For Eckstein's hitters, sharing (info) is caring

PITTSBURGH -- One of the top storylines throughout the Pirates’ Spring Training and Summer Camp has been the modernization of the organization’s pitching philosophy under pitching coach Oscar Marin and bullpen coach Justin Meccage. There’s been talk of biomechanical analysis, heavier use of technology, individualized planning and an effort to catch up with contemporary strategy.

Just a reminder: Rick Eckstein is still doing the same kind of work with Pittsburgh’s hitters.

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Eckstein made progress in that direction last season, his first as the Pirates’ hitting coach, as he introduced more modern hitting philosophies. Although they saw a handful of individual players break out -- none in a more prominent way than Josh Bell -- the Bucs’ lineup didn’t take a collective step forward.

But Eckstein said during a Zoom call Thursday that he’s been encouraged to observe how Pittsburgh’s hitters have taken the lessons from last year and applied them toward their work heading into this season.

“The biggest difference for me is when I'm walking through the clubhouse. They are now affecting each other,” Eckstein said. “They’re talking about what they have done, what they have learned, where they're taking it, and they're sharing that with each other. I get so pumped when I hear Josh affecting a teammate, when [Adam Frazier]'s talking to another teammate, and [Colin Moran] is sharing what he's discovered. That type of talk is kind of the backbone to what I really wanted to try to cultivate when I got here and began working with each individual hitter.”

From the beginning, Eckstein has preached the importance of personalized approaches and swings rather than one-size-fits-all solutions. It’s similar to what's been spouted from Marin and Meccage on the pitching side: Different players have different strengths, and it’s the coaches’ job to maximize each player’s ability.

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For Marin and Meccage, that means tweaking mechanics and altering pitch-usage patterns. For Eckstein and assistant hitting coach Mike Rabelo, it means figuring out what pitches each hitter does the most damage against and helping them put their body in the best position to make hard contact, preferably by putting the ball in the air.

The Pirates didn’t always do enough of that last year, finishing 19th in the Majors with a .741 OPS, 20th with 758 runs scored and 27th with 163 home runs. But they showed promise in some areas, ranking fifth in doubles, seventh with a .265 team average and striking out less than any team but the Astros. Bell, Bryan Reynolds and Kevin Newman broke out, and former center fielder Starling Marte set career highs in homers, RBIs, slugging percentage and OPS.

So Eckstein’s mindset hasn’t changed, even now working with a new manager in Derek Shelton, who himself has an extensive background as a hitting coach.

“The only difference now is talking with Shelty about how he envisions our offense clicking, you know, what things he wants to utilize at certain points in a game,” Eckstein said. “So the strategy part of it is probably a little different, but the technique and getting guys to understand who they are and how to reach their potential, if you will, and how to continue to grow [is the same].”

Shortly after the Pirates hired Shelton, he and the front office had a conversation about which members of the coaching staff to retain. Shelton crossed paths with Eckstein during his first year as the Twins' bench coach (Eckstein was the organization's Minor League hitting coordinator), and he knew of him when they were both hitting coaches.

The decision to keep Eckstein, Shelton said, was a “no-brainer.”

“If you spend any time talking to our hitters about the work he did last year and how he implemented [it], this guy has so much passion for hitting, and he thinks about it all the time,” Shelton said. “I think at times he humors me and just asks me hitting questions because I was a hitting coach for a while.”

When asked what he likes about Eckstein’s work, Shelton first pointed to his willingness to dive into each player’s history, develop relationships with all of them and create individualized game plans. As Shelton said, “There is nothing that’s blanket for every hitter.” That even applied to the way Pittsburgh’s position players utilized the shutdown.

Shortly after Spring Training was suspended, Eckstein met with every hitter in camp and sent each one home with a work plan and a long-term outlook -- something to keep them focused on the big picture, not just the daily grind. They had a few group Zoom meetings, but most of Eckstein’s calls were individual check-ins.

“Guys really took advantage of that time, whether it was mental soul-searching or physical work and everything in between,” Eckstein said. “So I was very pleased with how they handled the time away.”

Two weeks into camp, Eckstein said he’s seen noticeable improvements from Moran, Gregory Polanco and outfielder Guillermo Heredia. He believes players are more comfortable sharing advice than they were a year ago, in part because of the success some of them experienced last season.

“Now, they’re passing that information on to another guy who might still be in those transitional stages. It kind of throws them into the other side,” Eckstein said. “The growth of each individual player is imperative, but the growth as a team together and the way they communicate, that’s where you really want to go.”