Adjustment in swing improved offensive stats in last month of 2012 season, says Michael Young-MLB
Infielder for Philadelphia Phillies, Michael Young draws optimism from the fact that his offensive numbers improved significantly late in the last season, after an adjustment in the swing was made by him.
Ever since the Phillies acquired Young from the Texas Rangers, fans of the club are apprehensive over the ability of the infielder to perform well for the team.
They cite the decline in his stats for the last two seasons as the basis due to which they are concerned about him.
In an attempt to respond to those apprehensions, Young has claimed that there was a problem in his swings at the plate during the 2012 season, due to which he struggled.
However, as that issue has been addressed properly by him now, he is set to play at his full potential during 2013.
He substantiated his assertion by stating that he rebounded immediately after a slight adjustment in technique at the plate in the last season.
In the last month of the 2012 season, he hammered hits and contributed for RBIs almost regularly.
Against this backdrop, if Young starts the next season from where he left, he certainly can turn out to be a major contributor for the Phillies.
Apart from the offence, Young is hopeful that his rising age will not affect his ability to make excellent defensive plays at third base.
He is of the view that the Phillies have placed him at the third base permanently, as opposed to using intermittently for various infield positions.
That he believes is going to allow him focus on only one aspect. As a result, his effectiveness will improve.
Young has provided reasons below as to why he is optimistic about his rebound next year.
"I feel like at the end of the year, I was there," he said. "I don't like to scuffle. But I've been in the league long enough now that, as competitive as I am, if I make a mistake that I can't let it consume me. I make adjustments, and I go from there. At
the end of the day, the numbers were nowhere near what I expected them to be this year. But I stayed with it, battled hard and from September on the rest of the way, I felt like me.”
Only the time will reveal the extent to which he has fixed issues with his technique and how he can help the Phillies during the next season.
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