| By Jason A. Churchill |  | By 03-08-2011 |
Michael Saunders has just 456 plate appearances in the big leagues, but he may be running out of time to convince the Seattle Mariners that he is part of their future. He's struggling this spring, and not just statistically. But he's blessed with above-average tools across the board, so why hasn't he put together longer stretched of production?Five words explains that: He still gets himself out.
Saunders has holes in his swing, has problems covering the plate effectively and his pitch recognition is on and off, depending on the situation and perhaps the pitcher on the mound.
He's been working on firming up his front side and keeping his back side still, which in combination could help him hit the ball the other way some, an aspect of his game that has disappeared the past year or so.
His swing is still inconsistent in terms of length; when Saunders is quick to the ball, the power is evident and he'll catch up with above-average velocity. But he tends to slip back into the habit of a long, freezing load that stagnates his timing.
I have yet to see Saunders this spring, but scouts tell me he still has the same slow start with his hands; he would probably benefit from starting his hands slightly lower and with a more relaxed left (back) elbow in order to get his hands moving sooner, which maximizes the raw bat speed he possesses.
Saunders has struggled with breaking balls in the majors, batting just .172 on curveballs, .142 on sliders and .231 on changeups and splitters. He also appears to struggle down in the zone and to both extremes on the inner and and outer halves of the plate.
I mentioned that Saunders get himself out, but even when he doesn't, there are so many ways for the pitcher to do the work and send him back to the bench without reaching base, and one of those ways is to throw strikes that aren't belt high or above and down the middle of the plate.
That's a pretty simple task, since that is rarely, if ever, an ideal location for any pitch from any pitcher to any batter in any situation.
To counter this, Saunders needs to recreate his line drive stroke to the opposite field and maintain a firm front side and stable lower half in order to allow his hands to do the work. Most of us have heard the term 'trusting your hands' when players or coaches talk about hitting, and Saunders needs to do that, but he has other issues that take precedent, namely the foundation.
One area scout told me recently, "I start at the feet," in regards to scouting a hitter. "I start there and work my way up. If his feet aren't right, the whole thing probably isn't right."
The swing is about the hands, but the entire stance and approach need the feet, knees and hips to be in sync, and sturdy building blocks for the hands, and ultimately the bat.
At 6-foot-4 and 225 pounds with above-average foot speed and a 55 arm, Saunders has all the raw tools a player needs to be successful. But his mechanics, and the habits with those mechanics are now the key to his future. He'll get a shot to put his offseason work to the test, but he's not likely to get 600 plate appearances of the same old results, and therefore might be on his last leg in Seattle at the ripe old age of 24, thanks in part to the potential hot seat situation GM Jack Zduriencik may find himself in soon if things don't start to turn around for the Mariners.
Saunders is willing, physically and mentally capable, but even those types fail sometimes.
"It's difficult to put it all together," said the scout. "It all has to work as one fluid pile of whatever you want to call it."
scouting-michael-saunders
Comments
The following 27 comment(s) for this article are shown below:
| 1. By: kevin_ess on 03-08-2011 03:22:01 Compared to many of the great minds on this site, this is probably going to come off sounding stupid, but Saunders' late hands remind me of a slow-swinging, tall first baseman we used to have... I wonder if the old dog were to learn new tricks with his swing, his career would have gone longer. I hope Saunders figures it out. Sadly, either way I'm done with the "aw, shucks he's a nice guy - I hope he sticks" routine. Give me ball players. |
| 2. By: masonb on 03-08-2011 09:46:03 I just hope they don't give up to early on this guy like they did with Choo. At worst he could be a good 4th outfielder. |
| 3. By: Rudolf on 03-08-2011 10:16:27 Well that's disappointing. Can we stuff him down in AAA for another year if we need to? |
| 4. By: VikingArthur on 03-08-2011 10:20:58 I understand the point of this article but on the other hand I can't comprehend why we wouldn't just give him 600 ABs. If he can go out and hit .240/320/400 that is fine for his first full year. This team is going nowhere so just shove him out there full time and if he falls apart, so be it. But don't do the Ibanez, Choo, Adam Jones thing...."he is not quite ready, his development is lagging" move and then watch as they blossom the year after you move them. We don't have another solution in LF anyway, it is sink or swim time but if we jerk him around we have no one to blame but ourselves when he becomes a good player elsewhere. |
