Mark Loretta was a stable hitter over 15 huge league seasons, and he was particularly good in 2003 and 2004. Over that two-year span, the right-handed-hitting second baseman slashed .325/.382/.469 with 75 doubles, 29 residence runs, and a 129 wRC+ with the San Diego Padres. Contact was one among his robust fits. The Northwestern College product had a 7.9% strikeout fee to go along with an 8.2% stroll fee in 2003-04, numbers largely in step with his 9.2% and eight.5% profession marks.
His general manufacturing was comparably modest. Loretta persistently put up excessive batting averages – they ranged between .280 and .335 throughout his 11 full seasons — however he went deep simply 76 occasions and completed with a 100 wRC+. These numbers came to visit seven-plus seasons with the Milwaukee Brewers, three with the Padres, two-plus with the Houston Astros, and one every with the Boston Crimson Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers. Your prototypical “skilled hitter,” Loretta debuted in 1995 and performed his final recreation in 2009.
Now a particular assistant with San Diego, Loretta sat down to speak hitting when the Padres performed at Fenway Park in late June.
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David Laurila: Trying again, what model of hitter had been you, and did that change over the course of your profession?
Mark Loretta: “That’s query. I might say that I used to be developed and got here up as [someone who hit] contained in the ball, hit the ball up the center, hit it the opposite approach, hit it the place it’s pitched. I used to be very contact-oriented. I didn’t actually sit on pitches or promote out for fastballs, I primarily preferred to see the ball get deep.
“About midway by my profession I made a concerted effort to be taught to tug the ball higher, and extra usually. I feel that’s when my profession type of took off. I used to be capable of get to maintain that contact-hitter, hit-it-where-it’s-pitched strategy, but in addition deal with the ball inside significantly better.
“My energy — extra doubles, extra residence runs — got here once I pulled the ball. For lots of my profession, pitchers would pound me in, pound me in, as a result of I hit the ball nicely the opposite approach. I made a few changes with my swing and began trying a bit bit extra in once I was in hitter’s counts. I might lay off the ball middle-away when it was 2-0 or 3-1.”
Laurila: How a lot has hitting modified because you performed?
Loretta: “Properly, I feel the strategy to hitting has modified. The purpose continues to be to supply runs — you’re both attempting rating runs or drive them in — however now the onus is extra on exit velocity. There are issues we didn’t essentially take into consideration when once I was taking part in. My final 12 months was 2009, so it’s not prefer it was 40 years in the past, however the model has undoubtedly modified. You see much more guys go up there pondering, I’m going to attempt to fireplace off my A-swing for 3 strikes. We by no means thought that approach, or a minimum of I didn’t. We had been extra involved with having a two-strike strategy and making contact. Hanging out was sort of a black eye. No one preferred to do it, whereas it has turn out to be rather more acceptable. Sure issues are valued otherwise.”
Laurila: Let’s say you had been taking part in at this time. Do you assume you’d be the identical hitter you had been?
Loretta: “I feel it might in all probability rely on what group I used to be in, fairly frankly. By way of bio-mechanically… I by no means actually broke down my swing when it comes to, Right here is leverage, right here is the best way to hit the ball. I by no means tried to hit the ball within the air. I used to be attempting to hit a line drive. Perhaps I might have modified that strategy and tried to hit extra fly balls. I don’t know.”
Laurila: Are there any gamers on this Padres crew you see as being stylistically just like who you had been as a hitter?
Loretta: “Perhaps Luis Arraez? He’s a man with a brief swing. I used to be right-handed and he’s left-handed, and we’re completely different in our kinds a bit bit, however I do assume the pendulum is swinging again a bit bit to placing extra emphasis, and worth, on contact and situational hitting. [Padres manager] Mike Shildt and our guys speak rather a lot about that.”
Laurila: Are you able to elaborate on the way you and Arraez are comparable?
Loretta: “Simply actually brief to the ball. Not enormous bat pace. I wasn’t a giant bat pace man as a result of I didn’t have a giant load. I used to be extra attempting to be brief, compact, direct to the ball. I wasn’t promoting out for energy.”
Laurila: What are a number of the conversations you had been referring to? What’s the group in search of?
Loretta: “To make use of a golf analogy, we’ve kind of come to the conclusion that you just need to have a couple of membership in your bag. Let’s attempt to have balanced hitters, a balanced lineup to the place if we’re not hitting the three-run homer we’re getting a bunch of hits. As you noticed final evening, we scored 9 runs in a single inning earlier than making an out. There have been a few residence runs in there, however there have been additionally a variety of singles. It was a contact-oriented inning. For us, the concept is to be a multifaceted hitter.”
Laurila: How does the group strategy hitting from a coaching perspective?
Loretta: “On the participant growth aspect, we focus rather a lot on coaching at excessive velocity. We’re taking much more batting follow off of high-speed machines, versus off of a coach’s arm or the kind of factor that actually doesn’t mimic hitting in a recreation. There’s a variety of emphasis on biomechanics, getting your physique in the suitable place. After which there may be clearly controlling the strike zone, pitch recognition. We chart that. We worth that. We take a look at all completely different metrics on that.”
Laurila: How is energy approached inside participant growth?
