Dahl turns to VR headset to improve timing

SURPRISE, Ariz. -- On the Rangers' off-day on Monday, outfielder David Dahl got a new toy in the form of an app on the Oculus virtual reality headset, which prepared him to face Giants right-hander Johnny Cueto on Tuesday.

Dahl went 3-for-3 with a double and a pair of RBI singles against Cueto. Then, he went 1-for-2 with an RBI in Wednesday's 3-0 win over the D-backs at Surprise Stadium, raising his spring batting average to .350.

“It definitely simulates how [Cueto] throws and where he's letting go of the ball,” Dahl said. “So I just acted like I was standing in there and timing him up. I thought it helped. It was nice to get three hits doing it, but I definitely think it’s something I'm going to do. I know some other guys throughout the league have done it, and it's really helped them.”

The way the VR works, Dahl explained, is that you choose which pitcher you want to face and which pitch you want them to throw in order to work on the timing and location. For the most part, it was realistic enough to help out in those aspects.

You can also add a bat to the WIN Reality VR app to make contact, but just on the beta version. Dahl said he mostly used the app for tracking purposes.

This is what the batter sees when using it:

Dahl said his approach at the plate has slightly changed since the 2020 season, when he was with the Rockies, mostly as he tries not to swing at as many balls outside the zone.

“It's definitely hard to do,” Dahl said. “I'm a swinger. I like to swing, and I’m just aggressive in the zone. But I would say I felt like I've done a pretty good job of that in Spring Training. When your swing feels good, you can make decisions a little better.”

While Dahl has said he doesn’t care about where he hits in the lineup, manager Chris Woodward would like to be strategic with Dahl's placement in the lineup.

Dahl has mostly hit either in the No. 2 hole or the cleanup spot during Spring Training, providing cover for slugger Joey Gallo, who hits third. In his past three games, Dahl has hit second, but Woodward said it will come down to how Dahl performs the rest of spring and if he can make a big enough impact at the plate to bat cleanup.

“He's typically been a pretty free swinger,” Woodward said. “The fact that he's controlling the strike zone the way he is, it's putting him in a lot of a lot of good counts to hit. He's going to do some damage. This kid can really hit, and he can hit to all fields, so if he controls the strikes, we're going to be in really good shape.”

Dahl has fully graduated from his throwing program following offseason right shoulder surgery, and he has started getting more work in left field. He’s mostly been at designated hitter in Spring Training thus far.

But the biggest focus for Dahl this spring has been regaining his arm strength and staying loose during long innings.

“It's definitely fun out there,” Dahl said. “It keeps you locked in every pitch, and I've felt good. I had some balls hit to me [Tuesday] night, I made the plays. They weren't brought in to look great, because I lost them there in the light, but they were caught.”