| 5. By: Jason A. Churchill on 03-08-2011 11:11:29 There comes a point when a player struggling is counterproductive, Viking. And there is no doubt it comes well before 600 plate appearances. Plus, as I said, Jack and company don't have two more years to WIN, which means the club needs answers, one way or the other, as soon as possible on these young players. The sooner they decide, the sooner they know what they are going after in July and over the offseason. |
| 6. By: Jason A. Churchill on 03-08-2011 11:14:46 Rudolf, Yes. |
| 7. By: Edman on 03-08-2011 11:44:53 #4, so let me understand this. You find nothing wrong with throwing someone out to fail, even if you know he doesn't have the skills? Typically, this move is counter-productive. Choo, Ibanez and Jones were all different cases. The only similarity is that they didn't get off to fast starts. And, Adam Jones was not traded because they felt he couldn't be a productive player. He was the primary piece used to acquire Erik Bedard, one of the premiere lefthanded starters at the time. From what of Saunders last year, he wasn't in the "not quite ready" category. He was in the "not quite clued-in" category. If Saunders' swing has too many holes, it would be better to send him to Tacoma, away from the pressures of producing at the MLB levet, with specific instructions and goals to fix his swing. Time isn't going to resolve the issue. Fixing his mechanics could. |
| 8. By: eknpdx on 03-08-2011 12:09:13 Saunders was added to the 40 man in 2009? So does that mean he has used up two of his options? Kind of makes sense to work him out all season and then look to option him in 2012 if he only has one option left. |
| 9. By: Jason A. Churchill on 03-08-2011 12:19:31 If you can get through the year, sure, but that may be as counterproductive as leaving him in the lineup when he's scuffling and hitting .165. Let's just hope he hits and earns his keep in 2011 and we won't have to worry about it. |
| 10. By: maqman on 03-08-2011 13:31:05 It's way early yet but Bradley, Peguero and Halman are all looking better so far. If one of them keeps it up his next 600 AB could be in Tacoma. |
| 11. By: VikingArthur on 03-08-2011 13:55:57 Well...obviously if he is hitting .150 in May that is a different discussion but I don't expect that. I say if in May he is .225 and driving the ball with some regularity we can live with that and let him figure it out. I don't know if AAA would be helpful for him at this point, he has shown that he can rake there. |
| 12. By: Edman on 03-08-2011 14:28:55 It's not about that fact that Saunders succeeded at AAA. It's about him going down to Tacoma and working on his mechanics. And yes, he can get more personalized instruction in Tacoma, vs. Seattle. The Major League level is about tweeking. From what I saw last year, he was beyond tweekings. Did a trip to Tacoma harm Smoak? Tacoma is where their job to develop young players. So yes, Tacoma would definitely be a better enviroment where they can give him more personalized instruction. |
| 13. By: dewey on 03-08-2011 17:57:12 Player A 411 atbats,214 avg,12 2b,5 3b,10 hr,37 rbi,124 strikeouts,41 walks...Player B 348 atbats,218 avg,14 2b,0 3b,13 hr,48 rbi,91 strikeouts 46 walks..i dont see a ton of diffrence here myself do you.....Player A Mike Saunders player B Justin Smoak...I keep hearing Smoak is a star and Saunders isnt im not sure who is what but these numbers i found interesting.Im just a little amazed how Jack says Smoak is a middle of the order impact bat i dont see that but i think he could become a useable guy just like Saunders. |
| 14. By: johnfree on 03-08-2011 18:20:42 I think the difference between Smoak's struggle and Saunders struggle is that Smoak only needs time to tweak his approach A little. A lot of times I thought he was going up with a plan in mind and wasn't adjusting to what the pitcher was giving him. Saunders on the other hand has huge gaping holes in his swing that pitchers can exploit. That's my two cents. |
| 15. By: Jason A. Churchill on 03-08-2011 18:26:13 I'm worried about Smoak, too, just not quite as much. But I'll tackle that in a separate piece next week. |
| 16. By: dewey on 03-08-2011 19:29:53 14)How can you say Smoak only needs time to tweak his approach there stats our the same basically? I hope im wrong but i think the guy is a little to much hype! |
| 17. By: StandinPat on 03-08-2011 20:42:18 Prob because the stats are not "the same basically." Smoak walked more, struck out less and hit for more power. |
| 18. By: Edman on 03-08-2011 20:43:27 It has NOTHING to do with stats in the minor leagues. All that indicates is that they were able to hit. What it doesn't tell is the quality of the pitches that they did hit. Stats are a good gauge. But, for instance, Smoak may have fewer mechanical problems that are able to be ironed out, where as Saunders mechanics may not be so easily modified. I don't know enough about either of them, mechanically. But, they have coaches and scouts who do. Quoting statistics isn't a good measure of ability to eventually hit major league pitching. It's just not as simple as quoting comparable statics. |
| 19. By: dewey on 03-08-2011 21:04:59 These our there major league stats !Im not a huge fan of either guy but i think Smoak will be a better player in the end.I just foun d there numbers to be interesting myself. |
