Taylor Trammell already making adjustments at the plate

There were split reactions to the trade that brought the Padres one of the top prospects in baseball. Taylor Trammell has just three hits in his first 21 at bats since the trade, including a solo homerun last night. It is a nice spot in a world of unpleasantness so far.

I’m a believer in Trammell, and have been since the start, despite his struggles this season. He is working through some adjustments at the plate on both his swing and approach. That is all well and good, but the good news is the Padre organization is already helping. The talented eyes of Ray from Prospects 365 gives us a glimpse of that. His website is linked, they do fantastic work.

There are some differences in these stances, and it is a good thing. The biggest difference is his jersey. *Pauses for non-existent laughter*

Okay, but seriously there are two major changes that I can see in the pictures. The first is that Trammell has more weight is on his back leg in the Padres picture. Staying back and getting that weight transfer is important in making good contact.

The other thing I notice is Trammell’s bat head. It is hard to tell with the camera angle, but the position of the bat head means his hands are a little farther away from the body. To keep it simple, his bat head placement in the after picture will give his bat head an easier path to the ball.

Okay, minor mechanical fixes are only exciting to massive nerds, like myself. However, I am all about hype. So here is video of the homer that Trammell hit thanks to PadresFarm on Twitter. Give both of these accounts a follow if you do not already.

This video is also good for seeing another benefit of him adjusting his hand placement. You can see how easy it is for Trammell to drop into the load position. For reference, here is a swing from 2018.

As the tweet points out, his swing there is reliant on bat speed. By moving his hands he can create less motion in his swing. That more compact swing should reduce the need for (bat) speed.

Trammell has played five games for the San Diego Padres organization. For him to already be showing noticeable differences means he is putting in a lot of work. It also shows me is open and willing to learn from his new coaches.

A couple of adjustments are not going to turn Trammell into an MLB All-Star over night. It also doesn’t mean he will jump directly back into his success from last year immediately. But it’s a good start and they should put him on the path to success. Buy in.