A compact swing has Ozark’s George Reynolds making more contact at-bat than ever before.
The senior first baseman has provided consistent production out of the cleanup spot in the Tigers’ lineup all season, after an off-season that saw him completely change his approach in the batter’s box.
“He had a few times last summer and last fall where he was swinging and missing too much,” Ozark coach Justin Sundlie said. “So, he completely re-amped his swing and it looks great.”
“I thought (I should) shorten up my swing to hit faster pitchers,” Reynolds said. “Before, my swing was really long.”
Reynolds now swings with very little movement in his lower body. By not lifting his front foot and planting it while swinging, he’s been able to turn on pitches faster. Also, with no wasted movement, his head and eyes are moving at a minimum, helping him improve his contact rate significantly.
Reynolds reports he’s hitting the ball with the sweet spot of his bat more often, allowing him to still hit with power, even without utilizing much lower-body strength.
“I'm trying to be a contact hitter to help the team,” Reynolds said. “I feel like I’m getting more barrels.”
“He simplified everything to try to get the barrel to the baseball,” Sundlie said. “I think it’s a mature approach. It's almost a two-strike approach from the very beginning. Pitchers are getting so good that there are a lot of good players doing that now.”
It’s no coincidence the MLB slugger Reynolds most resembles is Cardinals first baseman Paul Goldschmidt.
“I watch Goldschmidt all the time,” Reynolds said.
Sundlie calls Reynolds a student of the game and has been pleased to see him rewarded for his work.
“He's put in the work. There's nobody on the team who has worked harder than George, I promise you,” Sundlie said. “Every day when I show up, he's already in the cage hitting. He deserves anything good to happen to him. He's earned it 100 percent."
