Chad Mottola Early Season Report Card

[flatjacket1]

Chad Mottola being added to the coaching staff didn't create much news but it could easily be the reason the Jays are doing so well at the moment, with guys like Lind, Rasmus contributing.

Philosophy:
Mottola likes to work with guys on an individual basis, and thinks no 2 hitters are alike:

“I work individually. I think that’s what’s important about this game is that everybody has their own personality and their own style. They’re going to strike fear into their own team yet they’re going to let different guys have different approaches.”

On Rasmus:
“The talent in him is unbelivable. The things he does, the way he gets to the front of the box and we’re just going to get his quick hands to work in his favor rather than going through swing changes all year. I think we have a pretty good base going into the year and we’re going to try and keep it there.”

Q: Rasmus made transition to front of the box last year… sticking with that?

“We modified it a little bit but it’s one of those things where as time goes on we hope we’re not going to see five different stances after an 0-for-4. We’re trying to get a consistent base and then we’re going to stay there.”

Q: What are you trying to modify?

“We’re still doing some things, getting his hands a little bit lower and getting him in a better position to hit.”
Read more: http://gregorchisholm.mlblogs.com/2013/ ... d-mottola/

MORE RASMUS FROM 2ND SOURCE:
In trying to help him break free of his past patterns, Mottola has tried to “educate” Rasmus on the things that make him successful at the plate, so when he does work in the cage, he’s focused on specific keys, rather than swinging away in search of an answer.

They don’t have a set routine in terms of how many rips he takes on a daily basis, but his workload is closely monitored. Monday, for instance, Rasmus didn’t take batting practice on the field, because he’d already done enough in the cage.

A frequent message Mottola delivers is, “Don’t let the result dictate how you work the next day.”

“Workload gets a lot lighter for him when times are good, and that’s what I want to make sure of, that when times are bad, that he just doesn’t work, work, work,” explains Mottola. “We’re trying to pay attention to the things that get him going good, so that he gets a little bit more educated in hitting than going and swinging for hours until, OK, there it is.

“We’re trying to educate him a little more on why things are happening.”

It’s a message Rasmus is receptive to, but one he sometimes still struggles to accept. After a bad game, he says, “instinctively I want to go and take 200 swings just to make myself feel better, so I can sleep at night.”

Asked why he can’t simply forget a rough night and move on, he replies: “I was never able to look at it that way. St. Louis was very result-oriented, if you go 0-fer, you didn’t play the next day when I was a rookie, so it was instilled in me when I was 22 years old and I didn’t know no different. I just tried to listen to what they say and do it, sometimes good, sometimes bad.”
Read more: http://www.sportsnet.ca/baseball/mlb/da ... h-failure/

I encourage you to read the full interviews too, here are the sources I used. All great reads.
http://gregorchisholm.mlblogs.com/2013/ ... d-mottola/
http://www.sportsnet.ca/baseball/mlb/da ... h-failure/
http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/qa-chad- ... ing-coach/

Anyways, after those reads, what do you think of CM so far?

To me he's been great, and without him and the continuance of DM, Lind and Rasmus would look like last year. I think he might be the biggest different we have made this year, getting the most production out of players we thought unable to produce.

Whether or not you think Lind has some sustainability, it's hard to argue with what CM has done and the changes he has made.

I like how he approaches all players differently, too many times I've seen a coach try to have 1 philosophy for all players.

What is your early season report card?

[Schad]

If he's had any influence in Lind's turnaround, that alone is pretty well worth his salary.

Needs to do something with Lawrie, though. His stance needs to be overhauled, if he's willing to do so.

[Tyrone Slothrop]

If he's had any influence in Lind's turnaround, that alone is pretty well worth his salary.

Needs to do something with Lawrie, though. His stance needs to be overhauled, if he's willing to do so.

On the DJF podcast today, they were talking about how the goal with Lawrie is not to try to overhaul everything at once, but make gradual adjustments (Forget where they heard it from though).

[Raps_Swingman]

If he's had any influence in Lind's turnaround, that alone is pretty well worth his salary.

Needs to do something with Lawrie, though. His stance needs to be overhauled, if he's willing to do so.

I remember hearing Mottola talk about Lawrie's pre pitch movement and how he really wanted to calm that down. I've had issue with his constant waggling and moving for awhile. His swing plane seems to change everytime. Hopefully he can get Brett to take half a Redbull instead of 6 and quiet his pre pitch mechanics down.

[flatjacket1]

I would say it takes longer than 200 AB's for most players to get their new overhauled swings down.

I'd still give it time.

[kavan]

I think like the entire team it took some times for everyone to get their swing in place. The timing is key for many I still think Jose is not close to the hitter he was but I also think his attitude has change as well as how they pitch to him. Edwin and Lind are hitting the cover off the ball. Lastly I think Lawrie needs a little work but it will come with time as he grows as a player.