Dodgers Not Giving Up on Andy Pages Despite Struggles, Says Dave Roberts
Andy Pages splashed down in the big leagues with a loud cannonball. In his first 16 games with the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Cuban-born outfielder was 22-for-65 (.339) with five doubles, four home runs, 12 RBIs and 14 runs scored.
Since then, the water has been ice cold.
In his past 22 games through Wednesday, Pages has gone 12-for-80 (.150) with 31 strikeouts and only three extra-base hits. Manager Dave Roberts isn’t ready to give up on the 23-year-old.
“He’s in a slide,” Roberts told Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register. “There’s more chase. He’s missing some pitches he should hit. But I just believe in the (level) head. I really do. With a young player it’s hard to imagine things … linear and seamless. It hasn’t been that way. But he hasn’t given up on the defensive side. And I just think there’s more in there. So we’ll keep running him out there.”
The more experience Pages gains, the more pitchers learn what, where and how to throw him to get him to expand his zone. So far, Pages hasn’t made the adjustments in response.
“I think they have been pitching me differently,” Pages said through an interpreter. “But I think it’s more that they see where I’m not making adjustments, where I’m making mistakes. They’re attacking those areas. But I think it’s more me not making the adjustments than what they’re doing to me.”
A reputed free swinger, Pages’ chase rate is off the charts, at 40 percent. The league average is 28 percent. He is also swinging under almost everything he swings at.
If he doesn’t figure out his strike zone and bring his chase rate down, Pages could end up back in Triple-A sooner rather than later.
Photo Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports
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At this point he seems like Outman V2. He seems like a more natural hitter, let’s hope he figures it out.
“..If he doesn’t figure out his strike zone and bring his chase rate down, Pages could end up back in Triple-A sooner rather than later.”
That’s what hitting coaches are or should be for. Major League pitchers are not minor league pitchers. They are light years better at attacking a batters weaknesses. Because Minor League pitchers are still learning advanced pitching skills, they make mistakes which even poor hitters can take advantage of and so you get a lot of minor league stars like Gavin Lux, Miguel Vargas, Pages and Outman who come to the majors and suddenly don’t hit like they did in the minors after MLB pitchers figure out their weaknesses. Mostly because they don’t know THEIR own MLB strike zone. They need help finding that out and correcting their “swing from the heels” mentality. They need the coaching that their often isn’t time for during the season. That is the sad part.
As a former pro player, the problem Andy Pages was having was his LEG KICK. His first move as a hitter was to move toward the pitcher raising his leg ala Justin Turner. However, that gives him no leverage to STAY BACK on your back leg, and assess the pitch and its speed. Moving forward takes you off your back leg, which is your anchor, and makes it almost impossible to catch up to high major league HEAT! Pages’ swing path allow him to hit low pitches very well, especially off-speed pitches, and the scouts saw that. What came next was, high and hard, which caused him to drop 100 BA points. Against the Mets, we noticed a reduced, to an almost zero, leg kick. He looked more under control and hit a sharp single to center. The secret to hitting is to STAY BACK, and shift your weight according to spin and speed of the pitch thrown. Pages and Dodger hitting coaches, take note!
Unfortunately, Pages has not been the answer to losing Bellinger and the also-struggling Outman. The rate at which he swings and completely misses just about everything thrown at him is concerning. But that “swing for the fences” attitude seems to be right in Robert’s constant game plan. He also doesn’t seem that fast to first base, although with his physique he should be beating out some of throws that are easily beating him. Ditto, first to second on steal attempts. Send him back down for awhile and see if he can adjust to big-league pitching after that. Might as well bring back Outman and if that doesn’t work out, start searching for legitimate center fielder once again via trade.