Brenton Doyle broke onto the scene with the Colorado Rockies last season when he was called up in late April. He immediately became one of the best defensive center fielders in the league, earning a Gold Glove respectively. He is in the 99% of arm value, range, and OAA according to BaseballSavant. His 105.7 mph throw against the Cubs last year was the fastest throw in the entire Statcast era. Here’s how a swing change can prompt Doyle to take the next step in his big-league career.
Brenton Doyle’s Swing Mechanics
On the other hand, he was one of the worst hitters in all of baseball. He had a slash line of .203/.250/.343 and a 52 OPS+. He struck out at a 35% clip while only walking 5.1% of the time. To make matters even worse, his xwOBA ranked in the 1% and he was 4% in whiff percentage at 35.7%.
None of those stats are appealing in the slightest, but there are a couple of things that jump out to the positive. Towards the end of the season, through September, he started to turn it around. His average shot up to .261, he cut his strikeouts to only 27.8% of the time and had a WRC+ of 82. Another thing that stands out for Doyle, is his elite speed. He swiped 22 bags and runs at 29.9 ft/sec which puts him in the 98% on BaseballSavant.
This can be attributed to a swing change he started implementing. Doyle saw that during his load and swing, he was dropping his hands no matter where they started and his head was moving away from the ball. He also has switched his weight distribution from a 50-50 split to 60-40 towards the right leg. The balance shift has steadied his hands and keeps them more compact.
Rockies hitting coach Hensley Meulens when asked about Doyle said, “I liked the process and how they stayed in contact. Hopefully it will translate into becoming better in games”.
Translate the Swing to Games
The FanGraphs projections when it comes to Doyle are encouraging for this upcoming season. They are expecting around a 30-point jump on average and 60 in OPS. While none of the projections are thinking that Doyle will walk more, it is anticipated that his strikeout rate will drop. It is still expected to be on the higher side, but if Doyle can work on cutting down on those strikeouts, it will help out immensely.
As we inch closer to Opening Day, Doyle’s swing change seems to be working. He has been one of the Rockies’ best hitters so far in spring. Doyle is third in hits with 11 and only has 5 strikeouts to 3 walks. Last year he already showcased that he can hit for power with 31 XBH’s including 10 big flies. We all know about Doyle’s outfield prowess and his otherworldly arm, but if his power can at least stay the same if not increase, and the swing change works the way it is looking so far, Doyle is in store for a monster 2024.
Main Photo: © Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
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