How Paredes became one of baseball's productive hitters

This browser does not support the video element.

This story was excerpted from Adam Berry¡¯s Rays Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

ST. PETERSBURG -- Facing Orioles starter Kyle Bradish on July 21 at Tropicana Field, Isaac Paredes unloaded on a low, 1-0 slider and sent it flying to the deepest part of Tropicana Field. After the ball thudded off the bottom of the wall in center field, Paredes trotted to second base then couldn¡¯t help but grin when he turned toward the Rays¡¯ dugout.

It was the second-farthest he¡¯s hit a ball all season, according to Statcast, at 407 feet -- and it was a double. His next at-bat against Bradish, he bashed a 3-1 sinker out to left-center field. It didn¡¯t travel as far, only 397 feet. But this one went over the wall.

¡°All the coaches were telling me that I don't have pop to center field,¡± Paredes said with a smile later that night via interpreter Manny Navarro. ¡°That's why they say to pull the ball.¡±

Paredes has done that about as well as anyone since joining the Rays last year -- a key reason he¡¯s become one of the most productive (and perhaps most underrated) hitters in baseball this season. The 24-year-old infielder is batting .257/.359/.514, good for an .873 OPS that ranks fifth among all qualified American League hitters, to go along with a team-leading 26 homers and 80 RBIs in 114 games.

Paredes joined franchise icon Evan Longoria as the only primary third basemen in club history to have at least 25 homers and 75 RBIs in the same season. Red Sox third baseman Rafael Devers is the only AL infielder with more home runs (29) than Paredes this year. Aside from presumptive team MVP Yandy D¨ªaz, there hasn¡¯t been a more productive hitter in Tampa Bay¡¯s lineup all season.

¡°I mean, pretty special when you're sitting there and being talked about with Longo and some of the years he's had,¡± manager Kevin Cash said. ¡°That's pretty awesome.¡±

This browser does not support the video element.

The Rays liked Paredes¡¯ plate discipline, swing decisions and contact ability when they acquired him from Detroit for Austin Meadows. But the Mexico native's power has been the biggest difference with Tampa Bay. He hit only two homers in 57 games with the Tigers in 2020-21, averaged a home run every 33.9 at-bats in the Minors and never went deep more than 15 times in a season.

Watching videos of Paredes with Detroit, the Rays saw a hitter who could pull the ball to left field and rack up opposite-field base hits. They also saw untapped potential in his bat if he could pull the ball in the air more aggressively.

¡°I think we just gave him permission to explore how well he could do it and how often he could do it. It was more to take shots,¡± Rays hitting coach Chad Mottola said. ¡°That was the message right away, even in [Triple-A] Durham, and we got word that he took to it.¡±

Mottola paused and laughed.

¡°I'd love to say there's a lot more behind the story,¡± he added. ¡°The only thing we do is, when he flies out to deep center, we remind him it's a lot closer to left field. I don't know if that's some deep science or thought, but that's really what it is.¡±

And it¡¯s been highly effective for Paredes. He¡¯s hit 48 home runs in the Majors, and every single one of them has been pulled out to left or left-center field. According to Statcast, only Mookie Betts (50) and Nolan Arenado (48) have pulled more homers than Paredes (46) since his Rays debut.

¡°He has really mastered that pull-side home run,¡± Cash said recently. ¡°You¡¯ve got to know your pitch, you¡¯ve got to know your ability and he's been really good at doing just that.¡±

That part of his game showed up last season, when he tied Randy Arozarena for the team lead with 20 homers, but he slashed just .205/.304/.435. Paredes has become a more complete hitter this year without sacrificing any of his power, thanks in part to a two-strike approach in which he minimizes his stride in the batter¡¯s box and more readily accepts opposite-field and up-the-middle singles.

In a way, he¡¯s merged the contact-oriented hitter he was in the Minors with the pull-happy slugger he became last season. As a result, his confidence is soaring as high as the majestic, game-tying blast he smashed to left-center on Thursday afternoon.

¡°I knew I had strength going off to the pull side, but I think last year was the first time I realized it could be a strength for me, especially with all the coaches telling me to just keep on pulling the ball,¡± Paredes said through Navarro. ¡°But with my two-strike approach to go to right field, I think it¡¯s been a good approach for me to get my hits.¡±

In the meantime, his coaches and teammates will keep joking about where and when he might finally hit one out to right or center field. The one he bashed last Saturday at Angel Stadium, his 24th, was about as close as he¡¯s come to center. Maybe the short porch at Yankee Stadium will come calling someday?

