The Toronto Blue Jays’ Matt Hague is incomes a popularity as among the finest younger hitting coaches within the recreation. Promoted to the massive league workers this 12 months after a pair of seasons spent working at Double-A, adopted by a 12 months in Triple-A, the 38-year-old former first baseman is without doubt one of the workforce’s two assistant hitting coaches. (Hunter Mense, who was featured in our Talks Hitting sequence in July 2022, is the opposite, whereas Guillermo Martinez is the lead hitting coach and Don Mattingly serves because the workforce’s offensive coordinator.)
Hague’s enjoying profession included a number of robust seasons within the minors, however solely a smattering of alternatives within the majors. The Bellevue, Washington native logged simply 91 large league plate appearances, 74 with the Pittsburgh Pirates and 17 with the Blue Jays. And whereas what he skilled over 11 skilled campaigns influences the strategy he brings to his present function, what he’s realized since is each bit as essential. Like most coaches who excel at their jobs, Hague isn’t solely an efficient communicator, he embraces trendy coaching strategies.
Hague sat down to speak hitting when the Blue Jays visited Fenway Park in late June.
———
David Laurila: You final performed professionally in 2018. What have you learnt now that you just didn’t know then?
Matt Hague: “Oh, man. That’s a very good query. I believe the how. As a coach you’re type of compelled to unfold issues that you just thought as a participant, however didn’t essentially go actually deep into, or didn’t have the possibility to go as deep into. The significance of sure issues shift on what you wish to emphasize. That’s since you’re searching for an entire group, although it’s a person plan, or a person mover — a sure trait that a person individual must develop and proceed to get higher at.
“There are quite a lot of completely different pathways on find out how to deliver out sure stuff, and the extra you evolve as a coach, your perspective shifts. You attempt to discover understandings on the mentality facet, the game-planning facet, the technical a part of it. So yeah, I believe it’s that you just’re simply compelled to seek out out extra. You’re compelled to have a broader perspective than you had as a participant.”
Laurila: How a lot tougher is hitting now in comparison with while you final performed? It wasn’t all that way back.
Hague: “No, however I’d say that it’s exponentially tougher. The best way groups are pitch designing, pitch shaping… it’s not like a one-trick pony, north, south. Groups are mixing pitch shapes. Groups are actually taking note of pitch utilization. Hitters need to make quite a lot of tougher, completely different selections.
“I went to Japan in 2016, and once I got here again a 12 months later, it was actually exhausting for me to hit true carry, high-vert fastballs, or up-shoot fastballs. I really feel like that modified drastically simply in a single 12 months, from ’16 to once I obtained again right here to the States in ’17. It appeared like groups have been actually specializing that approach. You’d really feel it within the field and probably not understand how the pitcher created it.”
Laurila: Elevated fastballs are clearly nonetheless a factor, however it additionally looks like sinkers are coming again into vogue.
Hague: “Sure, I’d say they’re going each worlds now; they’re mixing each worlds. If a man historically is up-and-down, high-carry/hard-down or slider, they’re mixing in 15-20% two-seam utilization. What that does to a hitter is make you assume east-west, or it actually forces you to decide to sure areas or remove sure zones. And so they’ll combine in an off-speed pitch. It has somewhat little bit of horizontal to it, or somewhat little bit of slurve-ish motion.
“One other factor is that quite a lot of guys now are beginning to go sides of the rubber. Righties are going much more first base facet, like an enormous crossfire transfer. They’re creating an angle on the two-seam and on their sliders.”
Laurila: Is there a approach for hitters to counteract the benefits pitchers have been gaining?
Hague: “Sure. A few of it’s specialised coaching, and you may see somewhat smoke the place the fireplace is. Sure groups are actually eliminating sure zones. I don’t wish to say which of them, however it’s very obvious what they’re doing. They’re forcing pitchers… so, just like the high-vert guys who normally command it up within the zone; groups are eliminating the underside. So then you definitely see pitchers adapt to hold on the backside in addition to on the prime. It’s like a cat-and-mouse recreation. On the hitter facet, it’s forcing hitters to essentially keep dedicated. They’ve to purchase break day fastballs and actually hone down on zones.
“That’s one thing that has at all times been completed in baseball, however I believe the way in which pitchers — the way in which groups — are designing pitch shapes and utilization, it’s actually forcing hitters to be dedicated in sure areas and eliminating sure areas.”
Laurila: Coaching-wise, are you a believer in hitters making ready towards particular pitchers — I’m pondering Trajekt — versus coaching towards, say, velocity typically?
Hague: “Yeah. Massively. Particularly given swing paths. You possibly can’t take the identical swing off of a high-vert four-seam as a turbo downhill fastball. For sure. It’s important to gear your swing path. And relying on how gradual the offspeed is, how a lot time do you want to purchase off the fastball? How a lot do it’s important to lengthen your transfer, or maintain sure positions longer?
“You wish to be recreation planning in the direction of that, after which, hopefully by way of surroundings coaching over time, it turns into a really in-sync system to the place you may have these talks with gamers, understanding what they’re engaged on in the present day versus the man they’ll be dealing with. And then you definitely’ve obtained the entire puzzle of the relievers. It’s additionally understanding what the pitchers’ strengths are, what they have an inclination to do. Are they throwing away from hitters’ injury zones or are they only sticking to their very own strengths?”
Laurila: And I assume your hitters work with a Trajekt machine?
Hague: “Oh yeah. I believe we have now three of them within the group. I do know we have now one on the advanced, in Florida, and have one or two extra on the way in which.”
Laurila: Blue Jays followers might be upset if I don’t ask you in regards to the workforce’s offensive struggles this season. Most significantly, how can what hasn’t been working be mounted?
Hague: “That’s a difficult query. I believe we’re making quite a lot of progress with some issues. We’re assessing issues that we are able to get higher at, and we’re studying from our previous errors and coaching to get higher. We’re working. The boys are working. They know what’s at stake.
“I believe they’re studying about themselves, even on the fly. They’re discovering methods to gear swing paths, to consider issues like completely different zones to remove to get extra barrels on the ball. We’ve proven glimpses of it, particularly in comparison with early within the season. It’s a piece in progress. You wish to keep away from the cliche of it being a protracted season, however on the identical time, we are able to nonetheless make a run of this factor. There are guys who’ve been underperforming, however we have now to remain targeted on the positives. We’ve quite a lot of guys who can hit, and I anticipate that they may hit.”
——
Earlier “Talks Hitting” interviews can discovered by way of 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, 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, Michael Lorenzen, Gavin Lux, Dave Magadan, Trey Mancini, Edgar Martinez, Don Mattingly, Marcelo Mayer, Hunter Mense, Owen Miller, Ryan Mountcastle, Cedric Mullins, Daniel Murphy, Lars Nootbaar, Logan O’Hoppe, Vinnie Pasquantino, Graham Pauley, Luke Raley, Julio Rodríguez, Brent Rooker, 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.
