Chris O'Leary's Hitting Diaries

I am frequently asked how and what I work on with hitters. As a result, I have put together a number of hitting diaries that discuss what I have worked on with my players, clients, and other hitters whose swings I have consulted on.

HSSU

Does my approach to teaching Rotational Hitting work at the college level? I tried my ideas out with the hitters at Harris-Stowe State University in 2016-2017.

I started working with Harris-Stowe State University's hitters in February of 2016...

• HSSU Season by Season Hitting Statistics

For the 2017 season, HSSU hitters led or were at the top of the AMC conference for a number of hitting categories...

• AMC Conference Leaders 2017 - Batting Average
• AMC Conference Leaders 2017 - Slugging Percentage
• AMC Conference Leaders 2017 - Runs Scored
• AMC Conference Leaders 2017 - Hits
• AMC Conference Leaders 2017 - Runs Batted In (RBIs)
• AMC Conference Leaders 2017 - Doubles

How did they achieve such dramatic improvements? I discuss, in detail, the tweaks I suggested in my...

• College Hitters Diary

Clients may also read my VERY important piece on...

• My Main Mantra

Andres Torres

My discussion of my experience with Andres Torres gives an overview of my work with Andres Torres. My hitting diaries give some specifics.

• Pre-2012 Hitting Diary  
  • Line Drives, Hitting the Ball Hard, and Success
• Early 2012 Hitting Diary 
  • Andres Torres Cheat Sheet
  • Andres Torres Locker Hanger
• Late 2012 Hitting Diary
• 2013 Hitting Diary

Tommy Pham

I worked with Tommy Pham from 2010 until late September 2015. During one 10-day period, he put up 1.0 bWAR of value.

In 2016, when he stopped listening to me, Mr. Internet Guy, and started listening to his pro coaches, Tommy Pham hit .226.

• Tommy Pham Hitting Diary 

Mark Trumbo

Mark Trumbo contacted me in 2014 in an effort to improve his ability to hit for average while retaining his power. He thought his problems might be due to Bat Drag. They turned out to be due to a problem with his Timing, and I shared with him some things I learned as a result of my experience with Andres Torres.

• Mark Trumbo Hitting Diary

My Younger Son

• My Younger Son's Swing Development Program 
• Fifth Grade (11U)
  • Fixing Bat Drag
• Sixth Grade (12U)
• Seventh Grade (13U)  
• Eighth Grade (14U)  
• Ninth Grade (15U)  

Albert Pujols

Curiously, Albert Pujols developed the same Z-Axis Adjustability problem in 2011 that Matt Holliday did in 2016, due to what I believe is a problem with how the Cardinals organization teaches hitting. I had a conversation about the problem with Andres Torres, who then communicated my concerns to Pujols. Why do I believe that Memorial Day 2011 conversation had an impact? From April-May 2011 Albert Pujols hit .262. From June-September 2011 Albert Pujols hit .318.

Matt Holliday

During 2016, Matt Holliday made a change that hurt his Z-Axis Adjustability. On August 8, 2016 I made a comment about that change to someone I know and made a suggestion that made its way to Matt Holliday. if you compare Matt Holliday's numbers before and after August 8, 2016, it's obvious that my suggestion had a major impact on his swing. Prior to August 8, Matt Holliday hit .238. After August 8, Matt Holliday hit .462.

Jhonny Peralta

Jhonny Peralta's problem was due to something that I call a True Loop and that I first noticed as a result of Colby Rasmus' struggles and how his swing changed over the years. In short, a True Loop is a loop in the swing that results from an effort to fix a (phony) loop in the swing. I made someone I know in the Cardinals organization aware of the issue, and Peralta made some effort to correct the problem, which I believe contributed to his up-swing at the end of the 2016 season.

Matt Adams

I don't know if my advice made it to Matt Adams, but here is what I suggested.

The gist was that he needed to get into his legs. To widen his stance. To bend his knees. He's too tall, perhaps in an attempt to get extension and leverage.

Stephen Piscotty

I don't know if my advice made it to Stephen Piscotty, but here is what I suggested.

The starting point was to get him to open up his front foot. At a minimum, Stephen Piscotty is at significant risk for lower body problems for the reasons I lay out in my theory of lower body injuries in hitters and like Albert Pujols has.

There's also the issue that a closed front foot can limit hip rotation and thus power. The logic behind a closed front foot is just terrible, given that it's designed to keep the hips closed. If the hips are the key source of a hitter's power, why exactly would you want to keep them closed into contact, which is what is accomplished by keeping the front foot closed into contact.

Stephen Piscotty's extremely closed front foot also reduces his adjustability and creates problems similar to what Pujols and Holliday experienced.

Anybody sensing a pattern?