This story was excerpted from Thomas Harding's Rockies Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
Rockies outfielder Randal Grichuk¡¯s search for more offensive production took him to Baton Rouge, La., where he found that the combination of his physical tools and, literally, the right tool, could make a difference.
Grichuk joined the Rockies last spring via trade with the Blue Jays. After hitting 22 or more home runs in the previous five complete seasons, Grichuk finished with 19 in his first season with Coors Field as his home. But 10 of his homers, including a 457-foot three-run walk-off against the Brewers on Sept. 6 and a 445-footer on Aug. 21, occurred from Aug. 2 to season's end.
There were some mysteries. Grichuk¡¯s average and maximum velocities, and his hard-hit rate all were among the top 30 percent among MLB hitters last season -- and he has been consistently among leaders in hard contact measures. So after hearing other players say they received results after being analyzed at Marucci Sports, a Baton Rouge facility run by a company that makes bats, Grichuk found it worth a try.
The season will show if his plan sparks results, but the information left him encouraged.
¡°I went into the offseason thinking how I could elevate the ball more, because that was my downfall in 2022,¡± Grichuk said. ¡°That¡¯s how I came up with the idea of going out to Louisiana, doing their thing and seeing what they had to tell me.¡±
Data confirmed the assessment of anyone who has seen his chiseled 6-foot-2 frame: He is strong. According to assessments Baseball Performance Lab personnel cobbled together for Marucci president Kyle Ourso, Grichuk¡¯s strength and efficiency of movement place his ¡°potential exit velocity¡± at 129.9 mph, which the company says is a record.
¡°When we first got there, we talked about what I was trying to achieve,¡± Grichuk said. ¡°I got loose, then they did this testing -- upper-body tests, core and legs test, isolated. They have a way where they can tally up all the numbers and they come up with the horsepower number. It¡¯s kind of how strong you are, I guess.¡±
Taking account of his body and his swing -- which he calls ¡°a steep swing, instead of an upper-cut swing¡± that can rob him of contact -- Grichuk took swings in the batting cages, while the technicians and manufacturers worked to get the right bat into his hands.
¡°There were some guys on the computer and some guys in the cage with me, directing me what to use,¡± said Grichuk, who said he had not previously used the company¡¯s bats. ¡°They put an ax handle in my hand, one of the hockey puck knobs, no knobs, fat grips, skinny grips, flare knobs. They put all different bat heads as well -- bigger heads, smaller heads, evenly distributed bats versus top-heavy bats.
¡°They watched how my body moved, how my hands and wrists work when delivering the bat head to the ball. And they came up with the bat that they think is best.¡±
Grichuk said he received his new bat design last week, and he¡¯ll prepare for the season.
With the lab stuff done, Grichuk returned to Arizona for workouts at the Rockies¡¯ Scottsdale facility, which are heavier on running and plyometrics than he has done in the past. Grichuk also connected with new hitting coach Hensley Meulens, less about technical stuff than establishing a connection. Marucci¡¯s personnel also offered to visit during the season if necessary.
Grichuk is eager to work toward 2023 with his teammates -- many of whom are, like him, searching for numbers they know they can produce.
¡°This team we had last year, we had a lot of potential to hit for power and we didn¡¯t,¡± Grichuk said. ¡°I am excited about our offense. We were top five in the league in runs scored at one point. It¡¯s a fun group of guys to work with, and a lot of potential.¡±