In addition to trying a new position http://www.marlinsfanproshop.com/authentic-starlin-castro-jersey , Moose is working on a new approach at the plate this spring."WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections Brewers Rumors and SpeculationConversation StartersWPA Game RecapsTransactionsLatest NewsStatistical AnalysisConversation StartersMike Moustakas is trying to beat the shiftNew,24commentsIn addition to trying a new position, Moose is working on a new approach at the plate this spring.CSTShareTweetShareShareMike Moustakas is trying to beat the shiftRick Scuteri-USA TODAY SportsMike Moustakas was serviceable at the plate last year, but his production did take a step back from his previous seasons. After posting solid, if unspectacular, wRC+ marks of 123, 111, and 114 from 2015-2017, the veteran infielder finished 2018 with a 105 wRC+. That’s only five percent better than league average and was tied with Eric Thames and Ryan Braun. That’s perfectly acceptable, but it was perhaps a bit underwhelming given the numbers he’s put up in the past.A big reason for the drop in production was infield shifting. In this analytically-dominated age of baseball, front offices have gotten smarter than ever when it comes to positioning their defenders. Nearly all left-handed hitters will encounter a shift on a regular basis, and Moustakas was one of the many victims. Per Baseball Savant, opposing teams shifted against him in 53.4% of his plate appearances last season, and the 324 shifts he faced were the most he’s ever seen in a single season. The results were quite drastic: Moustakas struggled to a mere .289 wOBA against the shift, compared to a fantastic .379 mark against a more traditional defense.Moustakas was recently interviewed by MLB Network’s Kevin Millar as part of their “30 Clubs in 30 Days” series. He revealed that in addition to getting accustomed to second base, he’s also trying to make some adjustments at the plate. Moustakas talked about the impact of shifts in today’s game and emphasized that he’s trying to counter the shift by using the opposite field more frequently.Moustakas also offered some thoughts on bunting against the shift, pointing out that it’s not as easy as some might assume.Moustakas has always been a pull-heavy hitter throughout his career, which is typically the case for left-handed sluggers. He has pulled the ball 44% of the time while going opposite field only half as often (23.3%). Opposing teams have taken notice of this, and by adjusting their positioning accordingly, they have turned what used to be hits into routine plays that send Moustakas walking back to the dugout.A chart displaying where infielders were positioned against Moustakas in 2018. He typically saw the traditional lefty shift that features the second baseman in short right field.Baseball SavantIf Moustakas can hit the ball to left field more frequently, it would likely lessen the negative effect shifting has on him and boost his overall numbers.Going to left field is easier said than done, and it will be interesting to see if Moustakas can successfully make the adjustment. His bloop double down the left field line on Tuesday afternoon was a start, although one plate appearance is never conclusive evidence.Spring training is a time to prepare for the regular season and make adjustments if necessary. Chase Anderson is overhauling his windup. Ryan Braun is tweaking his swing to increase his launch angle. Junior Guerra and Jhoulys Chacin are adding changeups to their repertoire. Now Moustakas has set a goal to use the opposite field more often to beat the shift. His new approach will be something to monitor throughout the season. If he can pull it off, he could improve from a roughly league-average hitter to a more potent threat in the middle of the lineup. That would be an even bigger boost to the Brewers’ already-stacked offense, and it would make the defensive risk of using Moustakas at second base more palatable.Statistics courtesy of FanGraphs and Baseball Savant. Now that Week One is in the books Martin Prado Jersey , who has stood out for the Twins?"WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections Twinkie Town Farm ReportSatire, Irreverence, & Other HumorGame RecapsSpring TrainingSpring TrainingWinners and losers from Week One of Twins Spring TrainingNew,5commentsNow that Week One is in the books, who has stood out for the Twins?ESTShareTweetShareShareWinners and losers from Week One of Twins Spring TrainingJasen Vinlove-USA TODAY SportsWe’re about a week deep into spring training, and it seems like about the right time to recap winners and losers from the first handful of games.Obvious caveats apply, of course. Spring training stats don’t really mean a whole lot, and for a lot of reasons.The competition level varies drastically, of course. Hitters will go from facing frontline starters to back-end relievers to career minor-leaguers and won’t face the same pitcher for two consecutive at-bats until later on in March. For pitchers, they’re typically facing a solid mix of big league hitters, prospects, and non-roster invitees.There’s also the whole small sample size thing, and that can’t be ignored. Not only are we taking spring training numbers, but we’re carving them up into a week’s worth of already arguably meaningless stats.And now that I’ve convinced you all that the following is pointless, let’s