Ed Delany, MMO
Mets hitting coach Eric Chavez described himself as a “filter” on Saturday, saying that he wants to “simplify things” with the players.
The Mets have had disconnect with some of their recent hitting coaches, which has led to poor results. Chavez wants to get numbers and analytics out of their heads and just let them hit.
“We want them going up to the plate with as little information as possible,” Chavez said. “We want their athletic ability to take over.”
As for what he does want the hitters to focus on, he added: “Most good teams get on base a lot. They swing at strikes, and they hit the ball pretty hard. So we’re gonna focus on those things.”
Chavez said he doesn’t have a specific hitting philosophy because hitting is such a complex thing. As the filter, Chavez and the staff want all the information they can get so they can apply it to their coaching, but they don’t want the players having to worry about it. His idea with filtering information from players is to take some of that complexity away, or at least not let it intrude in the forefront of their minds.
“We’re here to help them,” Chavez said. “We don’t have magic sauce, but we’re going to use as much information as we can and hopefully players will get what they need to go out there and perform at their best.”
At this point, a fresh face trying something new can’t possibly be a bad thing for the Mets’ offense.
Stay tuned to Metsmerized for more updates as this strange, MLB player-less camp gets underway.