This browser does not support the video element.

Not that the Rays are in a hurry to see it, of course. They¡¯re just fine with what Paredes is doing now.

¡°I think I don't want him to hit the ball [to] right field at all,¡± Cash deadpanned. ¡°I give him grief when he does it.¡±

More from MLB.com

seductrice.net
universo-virtual.com
buytrendz.net
thisforall.net
benchpressgains.com
qthzb.com
mindhunter9.com
dwjqp1.com
secure-signup.net
ahaayy.com
tressesindia.com
puresybian.com
krpano-chs.com
cre8workshop.com
hdkino.org
peixun021.com
qz786.com
utahperformingartscenter.org
worldqrmconference.com
shangyuwh.com
eejssdfsdfdfjsd.com
playminecraftfreeonline.com
trekvietnamtour.com
your-business-articles.com
essaywritingservice10.com
hindusamaaj.com
joggingvideo.com
wandercoups.com
wormblaster.net
tongchengchuyange0004.com
internetknowing.com
breachurch.com
peachesnginburlesque.com
dataarchitectoo.com
clientfunnelformula.com
30pps.com
cherylroll.com
ks2252.com
prowp.net
webmanicura.com
sofietsshotel.com
facetorch.com
nylawyerreview.com
apapromotions.com
shareparelli.com
goeaglepointe.com
thegreenmanpubphuket.com
karotorossian.com
publicsensor.com
taiwandefence.com
epcsur.com
southstills.com
tvtv98.com
thewellington-hotel.com
bccaipiao.com
colectoresindustrialesgs.com
shenanddcg.com
capriartfilmfestival.com
replicabreitlingsale.com
thaiamarinnewtoncorner.com
gkmcww.com
mbnkbj.com
andrewbrennandesign.com
cod54.com
luobinzhang.com
faithfirst.net
zjyc28.com
tongchengjinyeyouyue0004.com
nhuan6.com
kftz5k.com
oldgardensflowers.com
lightupthefloor.com
bahamamamas-stjohns.com
ly2818.com
905onthebay.com
fonemenu.com
notanothermovie.com
ukrainehighclassescort.com
meincmagazine.com
av-5858.com
yallerdawg.com
donkeythemovie.com
corporatehospitalitygroup.com
boboyy88.com
miteinander-lernen.com
dannayconsulting.com
officialtomsshoesoutletstore.com
forsale-amoxil-amoxicillin.net
generictadalafil-canada.net
guitarlessonseastlondon.com
lesliesrestaurants.com
mattyno9.com
nri-homeloans.com
rtgvisas-qatar.com
salbutamolventolinonline.net
sportsinjuries.info
wedsna.com
rgkntk.com
bkkmarketplace.com
zxqcwx.com
breakupprogram.com
boxcardc.com
unblockyoutubeindonesia.com
fabulousbookmark.com
beat-the.com
guatemala-sailfishing-vacations-charters.com
magie-marketing.com
kingstonliteracy.com
guitaraffinity.com
eurelookinggoodapparel.com
howtolosecheekfat.net
marioncma.org
oliviadavismusic.com
shantelcampbellrealestate.com
shopleborn13.com
topindiafree.com
v-visitors.net
djjky.com
053hh.com
originbluei.com
baucishotel.com
33kkn.com
intrinsiqresearch.com
mariaescort-kiev.com
mymaguk.com
sponsored4u.com
crimsonclass.com
bataillenavale.com
searchtile.com
ze-stribrnych-struh.com
zenithalhype.com
modalpkv.com
bouisset-lafforgue.com
useupload.com
37r.net
autoankauf-muenster.com
bantinbongda.net
bilgius.com
brabustermagazine.com
indigrow.org
miicrosofts.net
mysmiletravel.com
selinasims.com
spellcubesapp.com
usa-faction.com
hypoallergenicdogsnames.com
dailyupdatez.com
foodphotographyreviews.com
cricutcom-setup.com
chprowebdesign.com
katyrealty-kanepa.com
tasramar.com
bilgipinari.org
four-am.com
indiarepublicday.com
inquick-enbooks.com
iracmpi.com
kakaschoenen.com
lsm99flash.com
nana1255.com
ngen-niagara.com
technwzs.com
virtualonlinecasino1345.com
