Change-UpAugust 26, 2008
Batting Around Some Topics
By Patrick Sullivan

Our pal Jeff Albert, hitting coach for the Batavia Muckdogs, sat down for a terrific interview with Future Red Birds.

I know this question is pretty broad, but what are some of the things you are looking for in a player’s swing? Looking on video and in person are different things. With video, I generally look for how a player moves, angles of the upper body, swing path and sequence. In person, I want to see first if a player makes consistent barrel contact, then flight and direction of the ball, as well as rhythm and timing. From there it’s connecting the dots between what I see on video and live.

What are some of the things you teach players get the most out of their ability?

I like to explain the overall concept, verbally and visually, and give them the initial opportunity to adjust in their own way. I try to take the player’s strengths and build from there, mostly focusing on body position and swing path from a mechanics perspective, and being ready to hit the fastball from an approach perspective. There are a lot of ways to complicate things, but I try to boil it down to one or two simple points of focus for each guy.