An inside source tells me that there may be a reason Eric Chavez has started to come out of his funk, and that he did it in an unconventional manner.
Typically when a hitter is struggling, hitting coaches often tell the player to shorten their swing to try and make better contact. Well, with Chavy, apparently his swing wasn't long enough. Because so many pitchers try and pound him on the outside of the plate, he seemed to barely be reaching the ball, but supposedly he's adjusted and made his swing longer to try and reach that outside pitch. No word on how exactly Chavy figured out his problem.
Perhaps it was from watching one of these DVDs. Or maybe not.
But the last couple of games, Chavez has had two key hits to drive in runs and two walks. So perhaps there is something to the diagnosis. Although it does seem odd because Chavy has always had a pretty long swing already.
We'll have to see if this is a permanent fix for Eric over the next few weeks or if pitchers adjust to his adjustment.
