BRADENTON, Fla. — Shortly after sunrise this spring, Colin Moran and Josh Bell headed to the batting cage. They eschewed the tee and the pitching machine. What they wanted instead was a coach throwing, hard, from behind a protective screen 30 feet away.
The drill makes practice as hard as, or harder than, what Bell and Moran will face in the game. It helps Bell prevent pitchers from jamming him. It helps Moran translate his swing work, which last year included more of a focus on getting the ball in the air, into games. It is not intended to increase power, but it might have that byproduct.