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Who Is Justin Stone and What Exactly Does a Director of Hitting Do?

Traditional player development is dead and, barring a zombie apocalypse, it’s never coming back. High-speed cameras, mo-cap sensors, graduate degrees, and computers are taking over. One of the innovators driving that change is Justin Stone, the Cubs’ new Director of Hitting.

The hiring of the Chicago-based hitting guru is a reflection of the Cubs’ inability to develop hitting prospects, particularly those from outside the first round of the draft. Other than their top picks — Albert Almora Jr., Kris Bryant, Kyle Schwarber, Ian Happ, Javy Báez — they have gotten disappointingly little production from the amateur draft.