What’s old is new in San Francisco. The Giants’ veteran players are leading the way to a surprisingly good season thus far, and shortstop Brandon Crawford is in the midst of a fantastic campaign at the plate.
He leads the Giants with 11 home runs and 29 RBI as the squad prepares to face the Diamondbacks in Arizona on Tuesday. More impressively from Crawford, he credits altered swing mechanics for his success.
That’s not easy for a 34-year-old former All Star and World Series champion to do, but he pulled it off. Here’s a portion of his comments to reporters about his new swing.
“We did a lot of drills to kind of keep my swing more on plane for a longer time,” Crawford said. “So you’re able to hit the fastball, but then if you’re a little bit out front, you’re able to stay on plane with the baseball a little bit longer and still drive an offspeed pitch.
“I have a more open stance than I’ve had in the past, and that’s just to allow my hips to clear easier, and the bat off the shoulder is just so I don’t pull off pitches or cheat to inside fastballs.”
San Francisco Chronicle
Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle notes that this new technique has kept Crawford from rolling grounders over to first and second base. Visually, Crawford has taken the bat off his shoulder and is holding the bat further away from his body.
The results have been splendid for Crawford and the Giants. His defense has been strong, too. He and fellow former champion, catcher Buster Posey, have no problem leading the way for the San Francisco Giants, regardless of their age. They know how to win it all, so it’s only natural that they take charge — with the help of good coaching, too.
(Photo courtesy Wikipedia commons/Ian D’Andrea)
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