Tim Eckert-Fong explains why the Athletics are the perfect team at the perfect time for Yonder Alonso to try out a new swing path:
Then there’s the team aspect. Alonso changing his swing path is a risk, and while he’s not guaranteed to put up decent numbers (see 2016), a team counting on a decent, .750ish OPS, league average hitter might not want to see him risk a major change. Like Alonso, the A’s really have nothing to lose and everything to gain. And with a team that’s not projected to do much of anything at all and with time to really let their prospects bake, the big league team can be a testing ground for just about anything.
For someone who is cautiously optimistic about 2017 but realizes that there are going to be some losses, some ugly games, and some boring nights, this is exciting. For one, if the A’s are to be good it’ll be thanks to risks turning into rewards and players hitting their ceilings. Alonso’s ceiling is now higher even if he might not hit it, and so is the A’s. That’s exciting!
It worked for Jose Bautista, and now teams have StatCast data to back up the rewards.
from baseballmusings.com http://ift.tt/2n2rjgn
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