a strike, and taps his helmet before Alan Porter can fire his finger gun towards the first base dugout. He will fail this in his contest. Yet, you can understand his desire to alter reality: the difference between an 0-2 deficit and a 1-1 count is massive for a hitter. If he can impart that change, fortune swings slightly back into his favor. The 23-year-old ended up with an infield single anyways. Ball don’t lie?

Our final take is the most inspiring. A straight-up workout routine. Keaschall spits on a pretty good curve that darts into the dirt before smoothly dropping into a tucking stretch. Maybe he wanted to get closer to the ball and the catcher to tell both that he saw through their shenanigans; the tricky breaking ball was not enough to coax a swing. And he gets real low: for a second, he compacts himself lower than Cal Raleigh, whose position demands a perpetually calcified crouch. He then steps back and adjusts his person with a similar vigor as example two.

These probably aren’t even the best examples of the energy Keaschall exudes at the plate. They just happened to be from the most recent game. Watch any at-bat of his closely, and you’ll see any and all types of movement, the kind of jittery motions that rival David Byrne at his most eccentric. It's an art in itself. Players may be professionals, but that will never stop them from being strangely human.

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[bean5302]

Ever seen Juan Soto take an at bat? I can't tell if this article is just unbelievably petty or oblivious?

[thelanges5]

Seems to be working for him. Let the young man shimmy as much as he wants. In his last 30 games he’s slashing .303/.414/.472

[Hawkeye Bean Counter]

I can only imagine what the OP would be writing about if we had Jose Caballero  LOL.   

[offensive_loons_fan]

55 minutes ago, bean5302 said:

Ever seen Juan Soto take an at bat? I can't tell if this article is just unbelievably petty or oblivious?

I didn't see the article as an indictment of Luke. More of a humorous "baseball players, amirite?" look at a guy twerking away in the box, with a little baseball observation thrown in.

[rdehring]

Love this kid, especially his energy.  Hopefully, we will see him at Target Field, playing for the Twins for many years.