The Reds top prospect heading into the 2013 season is hitting .189/.256/.270 at the time of this writing (Tuesday afternoon) with a walk rate that is down significantly from 2012. The switch hitter is struggling from both sides of the plate, hitting under .200 as both a lefty and a righty. A natural right hander, he still looks a lot more natural from that side, but he has yet to draw a walk from the right side of the plate and has struck out 10 times. As a left hander he doesn’t look fluid or natural very often, but he has drawn 10 walks and struck out just 12 times from that side of the plate. So, what exactly is the problem with a guy who hit .311 last season?
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Let’s look at Hamilton from the left side of the plate, where he gets the majority of his plate appearances. Hamilton really gave switch hitting a go with his introduction to professional baseball. The results have been good in his career, though he has been up and down over the years with a total line of .285/.367/.381 from the left side with 152 walks and 267 strikeouts in 1349 plate appearances. This season though he is hitting under .200 from the left side, though his plate discipline has been good with 10 walks and 12 strikeouts. With Hamilton’s speed, he has always been able to leg out more infield hits than just about anyone else in the game. During 2012 Hamilton hit over .200 on balls fielded by infielders. So far this season Hamilton is hitting just .097 on the same balls as a left hander. That alone has done some damage to his stats, but even still he has had his struggles. Beyond the numbers and looking at the video, you could see a few things. First, he was reverting back to things he was doing in Dayton in 2011 when he really struggled in the first half. Hamilton was off balance and far too often just slapping or reaching at the ball as a result. As noted early in April, Hamilton changed his set up from the left side. The change however wasn’t working. While there was less movement going on, leading to a more quiet approach, it was hampering his timing. After a month, that plan has been scrapped and Hamilton has gone back to the set up he was using in 2012.
To start off 2013, Hamilton would have the bat laying over his left shoulder and pointing slightly downward as the pitcher would come toward the plate. As the pitcher released the ball, he was still bringing his bad to an upward position so he could swing down through the zone. It also had his front foot step timing off, as it is triggered by what his hands are doing. His hands and his step were both late and it led to a lot of weak contact early. Here in May he has moved back to the set up he was using in 2012. When the pitcher is ready to release the ball, Hamilton has the bat in an upward position and has already begun to step with his front foot. His timing has been better and he seems to be more balanced at the plate. Going off of pure memory here, it seems that Hamilton has already hit the ball hard more often in May than he did in all of April, even if it hasn’t showed up in the numbers yet.
From the right side of the plate, Hamilton is also struggling. He is hitting .196 going into Tuesday night from the right side. The complete lack of walks is a bit concerning given that he walked 11.1% of the time in 2012 as a right hander. He has a history of walking from this side of the plate, so they should come in time. He has looked comfortable at the plate and has just looks more natural and balanced. It appears that from the right side, unlike the left side, he is swinging to hit the ball hard on every swing.
Hamilton has been a guy who has struggled in the past, both in 2009 and in 2011 and in both cases he rebounded in a big way. After struggling for all of 2009 after the draft he went out and hit .318 the next season in Billings. In 2011 Hamilton hit .215 in April and May then rebounded to hit .310 the rest of the season. A known hard worker, Hamilton has made the adjustments in the past and after struggling to start the year has made a change to try and move forward this time as well. Time will tell if it works, but the early returns on the changes look promising and are giving him a much better chance to hit the ball with authority.
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