A swing change has Rowell excited about the 2010 season
After struggling for two straight seasons with the Frederick Keys of the Carolina League, O's minor leaguer Billy Rowell is making a change.
He made some adjustments with his swing during instructional league workouts in September and October.
"I went back to my old swing from high school. You have to stick with what works. There are a lot of ideas but at the end of the day it's what works for you. This swing is the most consistent and most natural.
"I had more power at instructional league. My weight transfer was better and I was getting to pitches easier and freer. I was able to get to all pitches and hit them all over the field.
"This was the swing I had early in high school and the swing that got me drafted. I don't know why I ever changed, but I used this swing my first two years in pro ball, short season and Delmarva. (Oriole) Coaches agreed and everyone is on the same page."
Rowell, the 9th pick in the 2006 draft, had initial success with the Orioles, hitting .328 between Bluefield and Aberdeen in 2006 and then he hit .273 with Delmarva a year later.
But then came two tough seasons in the Carolina League.
Rowell w-Fred, 2008: .248-7-50....315 OBP.....368 slug......104 K's
Rowell w-Fred, 2009 .225-9-39....284 OBP......336 slug.......122 K's
"I changed my swing during struggles at Frederick. When you struggle, you want to find an answer, but sometimes there is no answer in baseball. A lot of times in baseball one plus one doesn't equal two. Sometimes just putting in hard work and staying focused isn't enough.
"Now, my weight transfer is better. When you have a weight transfer without a lunge, you have more power. Easy power, not generated power from your legs. Also, you can load your hands, but doing it purposely will not get you to the ball as fast as you want. The hands should load automatically.
"If you are not in the right position with your hands when your foot gets down, you don't get to the ball. When a fastball is coming you can't be thinking about your swing. It has to be second nature and this swing feels more natural."
While some fans have gotten down on Rowell, he remains upbeat. In fact, he has spent the past two months working out near Naples, Florida and plans to report early to spring training.
He's added some weight (up to 225) and has just seven percent body fat. Among his work, he's been taking some live batting practice off former Keys pitcher Jake Stevens.
"At Frederick, I had high and low points. You have to be consistent and I wasn't. That is part of playing the game and being a big league player, consistency. The numbers were not there last year, but I think mentally and physically I took another step closer to the big leagues."
Rowell was drafted in large part due to his power potential. But he hit just two homers after the All-Star break last season and has hit 28 in 1,345 minor league at bats over four seasons.
He has heard the rumblings that he will start the 2010 season at Double-A Bowie, although no one has told him that yet. He realizes a change of scenery might be best for him this year.
"It would be good. But I have no control over that. Moving up, some guys do better in Double-A than they did in Frederick. From league to league there is a little difference. If I am consistent next season, the numbers will be there."
Rowell was drafted out of a New Jersey high school in 2006 and he just turned 21 September 10th. He has been one of the youngest players in the Carolina League for two years running.
Some have expressed concern over his attitude and work ethic. I asked last year's Frederick manager Richie Hebner, what he thought about Rowell.
"He could work a little harder. I don't think he learned a lot of baseball in high school. When you hit .600, you bat third and that's it. I'm not sure how much he learned.
"But you don't see too many 21-year-old kids with a body like that. When he hits the ball, it goes a long way. I'm not going to throw the towel in on Billy."
Billy Rowell, OPS by season:
.929 - 2006 at Bluefield
.876 - 2006 at Aberdeen
.761 - 2007 at Delmarva
.683 - 2008 at Frederick
.620 - 2009 at Frederick
Click here to see what Andy MacPhail said about Rowell in a December interview.
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Categories (click for archive)Orioles News | Steve Melewski |
Steve,
Any chance if Rowell returns to form (in terms of his swing) will he make a return to short, position we are lacking in prospects?
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Brooklyn, I would really doubt it. Likely does not have the quickness to do that and if Billy was moved off third base, he almost certainly could not cut it at short.......Steve
This would be huge for the O's if he starts turning potential into production. It sounds like he is really focused this year and may be a little more mature.
Question:
What was his projected ceiling back when he was drafted? How many homeruns were they projecting from him when he matures? What past or present player did the scouts say he projected to turn out?
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If this provides some context, here is what Baseball America wrote about Rowell after the O's drafted him. They were pretty high on his power potential
Rowell models his game and his approach after that of Giants outfielder Barry Bonds, and like Bonds his best tool is his power. Rowell's raw power rates as a legitimate 70 on the 20-80 scouting scale (well above-average), and he does not have to muscle up to hit the ball a mile--he has a loose, fluid swing without a lot of moving parts. The lefthanded-hitting Rowell used to model his stance after Bonds, with his hands low and over the plate, but this year he's raised his hands and done a better job spreading out at the plate, achieving more balance. He also has learned to hit the ball with power to the gaps instead of trying to yank everything. The only question about Rowell offensively is how well his enormous batting practice power translates to top game competition, but he has played well in some elite showcase events. Rowell's hands are good enough for shortstop and his arm is above-average, but his range is fringy and he'll probably outgrow the position. Some scouts see him at third base down the line, and some see him as a corner outfielder, but no one doubts that he'll hit enough for a corner..................Steve
Nice article Steve. Us laymen only see the numbers and think "I guess he was a bust". We don't have the resources to look behind the curtain and see why the numbers are what they are. One thing that is still a little unclear to me is why he changed his swing.
