Neil Walker, the New York Mets second baseman had struggled against lefties the majority of his career. He had hit only .237 with no homers in 93 at-bats with his former team, the Pittsburgh Pirates last season.
So far this year, Walker is off to a 5-for-9 start against left-handed pitching. In last night’s 6-5 win against the Cleveland Indians, Walker went yard for his first homer as a righty since September 2014, crushing a ball delivered from Ross Detwiler in the fifth inning.
“For me, it’s simplifying things,” Walker said. “A lot of things we worked on in spring training are coming to fruition for me. It’s still early. It’s still a small sample size. But the things I’m working on are helping me in the box right now. More than anything, it’s about getting that barrel on the ball. In this early going, it’s been good. It used to be the other way around in the early going.” (ESPN)
When he had gone to the plate on the right side of the plate in previous seasons, he had developed a toe tap. Walker eliminated this quirk and he feels its part of the reason he has seen such recent success.
“I got rid of my toe tap,” Walker said. “So far it’s been a good point for me from a timing standpoint when I have a toe tap from the left side. It was hard for me to maintain it from the right side for many years. Going into this last offseason, that was a big point for me. … It’s gotten me into a much better rhythm than I have been in the past.”
In a short sample for the 2016 season, Walker is batting .250 in just 36 at-bats. He has taken 2 balls deeps, while accruing 7 RBI. He has also proved to be quite formidable in the field, flashing some serious leather and turning double play’s with ease. He has been quite the welcome addition to this team.
