Bowie hitting coach talks about some minor league batters

About a week ago, I wrote about Double-A Bowie hitting coach Keith Bodie and how he fit in very well in his first season in the Orioles organization in 2015. Bodie has had a long and strong career in pro ball.

During my visit with Bodie, we talked about a few Bowie hitters during the Eastern League playoffs.

To no surprise, Bodie is pretty high on first baseman Trey Mancini.

"I've been around a lot of good and special players and what he has done this year is very special," Bodie said. "He was good when he got here (from Single-A Frederick) and just continued to get better. How do you hit .360 for almost 300 at-bats?

"He's got power to all fields and he showed the willingness to take a single to right field. He's got bat speed and can hit anyone's fastball. He's got all the attributes you want a young hitter to have."

The 23-year-old Mancini had a combined slash line of .341/.375/.563 between Frederick and Bowie with 43 doubles, six triples, 21 home runs and 89 RBIs in 136 games. He led all O's minor leaguers in average, homers and RBIs and won the Eastern League batting title with an adjusted .330 batting average.

What are his biggest strengths as a hitter?

"His biggest strength is you can't defend him," Bodie said. "Because he has power to all fields. You can't teach power. They've shifted on him this year and he'll hit a bullet to right field. He puts air underneath the baseball and when he hits the ball, it stays hit.

"The biggest difference between the minor leagues and the big leagues is the defense. Guys hit the ball in the gaps and are used to getting extra-base hits. In the big leagues, those balls are caught. What you see here is what you are going to see there. He scolds the baseball. When he hits the baseball, it stays hit."

Bodie also talked about outfielder Mike Yastrzemski, who hit .246/.316/.372 with 30 doubles, six triples, six homers and 59 RBIs for the Eastern League champion Baysox. Yaz hit .406 with 10 extra-base hits in nine games as Bowie won the title.

"Yaz has had about three or four different seasons. He was real good and then he scuffled for a bit. He finished up strong. He is an intense player, very gifted. Sometimes he gets away from what he does well because he wants to do so well, he forces his swing at times. But when he gets in the hitting position early and he is hunting the baseball, he's as good as anybody.

"And I believe his swing and the way he hits - he's a run producer at the major league level in the future. He's been a pleasure and very easy to work with," Bodie said.

I also asked about 23-year-old third baseman Drew Dosch, who played at both Frederick and Bowie this year. In 123 games, he hit .256/.316/.338 with 15 doubles, six triples, three homers and 55 RBIs. In August with the Baysox, he hit .329.

How did Dosch get his bat going in that month?

"Just by getting himself into a good hitting position," Bodie said. "A lot of these guys, they don't know how to use their hands with their lower half. They don't get synched up and timed up. It is a common thread with a lot of young hitters that use the aluminum bat. It is a process and there are certain ways to attack it.

"He was struggling for a while, but he never got too far down and was very open to instruction. He had a great August and he continued to progress."