Fish outta water
Marlins hitting coach Pags hopes Realmuto stays in Miami, says Stanton’s not a cleanup guy
So nowadays, is the correct term “hitting coach” or “hitting instructor”?
“I don’t know,” says Miami Marlins hitting guru and former Yankee third baseman Mike “Pags” Pagliarulo, who is entering his third year working with the rebuilding franchise. “Maybe it’s baby sitter? I keep a couple of binkies around if I need them.”
The 58-year-old Pags lets out a laugh on his cell while walking the streets of Las Vegas, home to baseball’s Winter Meetings. He’s looking for a 7/11 after arriving in Sin City this week with baseball’s Winter Meetings in town.
“I’m here to update myself and do research on what’s going on so I can be real when I speak to the players,” he says. “My responsibility is to connect with the players. They’re wide-eyed and trying to learn and stay with what they know. I approach them with respect and trust and watch every day.
“I have to create 25 different languages for each player. There is also timing when to approach and when not to. The problem is when they listen to guys outside the club that are not even here. Where are those ‘hitting coaches’ when they go 0-for-4? I’m with the guy when he’s trying and he needs to build up trust (with me),” says Pagliarulo.
Baseball has changed with the emphasis on the long ball at the expense of small ball, going the other way, stealing bases and bunting.
“There’s still a place for that in baseball. Look at the Red Sox. Look at the champions. Look who won the World Series,” he notes, adding, “It’s not the guys who change their lineup all the time. Look at the guys on the Sox like [Andrew] Benintendi (41 doubles and a .290 batting average) and [Brock] Holt (46 RBI/.277 AVG.) that can handle the bat. Your swing will determine what type of batter you are.
“Remember (Red Sox manager) Alex Cora learned a lot about baseball and that style when he attended the University of Miami,” states Pags, noting, that he learned a great deal about game playing for the Hurricanes, as well.
He also learned something from former Yankee manager Billy Martin.
“He used to tell me, ‘I didn’t come here to come in second,’ ” he recalls.
With all the talk about a three-way deal between the Yankees, Mets and Marlins, with the centerpieces being Noah Syndergaard and J.T. Realmuto, how would the 2018 All Star catcher fit in with the Mets?
“I like everything about him,” says Pagliarulo. “He’s the most valuable commodity out there. He’s about as quality a player and person as you can get. He’s going play no matter whether the
score is 10-1 or 1-10. I think he’s still got more in the tank and he’s going to get better.
“I hope he stays in Miami. There are not too many catchers that can do all the stuff he can do and he’ s very easy to coach .”
The 27-year-old’s defense is something that may be overlooked, but not according to Pagliarulo.
“He’s one of the quicker catchers at getting rid of the ball. He’s lightening and dead accurate. He alone can stop a running game. You’re stealing off the pitcher, not him.
“He’s excellent in the clubhouse,” he says, adding, “When he speaks up, people listen. You don’t want to piss him off. You win with guys like that.”
Another one of Pagliarulo’s prize students with the Marlins was Giancarlo Stanton, the current Yankees slugger who struggled in his first season in the Bronx.
Stanton was the National League’s MVP in 2017 when he crushed 59 homers, drove in 132 hit .281 and struck out “only” 163 times.
Last year with the Bombers, Stanton’s stat line was 38/100/.266 with a whopping 211 whiffs. He’ll have to make adjustments this season to keep the boobirds off his back. Pags thinks what they did in Miami might help Stanton adjust in New York.
“We hit him second. He’s not a cleanup hitter,” states Pags. “I love him. He’s the strongest guy I’ve ever seen, but we evaluated it. In the two hole, he saw one more pitch (per at-bat). He loved batting second. He was the MVP so how do you argue with something like that?”
With the Yankees, however, Stanton struggled and found more success batting cleanup, where he hit .321 with a 1.000 OPS and hit 21 of his 38 bombs in 277 at-bats, while in the the two-hole he struggled, hitting just .233 with a anemic .786 OPS and 11 homers in 189 at-bats.
Pagliarulo has been blessed to be around so many great hitters that their knowledge just rubbed off on him.
“The greatest hitting coach I ever had was Lou Piniella and I was very fortunate to play with some great hitters like Kirby Puckett and Dave Winfield. Jack Clark? He was the most dangerous. Tony Gwynn? He could hit in his sleep.”
Pags has a special place though for Donnie Baseball.
“Game on the line, it’s Donnie (Mattingly, manager of the Marlins since 2016). I remember he told me he was going for his 200 hit for the season and we were in Baltimore. I told him, ‘I didn’t know you had almost 200 hits.
“I don’t know how many guys can hit a 3-2 pitch over his head, but he took that Don Aase pitch and hit a line drive up the middle.”
When he and Winfield were fighting for the batting title on the last day of the 1984 season, Mattingly told Pags before the game that, “I’m getting four hits today.”
Mattingly went 4-for-5 while Winfield went 1-for-4. Mattingly edged out Winfield .343 to .340 for the crown.
“Donnie and I worked together in the cage all the time. Some say maybe too much, but that’s just how we were built,” remembers the married father of two. They were Yankee teammates from 1984 to 1989. Back in 1987, Mattingly’s 30 homers came in second to Pagliarulo’s 32. “We had a lot to live up to. It’s Mickey Mantle and Joe DiMaggio. We were representing the New York Yankees.
“It never felt like work,” he laughs, adding, “I haven’t worked a day in my life. Construction workers swinging a hammer … that’s work. Today, Donny and I coordinate together. He has suggestions for drills. We have a very good relationship. He challenges what I do because we’re on the same page.”
The Marlins’ Chief Executive Officer and Yankee great Derek Jeter is rebuilding the team after getting rid of most of their high-priced stars. With young ball players comes a different approach.
“When I’m teaching our players and I’m done, these guys have to have learned something,” he says. “It has to be rock solid and I have no problem saying what I have to say.”
Pagliarulo has young players to work with in Miami and he has to know what to say and when to say it.
“When you talk to a young hitter, you have to decide if he’s listening,” states Pags. “After he’s had a bad game, that’s the best time to get them.
“When the season starts and you’re no longer hitting off the tee or doing soft toss, I tell them to get ready to swing. Have a tactical approach during the game and know what you’re doing.”