March 2, 2015

Magadan on Fielder

Prince Fielder says everything is smooth after taking batting practice, but hitting coach Dave Magadan explains what we should look for in Fielder’s swing:

“He’s doing OK,” hitting coach Dave Magadan said, “He’s a typical veteran player who is just trying to get his timing. We are trying to solidify some of the stuff we talked about in the offseason. Last year he was crashing into the ball, now we’re getting him to hold his ground. Timing is huge. With him it’s going as well as expected. Once he gets into the flow of games and gets his timing down, everybody will see a big difference.”

Magadan’s term for “crashing into the ball” means Fielder was jumping out on pitches rather than sitting back, getting into a good hitting position and then letting it rip.

“The goal is to hold your ground and get the ball into the air on the pull side,” Magadan said. “When he does that, it means he is going good.”

Magadan was a great line drive hitter, and he talks about hitting well. If he can help bring Fielder’s swing back he’ll have greatly improved the Rangers offense.

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