Gamel’s swing greatly improved
By one metric, Ben Gamel is one of the most improved hitters in baseball this season.
According to Fox Sports, the Pirates outfielder has the fifth-most improved strikeout rate so far, from 26.3% in 2021 down to 19% in 2022. He trails only Chicago Cubs catcher Willson Contreras, Philadelphia Phillies infielder Alec Bohm, St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Dylan Carlson and Detroit Tigers outfielder Meadows.
Even without that specific stat, it isn’t difficult to see that Gamel has been one of the most valuable hitters in the Pirates lineup this season. He currently sits second on the team in Fangraphs’ wins above replacement stat, behind third baseman Ke’ Bryan Hayes. Even by more traditional stats, he’s hitting .299 with an .819 OPS. It’s early in the season, obviously, but both would be the best marks of his career if maintained overa full season.
But the strikeout number gives some context to just how jarring Gamel’s turnaround has been. Strikeout rate certainly isn’t everything. Plenty of MLB hitters strikeout a fair amount and still do damage. For someone like Gamel, though, who isn’t necessarily a power hitter and can provide real value as someone who makes a lot of good contact and sets the table for Hayes and center fielder Bryan Reynolds, cutting down on punch outs can mean a great deal.
If that’s the case, then for Gamel to be among the best in baseball in year-overyear strikeout rates gives a hint as to why he has become a viable, top-of-the-order option for manager Derek Shelton.
“I give a lot of credit to his conversations with [hitting coach Andy Haines] and with [designated hitter Daniel Vogelbach],” Shelton said. “Vogey and [Gamel] are tight, and Vogey has a really good idea of how to construct an at-bat, which we’re seeing in the early going. And then the fact that Andy has history with Gamel and I think he’s challenged him on some different things, and Gam’s really taken to it. So, as much as anything, I think it’s been the conversations or the challenges of like, ‘This is a way forward for you,’ in the early going and Ben’s really stepped up and taken to it.”
Though it may seem strange that Vogelbach would pitch in with hitting tips for Gamel, Shelton is correct that the two are close. They’ve known each other for years now, first playing together in the Seattle Mariners organization a bit in 2016, then more frequently in 2017. They overlapped again in 2020 with the Milwaukee, which is when they both met Haines, then the Brewers hitting coach.
Hitters are also notoriously protective over their swings. Trust is necessary before tweaks and advice are truly taken to heart, in most cases. Which is all to say that, at this point, Haines and Vogelbach are the two people, other than Gamel, most familiar with his swing.
That also means they know what it looks like when Gamel is in a groove. Right now, that’s the case. Gamel is slashing .359/.414/.516 in his past 19 games, dating to Apr. 21. As you might expect, over that span, his strikeout rate is a fantastic15.7%
“The biggest thing is he’s not missing his pitches early,” Vogelbach said. “A good way to not strike out a ton is not get to two strikes. Sometimes when we strike out, it’s that we’re missing our pitches early, fouling them off, then we get in the hole, then it gives them the opportunity to make that pitch they want to make. If you’re missing over the plate [to Gamel], he’s just super locked in right now. He’s super aggressive, he’s not chasing, he’s looking for his pitch and when he gets it he’s putting a good swing on it.”
Beede activated
Recently claimed reliever Tyler Beede was activated prior to Friday’s game against the Cincinnati Reds. The Pirates claimed him off waivers Thursday from the San Francisco Giants, but travel made for a delay in Beede officially joining the team.
Beede, a former firstround pick, brings plenty of talent with him. He actually started 22 games for the Giants in 2019, but never put up impressive stats in the majors and was eventually moved to the bullpen.
“We liked the stuff. We’re talking about a guy that has thrown the ball hard in the past,” Shelton said. “We think, our group thinks, that there’s some ways forward, and we’re going to work on them and see how they play out.”