talk about what’s stood out so far this spring, both positive and negative. Because it’s baseball season, and this is a Twins blog, and that’s what we do.Week One WinnersByron Buxton (OF): .600/.636/1.600 (6-for-10, 1 2B, 3 HR, 11 RBI)Let’s be honest: you knew this one before you even clicked on this article.Buxton has been on a tear, and there are so many reasons why you’d be forgiven for exercising some healthy skepticism when it comes to Lord Byron’s start to spring.Any stretch of 6-for-10 with three dingers would be impressive, but it just had to be the first week of spring training to get everyone all hyped up.But that said, Buxton’s approach has been impressive, as he’s showed patience and an ability to drive the ball with authority when he commits to swing. The most impressive part about his performance to his point is that he’s struck-out exactly zero (0) times.Eddie Rosario (OF): .667/.667/1.167 (8-for-12 http://www.marlinsfanproshop.com/authentic-starlin-castro-jersey , 3 2B, 1 HR, 3 RBI)Eddie Rosario has been his impressive, free-swinging self in his four appearances.Rosario has only made four outs, and three of them have come by way of strikeout. He has not walked at all, but four of his eight hits have been for extra bases.After being a somewhat overrated player over the first couple years of his career, Rosario settled in as a legitimately solid everyday player in 2017 as the Twins made a surprise run to a wild-card berth. He was largely consistent in 2018, taking a slight step backwards in most categories as the Twins’ offense struggled across the board.He’ll likely bat third or fourth in the lineup to start the season, and has solidified his case with a strong start to spring training.LaMonte Wade (OF): .500/.583/.700 (5-for-10, 2 2B, 3 RBI)LaMonte Wade is a 25-year-old fringe prospect who has been impressive in Double-A but struggled mightily in his first taste of Triple-A last season.In 720 career plate appearances in Double-A, Wade has slashed .294/.396/.418, but in 294 plate appearances last year at Triple-A Rochester, Wade hit just .229/.337/.336. He’s highly unlikely to make the team, but could be a solid fourth outfielder if he can figure out how to hit at Triple-A early on this year.A strong spring training would go a long way towards Wade sticking in the organization as a potential injury fill-in or extra player down the road.Michael Pineda (SP): 2 IP, 1 H, 1KIn Michael Pineda’s first game action since July of 2017, he only needed to face seven batters in two tidy innings on Friday. Pineda hit 94 miles-per-hour on the radar gun and looked comfortable, only giving up one hit and zero walks while tallying one strikeout in a two-inning appearance.Trevor Hildenberger (RP): 3 IP, 3KTrevor Hildenberger had a rough close to 2018 after having an impressive first season back in 2017. He is theoretically in the conversation for setup duties and potentially even a shot at closing duties.A strong spring is important to his case, and he’s turned in three perfect innings: no walks, no hits, and three strikeouts.Week One LosersAll Catchers: 4-for-34 (.117 BA), 1 2B, 3 RBIIncluding three non-roster invitees Wei-Yin Chen Jersey , there are six catchers who have seen playing time thus far in the spring, and the group has a total of four hits to this point.Jason Castro is 1-for-4 but has drawn three walks and overall has looked good in his return from knee surgery that cost him the majority of last season. Mitch Garver and Willians Austudillo have each gone 1-for-8, and the three non-roster invitees are a collective 1-for-14 with three strikeouts and one walk.Ronald Torreyes (IF): .091/.091/.091 (1-for-11)Ronnie Torreyes was always a long-shot to make the 25-man roster, but theoretically has a shot at earning a bench slot depending on how a few other things shake out. Unfortunately, he’s just 1-for-11 to this point.Martin Perez (SP): 2 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 0 KThe Twins’ signing of Martin Perez back at the end of January was a bit controversial given his struggles over the past couple of years with the Texas Rangers.After returning from injury last year, Perez was solid out of the bullpen for the Rangers, although the Twins appear to have every intention of slotting Perez in as the No. 5 starter in the rotation despite his recent numbers as a starting pitcher.In his lone appearance so far this spring, Perez gave up three hits and two runs, including a home run, without picking up a strikeout.Gabriel Moya (RP): 1 IP, 3 ER, 2 H, 1 BB, 1 KGabriel Moya was shuttled back and forth between Triple-A Rochester and the big-league roster frequently last year, dominating in the minors and struggling a bit in The Show.Moya has a shot to make the club this year out of spring training, but he’ll need to bounce back from a rough first outing in which he gave up three earned runs on two hits and a walk.Looking ahead to Week TwoThe second week of spring training is traditionally a week in which the regular everyday players begin to pick-up their activity a bit, perhaps playing in games on consecutive days and playing with a few more everyday regulars around them in the lineup.Pitchers won’t be stretched all that much yet, but hitters and pitchers alike should be much more comfortable in Week Two, and fans should be able to see the top of the roster separate themselves a bit from the bottom.
