Post by jmei on Jun 25, 2014 20:12:57 GMT -5
There's some discussion of Cecchini and his struggles this season in this Speier minor league roundup:
Yet evaluators who have seen Cecchini in Pawtucket insist that he continues to have quality plate appearances, and believe that the numbers will eventually follow suit. Cecchini likewise said that he’s comfortable with the fact that he’s been able to hold his own while on something of a player development fast track that has earned him big league callups twice.
“The numbers don’t lie. At the same time, I don’t even know what the average age is up there, but I’m one of the youngest guys [in Pawtucket],” said Cecchini. “Just to have some sort of success against guys that have been to the big leagues and learning the adjustment period . . . I was in High-A last year. The competition there was good, but these guys know how to pitch. They don’t miss over the plate as much. You’ve got to know how to pick your spots and at the same time, you don’t want to second-guess your approach. You want to stay to your approach and that’s what I’ve done.
“I’ve had really good at-bats, I think, through the whole year. I might have had a week stretch where I didn’t have good at-bats and I got away from my approach and that’s what you don’t want to do. They ingrain that in your head at a young age. When you first sign, it’s stick to your same approach. It’s not mechanics. Your swing is fine. Through the week stretch, it wasn’t about mechanics. Nothing was wrong about my swing. It was my approach. It was just one week though.
“Throughout the whole year, I’ve been consistent although I’ve had more strikeouts. I think that, man, if I had seven more hits and I’ve had a lot of line outs, just like everyone, I’m close to hitting .300 again and my on-base percentage is up to .360 again. I don’t really know what the stats are, but I feel like I’ve had a really good year in Triple-A and I’ve been consistent and it’s about sticking to that same approach. That’s what I’ve noticed the most this year. It’s nothing with my swing. They’re getting me out because they are good pitchers and they have to put food on the table also. You’ve got to tip your cap sometimes and also just going back to the approach, stick to your approach.”
“The numbers don’t lie. At the same time, I don’t even know what the average age is up there, but I’m one of the youngest guys [in Pawtucket],” said Cecchini. “Just to have some sort of success against guys that have been to the big leagues and learning the adjustment period . . . I was in High-A last year. The competition there was good, but these guys know how to pitch. They don’t miss over the plate as much. You’ve got to know how to pick your spots and at the same time, you don’t want to second-guess your approach. You want to stay to your approach and that’s what I’ve done.
“I’ve had really good at-bats, I think, through the whole year. I might have had a week stretch where I didn’t have good at-bats and I got away from my approach and that’s what you don’t want to do. They ingrain that in your head at a young age. When you first sign, it’s stick to your same approach. It’s not mechanics. Your swing is fine. Through the week stretch, it wasn’t about mechanics. Nothing was wrong about my swing. It was my approach. It was just one week though.
“Throughout the whole year, I’ve been consistent although I’ve had more strikeouts. I think that, man, if I had seven more hits and I’ve had a lot of line outs, just like everyone, I’m close to hitting .300 again and my on-base percentage is up to .360 again. I don’t really know what the stats are, but I feel like I’ve had a really good year in Triple-A and I’ve been consistent and it’s about sticking to that same approach. That’s what I’ve noticed the most this year. It’s nothing with my swing. They’re getting me out because they are good pitchers and they have to put food on the table also. You’ve got to tip your cap sometimes and also just going back to the approach, stick to your approach.”