GOODYEAR, Ariz. – In the middle of last season, Cincinnati Reds outfielder Shogo Akiyama said he started planning adjustments that he wanted to make in the offseason.
Between July 1 and Sept. 16, Akiyama had only 101 plate appearances. As the Reds made a run in the second half of the year, Delino DeShields, Max Schrock and Jose Barrero played more often than Akiyama in the outfield.
So over the last six months, Akiyama has added weight, worked on hitting for more power and tweaked his approach as a hitter. After hitting .204 last season, Akiyama said that he felt a change was necessary.