| 20. By: Scruggers on 03-08-2011 21:14:21 I'd like to see some patience from the Mariners. I'm jaded from the lack of position players coming through the system the last 10 years, but in my admittedly ignorant view some time to allow players to work things out seems in order - especially given the poor chances of the team to contend this year and the alternative being Milton Bradley. Of course, all this goes out the window if he hits .150... |
| 21. By: Lonnie on 03-09-2011 10:02:15 3 things. 1 - At Tacoma a player will receive a limited amount of coaching. The thinking is that by the time a player reaches that level that they have all the tools they need to make the next step and all that they really need is to see better pitching. Sending Saunders back down to AAA isn't about tweaking his swing, it's about getting his head into MLB form. At the AAA level, a batting coach is more of a psychologist than a mechanic. I believe that Saunders suffers from a bit of self-doubt and just needs to start believing in himself. That is easier said than done however. 2 - Stats are a terrible way of evaluating young players trying to transition to the MLB level. Especially if used as a stand-alone metric. Stats are the results of approach and say little about a players potential while in the transition period. 3 - Any team that finds itself in the situation that the Mariners are in right now simply cannot afford to give each and every player 600 at bats to prove themselves. There are simply too many question marks on the team to do that. If the M's were solid in 6 of the 8 positions then you have a bit more wiggle room to allow a player to grow and acclimate. As it stands, the M's have one and only one player that you can write his name down in his position with ink, and that is Ichiro. Hell, Wedge is even trying Jack Wilson out at 2nd! Lonnie |
| 22. By: KingFelix on 03-09-2011 11:30:22 Let him play LF this season along with Milton and if he has a great year then we are set at LF. If not, we can keep him on as the 4th outfielder and go out and get a power bat to play LF via FA in 2012 when we will have around 40M to work with. |
| 23. By: TheDudeAbides on 03-09-2011 15:33:48 There is no doubt, Smoak is much better offensively than Saunders. Not only is his pitch recognition better, but he does not have as many holes in his swing. The problem I do see with both of them is the lower half of their body. They both get out in front and anything off-speed is napalm (Credit: Charlie Sheen). Smoak definitely has the quick wrists and creates nice bat speed, but he must correct the little hitch, as he gets out in front. It is obvious he was not trusting his hands the first part of the year, and tried to adjust with his lower body. Saunders has all the tools, no doubt, but he needs to work on a few issues with his swing, as Jason said. Starting opening day in the majors at 24 and having to work on your swing is not a great recipe for success, but maybe he needs to have a fire lit under his ass. Make no mistake, Jack has the wood and Wedge has the match. If Smoak can play the way he did in September, when he trusted his hands and exuded confidence, he will have a very nice year. Confidence is a huge part of the struggles we have seen from Saunders and Smoak. You try adjusting and thinking too much when the best recipe is to keep it simple and only work on one thing at a time. |
| 24. By: FWBrodie on 03-09-2011 16:10:40 Is anybody following this game today? Fister has pitched 4 innings and Pauley 2 and neither has thrown a ball. Fister struck out 4 Dodgers and all were three-pitch strikeouts. Pauley has struck out two Dodgers and those were both on three pitches. The only blemish is a Rod Barajas HR off of Fister. How unprecedented is it for a staff to never miss the strike zone for the entire first 6 innings of a game? Fister is obviously dialed the F in already. Also, Jack Wilson took Hong-Chih Kuo deep, Cust hit a bomb, and Liddi just hit a grand slam minutes ago. This game is on MLBN tonight at 8 and I can't wait to see this. |
| 25. By: FWBrodie on 03-09-2011 16:12:11 Another oddity: Pauley faced 5 batters in the 5th and only threw 5 pitches. |
| 26. By: jp1717 on 03-12-2011 10:56:44 From Ryan Divish: Michael Saunders has changed his stance including his starting hand placement significantly, I plan on asking him about it tomorrow. It looks to be something designed to take some of the pre-pitch movement out of his swing and make it a little more compact. |
| 27. By: Docmilo on 03-16-2011 12:13:33 It will be nice to watch Saunders after said tweeks the last two weeks of the season. The nice thing is that Milton Bradley seems to be in a good place right now and if Saunders doesn't get things going in the next two weeks, it's OK. If Saunders does quiet his hands and this makes a difference? We could really use the kid playing well right now. Gutierrez has his digestive issues and there are plenty of AB's there for Bradley, Cust, Guti and Saunders between LF, CF and DH. I'm looking forward to the game tonight and hope Saunders is playing. |
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