Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Brandon Lockridge is having a highly productive spring at the plate, and he attributes it to some key changes.
The Milwaukee Brewers dealt a crushing blow to the Los Angeles Dodgers on Monday in a 24-9 victory, and a big part of their offensive success was outfielder Brandon Lockridge.
Lockridge led his team with three hits, with the highlight of his day coming in the form of a fifth inning grand slam to cap off a 10-run inning for Milwaukee and give it the lead after trailing 7-0.
After the game, Lockridge touched on multiple topics regarding his growth as a hitter, and he also commented on how his approach to spring training has changed.
“Yeah, it's definitely changed,” Lockridge told the media. “You know, you put a lot of pressure on yourself when you're younger to try to perform, and that honestly never works out well.
“So, I think just with age and time of spring after spring, it's kind of like, ‘OK, I'm going to enjoy myself and live with the results,'" Lockridge said. "I know I put the work in, and I've been doing it all season, and I think that's worked out well this year.”
Lockridge is preparing for his seventh major-league season and his first full season with the Brewers after coming to Milwaukee from the San Diego Padres in a trade deadline move last season. This spring, he has logged four home runs. In his process of approaching hitting mechanics, he has not prioritized bat speed.
“I'm one of those guys where I can't be max effort,” he said. “When I'm max effort, I'm out of control. So naturally putting weight on, I'm stronger, so I swing the bat faster. I like to kind of roll it at like 75%, because once the lights turn on, you know, that 75% is a little bit more than your cage 75%.
“So that's just kind of my thing," Lockridge said. "I've done some bat speed programs in the past, and it just teaches me to be max effort, and then I can't turn that off when I get out there, and then I'm swinging and everything.”
While Lockridge is avoiding ramping up bat speed due to concern about what he will swing at when giving max effort, his confidence is high overall and his mentality has adjusted accordingly at the plate.
“Absolutely,” Lockridge said. “I think just knowing myself, you know, kind of putting things together, having some success early on this spring, you know, first time really swing hauling in this off-season.
“You know, you never know how that's gonna turn out, and you know, I'm very thankful that I trusted everything, and I feel really good in the box, and you know, just gotta keep it going,” Lockridge said.
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