Key adjustment helps Cooper at bat

About halfway through the offseason, James Rowson and the rest of the Miami Marlins’ coaching staff hopped on a

Zoom call with Garrett Cooper to assess his 2020 season and what he might be able to do to take another step in his fourth full major-league season.

They talked about his strengths — his ability to attack balls on the outside of the plate and turn them into extra-base hits in the gaps — and picked apart his weaknesses. They all came away thinking he needed to come up with a better plan of attack for pitches up and in — the sort of balls he has the physical potential to turn into home runs.

“They gave me a good idea of what I needed to work on,” Cooper said. “As a big guy, the leverage you create ... it’s usually better for a big guy to get his arms extended.”

In the second inning of a scrimmage against the Houston Astros on Wednesday in Jupiter, Cooper saw exactly the sort of pitch he spent the entire winter thinking about. Astros starting pitcher Lance McCullers pitched him up and in, and Cooper launched over the fence on a back field at Roger Dean Stadium.

The homer won’t count to Cooper’s Grapefruit League statistics, but it’s another reason for the slugger to feel good about where he stands with a little more than a week until Opening Day. In 31 official spring-training plate appearances, Cooper is batting. 387 with a .484 on-base percentage, a 1.005 on-base-plus-slugging percentage and one home run.

“Coming into spring and having the success I’m having right now,” he said, “it’s a great mind-set, a great confidence builder going into the season.”

After his call with the coaches, Cooper dedicated himself to fixing the most glaring hole in his swing.

The goal, Cooper said, is to be an “all-quadrant hitter,” which meant dedicating his time in the cage to attacking those pitches up in the zone.

After setting career bests in batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage last year, Cooper has a spot carved out in the middle of the order, and manager Don Mattingly said he expects him to be even better this season.

“This spring’s been good,” Cooper said. “I’ve hit a lot of balls hard.”

MARLINS SIGN NEW TV DEAL

The Marlins have struck a new media-rights deal with Sinclair Broadcast Group and Fox Sports Florida — which will rebrand as Bally Sports next Wednesday — and broadcast all 162 of Miami’s games in the 2021 MLB season.

Paul Severino will provide play-by-play for the fourth consecutive season, and Todd Hollandsworth is back for his fifth season as color analyst. Former MLB players

Jeff Nelson, Gaby Sanchez, and J.P. Arencibia will also contribute as analysts in pregame and postgame coverage, while former Marlin Cliff Floyd will also rejoin the coverage team for the first time since 2013.

The new deal more than doubles the previous deal in terms of average annual value, a source told the Miami Herald, which could place it in the range of $50 million to $55 million per year. The deal will also run for more than five years, a source said.

THIS AND THAT

Pitcher Elieser Hernandez

● started the scrimmage against Houston and pitched four innings, allowing one run. He will pitch once more on Monday in another scrimmage before the regular season begins in April.

Corey Dickerson

●

missed his second straight day of action with shoulder soreness. The outfielder injured is shoulder making a diving catch earlier this week.