How new Red Sox slugger Curtis Mead learned to stop tinkering with his approach and started raking - The Boston Globe

What the report says

The Boston Globe reported that Curtis Mead’s arrival with the Red Sox follows a significant turnaround in his major-league hitting profile after years of uneven results. Mead, a 25-year-old Australian infielder, entered his Boston debut against the Athletics in West Sacramento hitting .254 with a .352 on-base percentage, a .500 slugging mark and 17 home runs in 87 games. He left that game after being struck on the left wrist by a 95 mph fastball; the team described the injury as a contusion.

According to the Globe, Mead had long been seen as a high-end hitting prospect in the minors, with strong contact ability and hard-hit line drives, but he struggled to translate that promise in the majors. Through his first 152 big-league games, he hit .238/.300/.317. Nationals manager Blake Butera, who had known Mead from winter ball and the Rays’ system, told the Globe that Mead had an important role for Washington this season.

The central change, the Globe reported, was Mead’s decision to simplify. Earlier in his career, he frequently adjusted his stance, posture, hand position and bat setup, sometimes reacting to short slumps by changing mechanics. In the majors, that left him focused on his swing rather than pitch recognition, and his chase rate rose.

With help from White Sox hitting coaches and later in Washington, Mead narrowed his setup, stood more upright, opened slightly, moved closer to the plate and lowered his hands. The Globe described those changes as giving him more time to identify pitches and a shorter path to contact, helping explain why Boston was willing to trade lefthander Connelly Early for a bat it believes can help beyond this season.