Elephant Rumblings: Pache is working on the angles, the numbers will follow

Happy Tuesday, Athletics Nation!

As Cristian Pache heads back to Atlanta to face the Braves this week, he will be matched against the team that traded him to the A’s. As the most currently-visible member of the return for Matt Olson, Pache has been an everyday player in the Athletics’ outfield. The scouting report on Pache has held up so far: highlight plays in the outfield, but middling returns at the plate.

But according to Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle, a new approach should be rounding out his hitting. Some of Pache’s stats are proving his bad luck, with his weighted on base average (wOBA) sitting almost 80 point below his expected rate. So while Pache is hitting a low .167 average going into this series with his former team, he should actually be much better at around .248.

So what is Pache doing to try and get to where the stats say he should be? Based off conversations with manager Mark Kotsay and bench coach Brad Asmus, a big part of the change will be Pache’s angle of attack. Cristian is still getting plenty of speed on the ball when he does make contact, but a majority of that contact ends with the ball on the ground. By adjusting his swing angle, Pache has already made some improvement increasing the amount of line drives he’s hitting.

Of course it’ll take more work and a lot more at bats for his stats to level out, but hopefully the sub-Mendoza days will soon be over for Pache.

A’s Coverage

• Kawahara: Can Cristian Pache raise his game for A’s by elevating his swing? ($)
• McDonald: Athletics’ reunion with Braves’ Matt Olson comes just as their former All-Star is heating up ($)
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• Cox: Woman Played Eerie National Anthem On A Saw Before The Oakland Athletics Game... And It Was Somethin’

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