Myers settles into strong spring stance with first Grapefruit homer

JUPITER, Fla. -- There’s no better time to tinker with one’s game than during Spring Training. For Marlins outfielder Dane Myers, the results are starting to show for all his hard work.

“I've gone through quite a few stances already in spring, and that's me kind of being OK with failing a little bit, being uncomfortable in the box,” Myers said. “But I think I finally settled in on something that I like, and all our hitting guys like. Today was the first time I've done the same thing a few consecutive days in a row. So just getting consistent with it, and the more reps I get with the current setup, I think it will work out.”

Did it ever.

Myers, who entered Monday with no extra-base hits in 28 Grapefruit League plate appearances, sent Mets righty Paul Blackburn’s cutter over the right-field fence for a two-run homer in the Marlins’ 6-5 loss at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium.

In Myers’ other three at-bats -- all outs -- he produced exit velocities of 98.7 mph, 90.8 mph and 99.7 mph. A hard-hit ball is anything 95 mph or higher.

“I've just been standing up really upright my entire life,” Myers said. “[Now I’m] just getting into my legs a little bit more, making sure I'm getting all the power out of my body that I possibly can, so just a little more squat in my stance, and a little more squat once I get into my hitting position. But it's nothing major. Same timing, a little bit different of a load, but my swing still feels the same.”

A year ago, the tough luck might’ve gotten to Myers, who didn’t make the Opening Day roster to no fault of his own. He put together one of the best camps (.412/.474/.735 with two doubles and three homers in 17 games), but a pair of offseason acquisitions -- outfielder Nick Gordon and utility player Vidal Bruján -- were out of Minor League options and had to make the club or else pass through outright waivers.

So a disappointed Myers went to Triple-A Jacksonville, where he remained until late April. In mid-July, he let his anger get the best of him and fractured his left ankle kicking a door after an ejection. Rather than seeing everyday at-bats as the center fielder following the departure of Jazz Chisholm Jr., Myers was rehabbing. He came off the bench during the final week of the season, then recorded 35 plate appearances in the Dominican Republic Winter League.

“Last year, like we had talked about, I was trying to perform and put up numbers to prove that I needed to get called up or make the team,” Myers said. “But this year, it was a completely different story. Came in relaxed, came in just trying to get myself right, instead of basically being ready to perform right when spring started. So I think I'm in a good spot because of that.”

Finding his swing couldn’t come at a better time for Myers and the Marlins, whose outfield situation has changed over the past few days with Jesús Sánchez out with an oblique strain. Jonah Bride is now the only player on the 40-man roster with double-digit homers in the Majors last season. If Myers can find his power stroke (he has just four MLB homers in 178 plate appearances), that will bode well for a Miami club that finished with the fourth fewest.

Due to the lack of experience and production at the MLB level, however, the Marlins might rely on platoons early on until players show otherwise. There is an even split of left-handed (Griffin Conine and Kyle Stowers) and right-handed (Myers and Derek Hill) outfield bats. Myers (.589 vs. .867 OPS) and Hill (.501 vs. .846 OPS) fare better against southpaws in a small sample size, though Myers took a righty deep on Monday.

“Dane has a very high ceiling,” manager Clayton McCullough said. “Dane’s still very new to the position-player side of things. So what Dane has done in a short time is very impressive. There's still a lot of upside to be captured with Dane, and I feel very confident and comfortable with him in any three spots in the outfield.

“He can steal a base for you, as well as, again, the at-bat quality has been very impressive. And hopefully, just as Dane plays more and he gets more at-bats under his belt, we still feel like he's got a real high ceiling to capture.”