{"id":1115,"date":"2017-01-23T16:02:56","date_gmt":"2017-01-23T21:02:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.prospects1500.com\/?p=1115"},"modified":"2017-01-26T17:37:07","modified_gmt":"2017-01-26T22:37:07","slug":"makes-aaaa-hitter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.prospects1500.com\/general\/makes-aaaa-hitter\/","title":{"rendered":"What Makes a AAAA Hitter?"},"content":{"rendered":"

An interesting point came up in the comments to the Diamondbacks\u2019 Top 50 list<\/a> I wrote earlier in the month. The question was about Socrates Brito and whether he might have an opportunity to make any impact this season on the major league level. I mentioned a particular flaw I think I see in his approach at the plate and that got me thinking about the guys we generally consider AAAA players and how they get to acquire that designation.<\/p>\n

There are several factors that are fairly common in AAAA players. One is age. Even the ones who have some success in the major leagues at some point are considered late bloomers. This age factor is usually the result of a guy who is slow to make the adjustments necessary to succeed at the next level, whether it was a result of multiple years at several levels or a guy who was never good enough in college to turn scouts\u2019 heads and they signed at age 22 or 23 after a full college career.<\/p>\n

In addition to not remaining age appropriate and being slow to make adjustments, the last quality common to these players is often one fatal flaw in their approach. It can be physical and as simple as a slow bat or it can be mechanical like the flaw I see in Brito. When I watch video of Brito, I see that his bat is very upright as he gets into his ready position. He starts with his bat on his shoulder at a good angle, but as the pitcher releases he takes the bat almost straight up. This puts him in a position where the only fastball he can hit is one down and in. In all the video I can find on him this is how he has always hit. He\u2019s a AAAA hitter waiting to happen if he does not make some adjustment there. \u00a0Here’s one video from March 2012, but as I say, his swing hasn’t changed much since then.
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