Young alters hitting approach
8 commentsby Nick Piecoro - Feb. 25, 2009 08:52 PMThe Arizona Republic
TUCSON - When Chris Young came up in the first inning Wednesday afternoon, Diamondbacks manager Bob Melvin noticed the left side of the Colorado infield shift toward the hole, the area where Young often hits the ball.
But after Young lined a single toward center field, Melvin took note of their reaction.
"You could see them look at each other like, 'Wow, that's a little different,' " Melvin said.
That wasn't even the best part of the day for Young, whose screaming home run to left-center field in the third inning capped an eventful Cactus League opener for the Diamondbacks, who beat the Rockies 5-3 at Hi Corbett Field.
For Young, it was an early indication that the mechanical adjustments he had been working on in the early days of spring training might pay dividends.
"It's not important that he has to get off to a good start," Melvin said. "But to work as hard as he has in the off-season and get some results right away, it certainly adds conviction when you go through some struggles."
Young described his changes as an effort to "stay quiet at the plate." He is trying to keep his head still. He has cut down on his stride, instead just picking up his left foot and putting it back down. He wants to see the ball longer, better.
"Last year," he said, "I was getting my foot down real early and I've been working with (hitting coach Rick) Schu to get more of a load going and try to stay a little more quiet. That way I can stay on the heater but at the same time be back for the off-speed."
He said he felt good with the changes in batting practice, but wasn't sure what to expect in games. If anything, he thought it would take some time to see results.
"I honestly went into the game thinking I was going to be jammed a few times or I was going to be late," he said.
Instead, he singled off Rockies ace Aaron Cook then homered off Ubaldo Jimenez, who is slated to be Colorado's No. 2 starter.
"The timing was there, but I still have a little work to do," he said.
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