Mickey Hatcher Talks Patience

Just because everyone thinks he is a free swinging hacker.

"What Teixeira has done, according to Angels hitting coach Mickey Hatcher, is change the culture of hitting in Los Angeles. He's taught teammates to be more patient, to take walks if the perfect pitch to hit isn't there.

"He definitely adds a lot to our lineup with that on-base percentage; a guy that works the count," Hatcher said. "It's good for some of my players to watch that. He's brought that into our lineup. Ever since we got him he's had a lot of big hits for us. He gets on base to help us create more runs. He plays unbelievable defense, and I think that makes our pitching staff that more confident. He's just fun to watch."

9 months ago hauldog Comment 11 comments 2 recs |

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I have a white stick with a red stripe near the end...

and yet I can see the impact that Teixeira has made on the Angels’ patience at the plate. What is truly amazing about Teixeira is how patient and disciplined a hitter he is. I did not watch him that closely when he was with Texas, and certainly seeing him day-in and day-out is an eye opener!

Pony up the dough, Arte!

Go easy on Mr. Moreno, Bora$!

by Downing Rules on Sep 30, 2008 5:21 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Nice to see

that a player can teach something the hitting coach can’t.

by ViolaHalo on Sep 30, 2008 5:50 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Micky. Better watch out with what you say

Your making it look like you don’t do anything, or at the least have no philosophy.

by eyespy on Sep 30, 2008 5:59 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

I think you have caused me to stop and wonder.

IF Hatcher is quoted accurately – and if I clearly understand the context – Hatcher’s comments come off as those of a fan, or someone with no ability to influence the “free-swinging” approach of many Angel batters. Yet he is the f***ing batting coach!!!
Maybe I am missing something here. Doesn’t the manager (via the 3rd base coach) tell the batter whether to swings/take? Doesn’t the batting coach have some input in the decision-making?
Is Hatcher inadvertently telling us the decision to swing/take is not under his control whatsoever? Is it – by default – Scioscia that allows the free-swinging?
In my mind, this has raised more questions than it has answered.

by sothball on Sep 30, 2008 6:30 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I KNOW MICKEY HATCHER.

I went to high school with mickey he is one the best athletes to ever come from arizona.he has a career .300 avg. and tore up left hand pitching. he he hit 2 homers in the world series even after very few during the season. if not for hershieser he might have been the mvp for his clutch hitting and defensive play. he played several positions very well. he was a good teamate, as i also knew steve howe and he told me so. i saw him play in junior high and strike out 20 of 21 batters, and was punter for oklahoma in college. i guess you haven’t noticed the angels team avg. is 5th in the league. it amazes me some of the foolish things people say who are so uninformed. read up on your team and inform yourself! good luck mick, your friend, max mesa high 1974

by azborn2001 on Oct 2, 2008 1:32 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

We have to sign this guy

Although I do not look forward to first half Tex. He can be brutal.

The Angels may have beat them 8 times in a row, but winning three before they do is all that matters.

by hauldog on Sep 30, 2008 6:17 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

They've been saying the same thing about Napoli & Kotchman...

Since they came up. The idea that Hatcher hates & doesn’t appreciate walks has never been true. He & the Angels just don’t emphasize ’em as much as they could.

by mattwelch on Sep 30, 2008 6:40 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

You are right, Matt.

The organization doesn’t preach patience from Rookie ball up through MLB like some other teams (Oakland, for one), but on the surface folks seem to appreciate the guys who know how to work the count. You don’t get crazy ass comments like Dusty Baker’s views that walking all the time just clogs up the bases.

The best spin I can put on this is that the Halos management (from the low levels on up to the bigs) chooses to let players become what they are comfortable with and not something that they are not suited to be. So, a free-swinging, slick fielding short stop (Aybar) is allowed to flail away a little more than we’d like, but he isn’t being made into something he isn’t. They try to make the player the best version of himself. I’m not sure that’s how I’d manage these guys with the evidence I have at my fingertips, but it is a laudable approach from a player management perspective.

Salmon and Glaus were not discourage from taking a walk. Benji Molina, GA and Aybar haven’t been told to take pitches more than is appropriate.

Just an observation.

PS. Matt – nice job on the Rachel Maddow show last week – always nice to re-live the manic 1980’s through the Keating Five scandal and John McCain.

Jim Scully

Jim Scully Home
Haloville - Land of the Halos

by jimmuscomp on Sep 30, 2008 7:16 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I cannot believe how many people watch Rachel Maddow

I do a decent amount of TV, but nothing has gotten the volume of response as going on that show. Ex-girlfriends, lesbian gals I haven’t talked to in years, Dodger fans’ fathers, etc.

by mattwelch on Sep 30, 2008 7:28 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs