Mickey Brantley
Mickey Brantley
Michael Charles Brantleyis a former Major League Baseball player. He was the hitting coach for the Toronto Blue Jays from early 2005 to September 2007...
afraid kids knows lose player veteran
The veteran player ... he knows his role, he knows where he is. It's the young kids that are kind of afraid to make those adjustments because, 'Hey, I'm here. I've only been here one or two years. I don't want to lose my job.' ... That's the concern.
ball expanding guys hitting looking patient pitch putting strike throwing
We have an approach. We're not expanding the strike zone. We're looking for our pitch in our zone. We're putting the ball in play and hitting it hard. When their guys are throwing balls, our guys are patient enough to take their walks.
good guys locked routine
Right now, everybody's kind of locked in a little bit. They have a little routine that they're doing every day. If I have to say something I've just got to tell them, 'You're out in front,' or 'You're behind,' just little stuff. Right now those guys are in good position.
ball instead pitcher pitches quality swinging throwing tough wants
We're swinging at quality pitches. We're swinging at our pitches instead of the pitcher's pitches. If the pitcher is throwing the ball where he wants to, he's going to be tough to beat.
changes coming difficult guys league major quite small
It's very difficult to make changes at the Major League level, because these guys want to be successful. They've been doing this for quite a while with other instructors. So I'm coming in with small adjustments, not major adjustments.
The more we do something, the better we become at it.
best expand good situations stays team wants within zone
He's a team player. When he's not doing the job, he wants to do what's best for the club. In good situations sometimes you want to be the hero, you (can) expand the zone. He stays within his own zone and that's a good thing.
ball gotten learn looks needs power problem pull strengths wants
He wants to use the whole field. His strengths are right-center, but I have no problem with him doing that -- that's good. He needs to learn to pull the ball correctly. He's been working on that and he's gotten a lot better. Obviously, when you go from one to 10, it looks like he has the power going in the right direction.
hope maintain routine sticking
I hope so. Right now everybody's sticking to their routine and they're being able to maintain their swings. I hope they keep them where they are for as long as they can.
question
He's a young kid, so no question about it he has to play. Development is development.