Jays’ Davis improving power to go with speed
Posted March 16, 2011 5:15 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
THE CANADIAN PRESS
DUNEDIN, Fla. — Grip and rip is the term that was sometimes used to describe the Toronto Blue Jays’ approach to hitting last season when they led the majors with 257 homers.
But hitting coach Dwayne Murphy disagrees with that characterization of the hitting approach he teaches.
“I heard that term and they think guys were just walking up there and trying to hit home runs and they weren’t,” Murphy said. “They were just getting the pitch they were looking for and they were squared up where it was going.”
Murphy feels hitters should go to the plate looking for a pitch they can hit. Type of pitch and location are both factors. When the hitter sees that pitch, Murphy wants him to drive the ball and often the result is a homer or double.
“I think that helps you become a strike hitter,” Murphy said.”It’s very hard. Walk up there and look for a pitch — it’s not as easy as it sounds.”
Murphy already has a new believer this spring training in outfielder Rajai Davis, who was acquired for his speed yet hasn’t stolen a base in 11 spring-training games but has three homers, all leading off a game.
“He does simplify things,” Davis said. “It’s less thinking and more just doing.”
And Murphy said that’s been one reason for Davis’s success.
“When I first met him in January, he was making hitting very complex and it’s hard enough,” Murphy said. “We’re trying to get him to do some simple things and go up there looking for one pitch and try to get rid of all his thought processes, mechanics.
“Get rid of all that stuff and concentrate on the ball. When you’re being told do this, do that on every little pitch it’s tough and you really fight yourself. I’m just trying to take that away from him.”
Murphy sees the progress. Davis is batting .343 with a .395 on-base percentage. He has four doubles making seven of his 12 hits for extra bases.
Davis’s leadoff homers fit in with his new club. The Blue Jays hit five homers leading off a game last season, tied with the Tampa Bay Rays for the most in the American League.
The Blue Jays led the AL by leading off an inning 70 times with a homer, 15 more than the second-place Boston Red Sox.
Davis said the steals will come.
“Do they count down here?” he asked.
With all his extra-base hits, opportunities to steal have been few. But Davis is happy to concentrate on his hitting.
“He’s made a big change in his swing,” Murphy said. “He’s still working on it.
“Hopefully he’ll lock it in where he really feels comfortable but he’s more balanced, using his hands more, getting loaded a little earlier. He looks good. He’s definitely trying to hit one pitch instead of four pitches.”
During the off-season Davis worked with former major-leaguer Mike Epstein, who teaches hitting.
“My swing path is a little quicker to the ball,” Davis said. “It’s something that I initiated in the off-season and I’ve continued it on through this present spring training.
“The difference is I’m able to stay on the plane of the ball a lot longer. I think there’s a technique to hitting more effectively. With perfecting that technique you’ve got a better chance of squaring up more balls, hitting them hard, solid.”
Murphy’s approach is different from most. Often players with speed are encouraged to slap the ball and use their legs.
“I think some guys have told me to drive the ball,” Davis said. “Telling you is one thing but actually showing you how to do that is another.
“Here they’ve been able to show me how to attack the ball better and how to be more consistent in attacking the ball. I think that’s contributing a lot.”
By not thinking so much at the plate, his reactions are quicker.
If Davis continues to hit for power, he would add another dimension to his game to go with his speed.
“He’s putting a lot of good swings on some baseballs,” manager John Farrell said. “It’s very encouraging to see.
“You get that blend of speed and extra-base power that he has shown in flashes. But he’s put in a pretty good stretch here of late. He’s taken a strong hold on centre field. If tomorrow is opening day he’s leading off.”
Farrell said making such hard contact might create some fear in pitchers and allow Davis to get more walks.
“He’s not a guy that’s notoriously been a high walk percentage guy but that’s not to say he can’t hit in the leadoff spot,” Farrell said.
When Toronto obtained Davis from the Oakland Athletics during the off-season, he was seen more as a line-drive hitter. He batted .284 last season with five homers, 52 runs-batted in and 50 stolen bases.
But general manager Alex Anthopoulos has said working with Murphy might enable him to hit for more power.
“Typically, you see a speed-type of guy, it’s a little bit of a slap, hit the ball the other way type of approach,” Farrell said. “But he’s got some strength in there as we see and to go pick your pitch and put a good swing on it and if that means pull the ball so be it.
“He’s done it and he’s shown it here of late and he’s in a good place. We’re not going to ask him to do a whole lot more than he’s doing right now.”
Davis also feels he’s in a good place.
“I think it’s a great opportunity to come to another organization, especially a team that hit the most home runs in the big leagues,” he said. “They are able to do things most other teams are not able to do.
“I think it’s a great environment to succeed. It’s a great opportunity for me.”
NOTES — Second baseman Aaron Hill, who hasn’t played in a regular spring training game because of a strained thigh, was 1-for-4 in an intrasquad game Wednesday … With left-hander Ricky Romero held out of Thursday’s start with a strained middle finger, lefty Jo-Jo Reyes goes against the Philadelphia Phillies at Clearwater, Fla.
