The Breakout of Logan Forsythe

One of my favorite prospects in baseball is Logan Forsythe, mainly because of his outstanding plate discipline and the versatility he gives you on defense. However, Forsythe has surprised many with his power output and the type of contact he’s been making. He’s been making harder contact as a pro, leading to a higher batting average than expected and more than the gap power many projected him to hit for.

So, what’s changed since his days at Arkansas?

For one, he’s healthy. Forsythe battled multiple ailments in 2008 including a hamstring injury that hampered him more than most players because he relies on his lower body to generate much of his power.

Secondly, there were a few alterations made to his swing mechanics. On the left is Forsythe’s pre-draft video. On the right is Forsythe from earlier this year:

*Credit to farmsystem

Beginning with the old Forsythe, he starts in a position where he’s sorta leaning back. He then reaches his front foot out while slightly loading his hands, and begins drifting, carrying his weight forward. Notice how the hands stay still after his initial loading until the point he’s ready to initiate his swing.

The new Forsythe is a little more balanced in his set-up. His hands are positioned a little lower than before. He slightly rocks his body back and then strides forward while simultaneously loading his hands. The loading process is slightly bigger than it was before.

The big difference between the two above clips is that Forsythe is waiting on the ball longer. He’s letting it travel deeper into his hitting zone. You see in the older clip that Forsythe gets handsy with his swing, making contact too far out in front. The very best hitters wait until the last possible moment to unload and explode on the ball.

Forsythe has continued his breakout season in Double-A, getting off to a hot start in San Antonio. It will only be a matter of time before he’s knocking on San Diego’s door and this is where Forsythe’s versatility comes into play as third base looks filled for now and I obviously don’t see David Eckstein as a long term solution at second base. So once he’s ready, the best bet for the Padres would be shift Forsythe over to second base where the value of his bat would make a pretty big jump in value.

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