Toronto Blue Jays new coach David Popkins plans on making some massive changes
Photo credit: Puckett's Pond
It's no secret that the Toronto Blue Jays offence is not the most powerful in Major League Baseball and the team will likely need to be creative to create offence which is why the team is excited about the new addition of hitting coach Dave Popkins.
During an interview with Keegan Matheson of MLB.com, Hopkins explained how he intends to turn the Blue Jays offence around in Year 1 after spending three seasons with the Minnesota Twins.
Blue Jays will need a different approach to offense
«My philosophy is built off of creativity,» Popkins told MLB.com's Keegan Matheson. «We're trying to become the most creative lineup at scoring runs in baseball. We do that by practicing all of the different situations and clubs that we're going to need in the game.» Dave Popkins
The Blue Jays offence has taken a deep dive in terms of production, home runs slugging percentage and other metrics that were prominent in 2021.
Since the explosion of Toronto's 2021 offence, which led the majors in home runs (262), slugging percentage (.466) and isolated power (.200), while finishing second in wRC+ (112) behind the Houston Astros (115), this group has become far too one dimensional in its approach. Thomas Hall
Popkins feels Blue Jays need to attack the ball
Popkins stated that the Blue Jays offence needs to attack the ball more Especially when the player is ahead in the count.
«When you earn those counts, you have the right to get something off and if you chase a pitch, that's OK,» Popkins said. «We have to give them forgiveness and tell them where they can fail. If you try to do everything, you're not going to do anything. When you get in those spots, they probably felt that they didn't want to chase, didn't want to make a mistake. If you're afraid to make a mistake, you lose that attack. If you're not attacking, you're getting attacked in this game. It's about reminding guys that they're dangerous.» Dave Popkins
Many hope that Popkins will be the difference maker in how the team looks at their offence and how it can be even opportunistic to help create chances and putting more runs on the board.
Blue Jays fans will have to wait and see how it all plays out as the team prepares to play the Atlanta Braves later today at 1:05pm Eastern.
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