Rowell said, "...I don't know why I ever changed, but I used this swing my first two years in pro ball, short season and Delmarva. (Oriole) Coaches agreed and everyone is on the same page."
Did he change it on his own in an attempt to make more contact (less strike outs)? Did he change it because his coaches suggested it?
Regardless, I hope his return to his "swing that got him drafted" returns him to "Orioles top prospect" status. Good luck Billy!
Thanks Steve!
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He indicated he changed it during struggles in Frederick. I'm sure he got suggestions from coaches, try this and try that, that is their job. He said as the struggles got worse, he made changes to try and fix it. That didn't help obviously........Steve
Phew, sounds like this kid is extremely over-analytical, which is probably part of the reason he's struggled thus far in his career.
It's crazy to think he's only 21 years old, to be honest. Best of luck to him.
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I actually took it as a positive sign to hear him talk in such technical terms. While it has to be natural at the plate, I've heard many good hitters over the years talk like that about weight shift and position of their hands. To hit well at those levels of pro ball, you have to do a lot right............Steve
His claim to fame as a professional is in a batting cage. The ball sounds different when he hits it out of the cage compared to his peers. The sound is what you here from professional hitters. It never really translated to the field at this point.
It could be mental or a minor hitch, only he knew and hopefully figured it out. Staying quite in his approach to the plate could finally help him and hope it does for his sake. 21 or not, he has to show something soon or that prospect label could turn into organizational guy very fast.
Did he indicate going to the minor complex early to jump start on the season? It would be a good thing to show the organization and shake off the "work ethic" label cast upon him.
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Yes, he said he would report early to spring training. He is already in Fla, has been for two months, another sign that he is putting in the time and work.......Steve
Thanks for the article Steve and keeping us baseball fans fulfilled until ST starts.
Okay, I get why he changed it but then why did he stick with it for 2 seasons before deciding he needed to change back to his "swing that got him drafted"
Does anyone recall where he was ranked nationally and not on the O's board? thanks
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I don't know, I am sure he tried several variations of his swing to try and get things going.........I don't remember where Baseball America, or others, projected he would be picked but bet someone will........Steve
Good luck Billy. Have a good season and we will forget everything.
Talk about a swing and a miss. With Rowell's (drafted #9) numbers getting worse and worse each season - not even reaching AA ball, then looking at Tim Lincecum (drafted #10) piling up the Cy Young awards so effortlessly, leaves me to conclude that the Orioles braintrust made one of the biggest gaffs in franchise history. Rowell can't even hold Lincecum's jock strap.
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That looks bad, but you must consider that several teams passed on Lincecum, not just the club picking ninth. Many first rounders don't make it.......Steve
The O's were widely lauded for selecting Rowell in '06. He was very highly regarded by Baseball America and many others. Funny that Mel brings up Lincecum. The Giants were actually thought to have overdrafted on him. His size, violent delivery and level of competition were all questioned coming out of college. Clearly he has proven all of the doubters wrong, but at the time, no one knew he would be anywhere near as successful as he has been.
Back to Rowell, I think a lot of times, people forget how hard it is to play baseball, especially at the professional level. Rowell may well have been a guy who things came "too easily" to in high school, and he has struggled to have sustained success in professional ball. But the most important point in all of this is that he is still ONLY 21. If he moves through AA and AAA the next two seasons, he could possibly debut at 23 or 24, still young and with a very promising future ahead of him.
I'll be rooting for him.
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I'll be rooting for him too. This young man has taken a lot of criticism the last few years and has pretty much been about the youngest in every league he has been in. He knows the critics are there and it is fair to be critical of his performance. But when a guy has to read "he's a bust" and he's just 21, is must be hard to deal with.
He may never make it, but he still has time. The draft, as you point out, is very inexact and plenty of mistakes (misses on picks) are made. Cal Ripken was a second round pick and plenty of teams wanted him as a pitcher only.........Steve
hey steve sorry to get off subject bt i was wondering do you know if the orioles are still in the market for pitching?sorry to ask that but it seems all the writers have dropped that subject. it seems bedard is gone so i was thinking pf looper or washburn someone who is still on the market and might come cheap since they are still there.
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Doesn't appear to be the case. Looks they may go with the projected starting five, knowing that Berken and Hernandez can also start and several young guns like Arrieta, Patton and Erbe are waiting in the wings. I can't disagree with that......Steve
Once again Steve, nice article. I was wondering about About Rowell. He was projected to be an up and coming star and he was having his troubles in Frederick the last 2 seasons. Now we know the whole story. I wish him well, he still has time.
Have a great Day!
Ray
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You too, Ray......Steve
So does this mean he's getting rid of his personal hitting coach?
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He has told me before he doesn't have one. I kind of get tired of asking him the same questions every time I speak with him, but I did ask him if he has a bad attitude for about the tenth time. You fans may not realize it, but Billy does get credit from me for answering negative questions. I do realize with his struggles, many of the questions will stray that way, but he doesn't duck them is all I'm trying to say in probably too many words......Steve
Good article. It sounds like the image of Rowell not listening to the coaches/having an attitude/'I'm a #1 prospect' was true but that he's starting to get serious about the work involved. If only ML pitchers would only throw straight fastballs...
Slightly OT: I thought it odd that they moved him to RF last year considering Markakis isn't going anywhere and they didn't have a legit 3B option at that point.