Getting back to routine key for prospect Hendrick

GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- For Reds outfield prospect Austin Hendrick, the notion of routine is nothing to take for granted.

“I’ll probably say ‘routine’ a lot, but to me, that’s the biggest thing I’ve taken out of this so far -- consistency, routines and just constantly having an open mind. You can never learn enough,” said Hendrick, Cincinnati’s No. 4 prospect, per MLB Pipeline.

Because of the coronavirus pandemic, little about the 20-year-old Hendrick’s pro career so far has been routine since he was taken 12th overall in the 2020 Draft. At West Allegheny High School near Pittsburgh, COVID-19 washed away almost all of his senior baseball season.

And because there was no Minor League season in 2020, Hendrick’s first exposure to pro ball was at the Reds’ alternate training site in Mason, Ohio.

“I don’t think there is anyone, certainly no one in our organization, that was affected more greatly by the time off,” Reds vice president of player development Shawn Pender said. “We recognized there were going to be some adjustments because of the missed time.”

The Reds took a shot at having Hendrick skip the Rookie level and go straight to Low-A Daytona in 2021. Although his left-handed raw power was viewed as the best among his Draft class, he struggled throughout the season.

In 63 games, Hendrick batted .211 with a .768 OPS, seven home runs and 29 RBIs. He struck out 100 times in 266 plate appearances -- or 38 percent of the time.

“I think a lot of his issues were him trying to be something that he thought we wanted him to be,” Pender said. “I think he felt like he had to be an exit velocity and power guy. The reality is, he’s so naturally gifted that if we just get him to think about hard contact, not only are strikeouts going to go down but his production and power will go up. He just has it, naturally.”

There were also some injuries that hampered progress, including Hendrick missing the final month with a left wrist sprain.

“Any time you struggle, it always sucks. It’s definitely frustrating,” Hendrick said. “You have to learn from that, take into consideration what you did wrong, what you have to work on and where you need to grow. I worked really hard this offseason to get where I need to be after taking the lessons I learned. This year is a really big year for me. I will try to go out, have fun and play better.”

At the suggestion of Reds special assistant for player performance Eric Davis, Hendrick dropped 19 pounds after hiring a personal trainer and consulting with one of the organization’s nutritionists.

The goal of the weight loss was for Hendrick to become more agile and durable.

“I want to be healthier after I dealt with a lot of bumps, bruises and injuries last year,” Hendrick said. “I put my body in the best position to stay healthy as possible.”

Offensively, Hendrick has heeded the call to not focus too much on hitting for power.

“I am kind of simplifying things. It’s, ‘How can I get my barrel on the ball more consistently?’” he said. “The biggest thing I take is finding my routine and staying consistent with that.”

Following a physical, Hendrick had a cyst removed from his shoulder that somewhat limited his workload for a couple of weeks during early Minor League camp. But he’s been back on track.

It’s possible the Reds will have Hendrick repeat at Daytona to start the season.

“We’ll see how it plays out,” Pender said. “He’s going to be on a slow burn. We’ll bring him along slowly. I don’t think going back to Daytona is the worst thing in the world for him. It’s probably where he should have gone. That being said, we don’t have any reluctance in having start there briefly, showing us where he’s at and moving him.”

If Hendrick finds a routine that works, that could happen quickly.