![]() Mota’s pregame responsibilities involve working with both the pitchers and infielders. “It’s part of the routine, just like you wouldn’t skip out on a cage routine. “It’s one of those things where it’s not going to kill you - it’s low impact and keeps you ready,” Ríos told the Tribune. When our guys anticipate three things before it happens, one is going to happen and it’s always going to put you in the right place.” “But then I was like, ‘Oh, just press through it like Dansby does.’ It happened so fast, it was like muscle memory from what we’ve been working on.”Īdded Mota: “At this level, guys are here because they are athletes, but we still have to go over simplifying things and talk about anticipating. “I literally thought as that ball was midway to me, I kind of felt stuck,” Wisdom recalled. But the play required an on-the-fly adjustment by Wisdom as he read the ground ball’s path. In another situation, during a win over the Seattle Mariners on April 11 at Wrigley Field, Wisdom threw out Eugenio Suárez at first to end the third inning on what seemed to be a routine grounder. ![]() It didn’t faze him, and Hoerner quickly adjusted his hands to make the play. During Monday’s win in Oakland, Hoerner faced a ground ball right at him that took a bad last hop. Three weeks into the season, moments of carryover from drill work to game situations are apparent. armed with a nasty splitter - is putting on a ‘Leit Show’ for the Chicago Cubs ] Sweeping slider helps Hayden Wesneski get on track in Chicago Cubs’ 10-1 win: ‘Definitely a start you can build onto’ ] I’m able to take that into practice off live Fungos, like, OK, this thought puts me in this position.” “It’s different thoughts on playing through the ball and how, for him, he presses through and the key words he uses. “Now I’m able to digest that and figure it out and then kind of make it my own,” Wisdom told the Tribune. Learning new cues and understanding how they help position the body has been part of a defensive payoff for Wisdom. Patrick Wisdom picked Swanson’s brain about the routine to better understand the process of what he’s trying to accomplish. Sometimes coaches have to remind Hoerner not to overwork himself before games. He often can be seen taking a variety of grounders at second base, including drills from his knees. Nico Hoerner is more feel-based with his defense, homing in on working the angles to balls. Madrigal likes utilizing both short-hop drills and on-field Fungo grounders at second and third base. Nick Madrigal has watched Swanson go through the drills and tried it out, calling it “awesome.” Every infielder has his own style of preparation. Some Cubs infielders use parts of Swanson’s routine within their own individualized work with Mota and bench coach Andy Green, who also works with infielders. Whenever he teaches young kids, Swanson preaches adapting to a one-handed defensive game rather than a two-handed, get-in-front-of-the-ball approach.Ĭubs shortstop Dansby Swanson adjusts his hat in the dugout before the first inning against the Mariners at Wrigley Field on April 10, 2023. Swanson stressed the value of an infielder trusting to play with one hand. ![]() The way he talks to his teammates, his peers, they talk about defense and the whys. “He’s a leader and he says a lot of right things. “He challenged me and I like a challenge. But that didn’t stop Swanson from joking about how Mota should watch instructional videos of Washington, the decadeslong master. Swanson praised Mota for how good he has become in less than three months with the drill. Column: New-age baseball requires adjusting to the pitch clock and finding the right ‘pocket’ ] The ball - hit to glove side, back hand and head on during the sequence - must hop at the right point for the work to be effective. It starts about 5 to 10 feet apart, with the infielder starting on his knees. How the coach hits the balls is the key element. It’s one of the best routines out there in my opinion.” “It’s not taxing and your legs are still fresh for the game. “There’s obviously so much newness and to be able to take something that’s kind of always been a part of your routine, to continue that, provides almost like a safety net,” said Swanson, who is coming off his first Gold Glove Award. The Cubs’ receptivity to Swanson bringing those drills to Chicago - and the way some teammates have adopted parts of the routine - aided him in adjusting to a new organization.
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