wallpapertop.net
casino-natali.com
iprofit-internet.com
denochemexicana.com
eventhalfkg.com
medcon-taiwan.com
life-himawari.com
myriamshomes.com
nightmarevue.com
healthandfitnesslives.com
androidnews-jp.com
allstarsru.com
bestofthebuckeyestate.com
bestofthefirststate.com
bestwireless7.com
britsmile.com
declarationintermittent.com
findhereall.com
jingyou888.com
lsm99deal.com
lsm99galaxy.com
moozatech.com
nuagh.com
patliyo.com
philomenamagikz.net
rckouba.net
saturnunipessoallda.com
tallahasseefrolics.com
thematurehardcore.net
totalenvironment-inthatquietearth.com
velislavakaymakanova.com
vermontenergetic.com
kakakpintar.com
begorgeouslady.com
1800birks4u.com
2wheelstogo.com
6strip4you.com
bigdata-world.net
emailandco.net
gacapal.com
jharpost.com
krishnaastro.com
lsm99credit.com
mascalzonicampani.com
sitemapxml.org
thecityslums.net
topagh.com
flairnetwebdesign.com
rajasthancarservices.com
bangkaeair.com
beneventocoupon.com
noternet.org
oqtive.com
smilebrightrx.com
decollage-etiquette.com
1millionbestdownloads.com
7658.info
bidbass.com
devlopworldtech.com
digitalmarketingrajkot.com
fluginfo.net
naqlafshk.com
passion-decouverte.com
playsirius.com
spacceleratorintl.com
stikyballs.com
top10way.com
yokidsyogurt.com
zszyhl.com
16firthcrescent.com
abogadolaboralistamd.com
apk2wap.com
aromacremeria.com
banparacard.com
bosmanraws.com
businessproviderblog.com
caltonosa.com
calvaryrevivalchurch.org
chastenedsoulwithabrokenheart.com
cheminotsgardcevennes.com
cooksspot.com
cqxzpt.com
deesywig.com
deltacartoonmaps.com
despixelsetdeshommes.com
duocoracaobrasileiro.com
fareshopbd.com
goodpainspills.com
hemendekor.com
kobisitecdn.com
makaigoods.com
mgs1454.com
piccadillyresidences.com
radiolaondafresca.com
rubendorf.com
searchengineimprov.com
sellmyhrvahome.com
shugahouseessentials.com
sonihullquad.com
subtractkilos.com
valeriekelmansky.com
vipasdigitalmarketing.com
voolivrerj.com
zeelonggroup.com
1015southrockhill.com
10x10b.com
111-online-casinos.com
191cb.com
3665arpentunitd.com
aitesonics.com
bag-shokunin.com
brightotech.com
communication-digitale-services.com
covoakland.org
dariaprimapack.com
freefortniteaccountss.com
gatebizglobal.com
global1entertainmentnews.com
greatytene.com
hiroshiwakita.com
iktodaypk.com
jahatsakong.com
meadowbrookgolfgroup.com
newsbharati.net
platinumstudiosdesign.com
slotxogamesplay.com
strikestaruk.com
trucosdefortnite.com
ufabetrune.com
weddedtowhitmore.com
12940brycecanyonunitb.com
1311dietrichoaks.com
2monarchtraceunit303.com
601legendhill.com
850elaine.com
adieusolasomade.com
andora-ke.com
bestslotxogames.com
cannagomcallen.com
endlesslyhot.com
iestpjva.com
ouqprint.com
pwmaplefest.com
qtylmr.com
rb88betting.com
buscadogues.com
1007macfm.com
born-wild.com
growthinvests.com
promocode-casino.com
proyectogalgoargentina.com
wbthompson-art.com
whitemountainwheels.com
7thavehvl.com
developmethis.com
funkydogbowties.com
travelodgegrandjunction.com
gao-town.com
globalmarketsuite.com
blogshippo.com
hdbka.com
proboards67.com
outletonline-michaelkors.com
kalkis-research.com
thuthuatit.net
buckcash.com
hollistercanada.com
docterror.com
asadart.com
vmayke.org
erwincomputers.com
dirimart.org
okkii.com
loteriasdecehegin.com
mountanalog.com
healingtaobritain.com
ttxmonitor.com
nwordpress.com
11bolabonanza.com