Loretta: “I feel it begins with attempting to be hitter first. One in all my least favourite scouting phrases is ‘uncooked energy.’ That’s extra what you are able to do in batting follow, swing as arduous as you possibly can. Properly, you possibly can’t get to your uncooked energy except you make sufficient contact. So, I feel you begin off with a base — a good suggestion of the strike zone, good contact — after which as you get comfy with that, the ability can come. Jackson Merrill’s season has been sort of like that. He began off simply sort of placing the ball in play, after which the ability began to return.”
Laurila: What you want is recreation energy…
Loretta: “Sure. Uncooked energy is dumb to me. Who cares? You will get a bodybuilder out right here that would hit for uncooked energy, however in the event you can’t hit a 97-mph fastball, how are you going to get to that uncooked energy?”
Laurila: What are a number of the metrics you care about?
Loretta: “Swing selections. In-zone contact fee. And it’s not about simply swinging in zone, it’s swinging in particular zones. In the event you’re swinging on 2-0 and the pitch is down and away, even when it’s a strike, that’s not good. You ought to be in search of one thing middle-middle or middle-in the place you are able to do a bit bit of injury. I do assume that exit velocity has worth. It’s essential make contact, however you additionally need to hit the ball arduous.”
Laurila: You talked about eager to not strike out. In the event you work deep counts, extra strikeouts are inevitable…
Loretta: “It’s essential have a two-strike strategy. You’ve received to surrender a bit bit with two strikes, significantly in conditions the place contact drives the run in. I imply, it’s one factor if it’s the third inning and nobody is on base. Each situation is completely different.”
Laurila: Who was one of the best hitter you performed with?
Loretta: “Amongst right-handed hitters, in all probability Manny Ramirez. He was essentially the most balanced. He had an unimaginable swing, however he additionally made good swing selections. He clearly had recreation energy. However one of the best hitter of my era was Todd Helton. He was one of the best pure hitter I noticed throughout my time within the recreation. He may make nice contact with energy. He may hit a number of pitches. He had a couple of instrument in his toolbox.”
Laurila: Any ultimate ideas on hitting?
Loretta: “One is that I by no means wished to be able the place I used to be mechanically taking or mechanically swinging. I see that rather a lot within the recreation. I see a variety of, I’m making my thoughts as much as swing. The pitch at all times ought to dictate whether or not you swing or not. Hitting is a reactionary ability.
“One other is that a variety of gamers get caught up of their swings. To me, hitting is just not a lot about swinging. Clearly, you need to swing to hit the ball, however swinging isn’t hitting. Hitting is making the suitable choice. It’s understanding the pitcher. It’s understanding what the state of affairs requires. The swing comes final.”
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Earlier “Talks Hitting” interviews can discovered by these hyperlinks: Jo Adell, Jeff Albert, Greg Allen, Nolan Arenado, Aaron Bates, Jacob Berry, Alex Bregman, Bo Bichette, Justice Bigbie, Cavan Biggio, Charlie Blackmon, JJ Bleday, Bobby Bradley, Will Brennan, Jay Bruce, Triston Casas, Matt Chapman, Michael Chavis, Garrett Cooper, Gavin Cross, Jacob Cruz, Nelson Cruz, Paul DeJong, Josh Donaldson, Brendan Donovan, Donnie Ecker, Rick Eckstein, Drew Ferguson, Justin Foscue, Michael Fransoso, Ryan Fuller, Joey Gallo, Paul Goldschmidt, Devlin Granberg, Gino Groover, Matt Hague, Andy Haines, Mitch Haniger, Robert Hassell III, Austin Hays, Nico Hoerner, Jackson Holliday, Spencer Horwitz, Rhys Hoskins, Eric Hosmer, Jacob Hurtubise, Tim Hyers, Connor Joe, Jace Jung, Josh Jung, Jimmy Kerr, Heston Kjerstad, Steven Kwan, Trevor Larnach, Doug Latta, Royce Lewis, Evan Longoria, Joey Loperfido, Michael Lorenzen, Gavin Lux, Dave Magadan, Trey Mancini, Edgar Martinez, Don Mattingly, Marcelo Mayer, Hunter Mense, Owen Miller, Colson Montgomery, Tre’ Morgan, Ryan Mountcastle, Cedric Mullins, Daniel Murphy, Lars Nootbaar, Logan O’Hoppe, Vinnie Pasquantino, Graham Pauley, David Peralta, Luke Raley, Julio Rodríguez, Brent Rooker, Thomas Saggese, Anthony Santander, Drew Saylor, Nolan Schanuel, Marcus Semien, Giancarlo Stanton, Spencer Steer, Trevor Story, Fernando Tatis Jr., Spencer Torkelson, Mark Trumbo, Brice Turang, Justin Turner, Trea Turner, Josh VanMeter, Robert Van Scoyoc, Chris Valaika, Zac Veen, Alex Verdugo, Mark Vientos, Matt Vierling, Luke Voit, Anthony Volpe, Joey Votto, Christian Walker, Jared Walsh, Jordan Westburg, Jesse Winker, Bobby Witt Jr. Mike Yastrzemski, Nick Yorke, Kevin Youkilis