Red Sox embrace a new, more aggressive hitting philosophy at the plate

JUPITER, Fla. – For years, the Red Sox were in no hurry at the plate.

Patience wasn’t just a virtue; it was it explicitly encouraged. Hitters were taught to work the count, with the goal of making opposing pitchers work.  The sooner they could get the starters out of the game and middle relievers in, the better it would be.

But in a game that seems to be in the throes of constant evolution, that, too, is changing this spring.

From his introductory press conference, new manager Alex Cora stressed the importance of “hunting” good pitches to hit, even if they came early in the count. New hitting coach Tim Hyers is also a proponent of a more aggressive approach at the plate.

Perhaps the strongest hint at the sea change taking place was John Henry’s media availability last month, during which he bemoaned the “approach’’ taken by Red Sox hitters last season, and seemed to blame the team’s paltry home run total on the coaching staff’s reliance on an outmoded philosophy at the plate.

By most measures, the Red Sox were one of the most passive teams at the plate a year ago, swinging at just 20.9 percent of first pitches, the lowest percentage in the game. Often, knowing that Sox weren’t likely to swing early in the count, pitchers succeeded in throwing first-pitch “get-me-over’’ fastballs that resulted in Red Sox hitters falling behind early in counts.

From there, they were on the defensive, with the pitchers holding the advantage.

This year, passive is out, and aggression is in.

No player more typifies the change than J.D. Martinez. The slugger, who signed a five-year, $110 million deal recently, not only brings a power bat (45 homers), but an especially aggressive style at the plate. Last season, he had an OPS of 1.175 when he swung at the first pitch.

In addition to adding muscle, the Sox hope his approach has a carryover effect on the rest of the lineup.

Oddly enough, the changeover is actually being driven by pitching, not hitting. With fewer innings asked of starters and more resources poured into relievers, the quality of bullpens is better than ever.  Whereas a decade ago, middle relievers were the weakest link on a staff, now teams boast of five or six pitchers who can throw 95-mph plus. There's little benefit to getting into opposing bullpens.

“There’s a lot of really good arms out there now,’’ said Hyers. “Teams are looking for those quality bullpen arms. And you don’t get a lot of looks at them – teams are moving guys up-and-down from the minor leagues, they’re revolving the bullpen. It’s not like you see a guy for a few at-bats and get in a groove with him. It’s situational baseball, so that makes it more difficult for a hitter.’’

On a basic level, the practice of hitters seeking a pitch early in the count on which they can do damage is far from revolutionary or new. Decades ago, in writing “The Science of Hitting,’’ Ted Williams advised young hitters to find a good pitch they could drive – regardless of when it was thrown.

This is simply a matter of updating the same philosophy and adapting to the modern game.

“We just don’t want easy strikes,’’ said Hyers, “where we’re working from behind. We have the power and the ability to slug the baseball, and if they’re throwing the ball over the middle of the plate, we need to be putting good swings on it. When you fall behind early, that works to your disadvantage (as a hitter). The message is: it might be the first pitch or the fourth pitch, but when you get the heater over the middle of the plate, or the meatball, and they make a mistake, we can’t let those pitches go by. We need to be ready from pitch one to do some damage.’’

Shortly after being hired last November, Hyers reviewed video of the 2017 Red Sox season, then began contacting Red Sox hitters about their approach.

“I felt pitchers felt a comfort with throwing a first-pitch strike to get ahead,’’ he said, referring to last season. “We need to hunt, we need be on the offensive side, instead of being passive or defensive at the plate.’’

But the changes have their limits. The last thing Hyers wants is for Red Sox hitters to be offering at pitches on the black, just because their early-in-the-count strikes. And there are times when a return to a more patient approach can be beneficial.

“When hitters aren’t feeling good at the plate,’’ he said, “one way to get out of it is to see some pitches and get your timing back.’’

But in general, the data is hard to refute. And Hyers isn’t above showing hitters who doubt the approach how successful they’ve been early in the count in order to make converts.

“(We can say) ‘You are hitting .400 on the first pitch. I know you don’t swing (early) very much, but you are having success there,’ ‘’ said Hyers. “They’re open because they want to get better. How to digest it may be different, but for the most part, the guys have been really open-minded.’’