The New York Mets introduced new hitting coach Hugh Quattlebaum to the media this afternoon ahead of their doubleheader against the St. Louis Cardinals. Quattlebaum came across as a very personable coach, who is looking forward to getting know his players before making sweeping changes as he assumes this role midseason.
“When guys come in too hot at this level trying to change things, you can lose guys.” Quattlebaum said.
The Mets new hitting coach mentioned how players have had maybe 400 coaches up to this point in their career and understands that you have to build trust to get real results.
Quattlebaum was deferential to the work of former hitting coaches Chili Davis and Tom Slater, saying that their impact on the franchise would be felt for a long time between the way they have helped developed hitters at the big league level, as well as some of the minor leaguers.
In his initial press conference with the media it is clear that Quattlebaum is very malleable in his approach and is looking to produce great results on a case-by-case basis with each individual player. One hitting approach that works for Pete Alonso may not work for a hitter with a completely different swing like Jeff McNeil.
“It’s being on top of their swings so much that you know when something is off.” Quattlebaum said about working with each individual hitter.
A lot has been made about this coaching change and how it was a sign that the franchise is looking to further embrace analytics. Quattlebaum spoke at length about the importance of preparation and how being prepared breeds more confidence when a batter steps into the box.
His goal is not to come in and drastically change the schedule or how things are done at the big league level. Instead Quattlebaum expects there to be a difference in how they distill information to their players and how they utilize that information in their preparation.
“Everything in this game is about finding a happy medium.” Quattlebaum wants to see a blend of approaches when it comes to hitting.
Yesterday there were a few Mets like Alonso and Francisco Lindor who spoke with the media about their disappointment in seeing their previous hitting coaches being let go by the team. Now those players will have to adjust to Quattlebaum and assistant hitting coach Kevin Howard taking over those positions.
When asked about what he thinks about Lindor’s struggles and how he plans to help him break out of them, Quattlebaum again mentioned the importance of getting to know him first and then going from there.
“He’s probably still trying to figure out how to spell Quattlebaum,” the new hitting coach said.
It is no secret that the Mets front office made this decision to hire younger coaches who understand the new science behind hitting as opposed to the old school philosophy New York had been operating under. Now the onus is on Quattlebaum and Howard to implement their strategies at the big league level, as they try to help jumpstart this offense.
A member of the Mets front office spoke with MetsmerizedOnline‘s Michael Mayer about Quattlebaum and said the following:
“Good dude, extremely personable, helped the Mariners implement their hitting philosophy throughout the org (DTZ, Dominate the zone). Philosophy that emphasizes taking walks, avoiding strikeouts, & doing maximum damage”
Quattlebaum is not going to change this offense overnight, but hopefully these changes will produce positive results on the field sooner rather than later.
