Triunfel’s Power

by ~ January 3rd, 2009 at 2:22 pm

Seattle Mariners top prospect Carlos Triunfel is expected to become a middle of the order bat one day.  Most people aren’t very worried about his lack of power so far, but I’ve come across a few fans recently that are very concerned.  They might say something along the lines of:

If Triunfel is supposed to be a potential 20-30+ homer guy, why hasn’t he shown it yet?  He’s played 158 games in the very hitter friendly California League over the past two seasons, but has only produced 8 home runs.  Bust?!?

The first line of defense for Triunfel is obviously his age.  At 18 years old he was the youngest player in the California League, holding his own against guys that are typically 2-3-4 years older.  He was also the only player on his team under the age of 201 .

Triunfel has already made it halfway up the pro baseball ladder while most American 18 year old prospects were still finishing up their senior seasons of high school baseball, and perhaps getting a taste of rookie ball in Pulaski or Arizona at the end of the year.  We’re all eager for Triunfel’s arrival, but he is way ahead of the pack and has all the time he could possibly need to develop in the minor leagues.

Besides, he did show some definite power late in the season.  In 111 July at bats he smacked 6 of his 8 homers as well as 7 doubles on his way to a .613 SLG for that month.  His advanced stats didn’t match up with his performance, hinting that he had merely (finally?) found a way to exploit the Cal League’s thin desert air and small ballparks, but if anything he proved he can at least elevate the ball with some authority.

Further evidence that Triunfel could develop some legitimate power down the road: his legs (and booty!).

triunfel-card

2007, age 17

Compared to the average teenage athlete, Triunfel’s legs are extremely built and developed, and by most accounts the majority of a hitter’s power comes from the legs.  If you’re unsure about this, just look at the tree trunks anchoring guys like Alex Rodriguez and Albert Pujols.  If at age 18 his legs are already extremely strong, I can’t imagine how much power they’ll be able to generate as his body continues to mature.

Once he adds a bit more upper body strength it will only help his power production, especially on pitches that he is fooled on.

Next, let’s go to the video.  There wasn’t as much quality video available as I’d like, but there are still some interesting clips to work from.

Video 1 – April 2008

triunfel-swing-4

Video 2 – October 2008

triunfel-swing-3

When the first video was shot, Triunfel had yet to hit a home run in his professional career.  By the time the second video was taken he had hit 8, so it’s no surprise that the stroke he showed off in the Arizona Fall League is much more conducive to generating power and lift.

You may notice that his back leg load (leg kick) is slightly more pronounced in the second video, and following his stride he gets more extension with his left leg, straightening it out more than in the first video and shifting more of his weight to his back leg.  The mechanics at the back end of the second swing still aren’t quite as solid as I’d like, but I wouldn’t be surprised if that is only a result of the pitch location.

These are minor adjustments, but necessary ones for him if he’s going to hit for power.  The first swing is more of a contact swing, and the second one much more like the power swings you see from Major League sluggers.  What is amazing to me is that, in the second video, he holds onto these power mechanics despite the pitch being low and away, but he still makes great contact and smokes it into left-center for a double.

If you weren’t able to figure it out by that little blurb, I’m no expert when it comes to analyzing player mechanics as it’s something I’ve just recently become interested in.  I feel I know enough to see some of the subtle differences between the two swings, but if there are any readers out there that know more about this than I do (I know you’re out there!), please feel free to add to (or detract from) this.

So, in conclusion, anyone who is worried about Triunfel’s lack of power thus far should think about these things:

  • He’s more than holding his own despite being extremely young for his level.
  • He did indeed show a bit of power in the final months of the ’08 season.
  • He’s got the legs of a stallion.
  • His swing mechanics have been tweaked in order to generate more power.

I wouldn’t worry about Triunfel at all right now.  I think he’s going to make a fine power hitter one day.

  1. Tyson Gillies (19) played in 11 games and Anthony Phillips (18) played in 3 if you want to get technical [↩]
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  • section331

    Congratulations; you’re the first analyst I’ve ever seen use the word “booty”. LOL
    It’s funny to me that people get all worked up when players are still young; I mean, it doesn’t seem rational to flip out over a player’s perceived lack of performance when they’re still developing, and it’s strange that people don’t take that into account. He’s not even 20 yet. Geez!

  • Brandon

    Also notice that in the second frame his hips seem to open up a little bit more at the end of his swing. My coaches always told me that is a good way to generate power.

  • kellykoof15

    I am very excited for what Triunfel can bring to the Mariner’s in a couple of years. I have read alot of stuff about him but have never seen him play. I am going to Spring Training for the first time this year and I hope to see him play.

  • http://bleedingblueandteal.com Dustin Shires

    I really really hope this guy hits Triple-A Tacoma sometime in 2009. To put it into perspective how talented this kid is…

    I’m a week older than him. Exactly a week older, and this kid is in Double-A professional baseball, and I’m a freshmen in college.

    He’s going to be special.

  • seasun62

    Brandon is correct in his assessment that Carlos’ hips open more in the second video. This ensures that you are using your lower body to generate power. What the video also shows is Carlos keeping his weight (and hands) back and not lunging as he is in the first video. Once again, this shows that he’s doing a much better job of using his entire body to generate power and, more importantly, bat speed. I don’t know who is working with him on his swing but it appears to be making progress. I’d be very surprised, if he keeps with the new mechanics, if he didn’t hit between 12-20 homeruns this coming Minor League Season.

  • GTownHoyas

    “Also notice that in the second frame his hips seem to open up a little bit more at the end of his swing. My coaches always told me that is a good way to generate power.”

    This does in a way generate more power, but it’s a terrible habit for a young player to get into. It means that they are only allowing themselves to pull the ball, and when the pitch allows them to, it does indeed give the hitter more power, for they were setting up for the inside pitch, but cutting themselves off of the outside pitch. You see, many pro players do this, but many of them are hit-or-miss guys and have a great season about once in their careers and are otherwise journeymen, because they are one-dimensional hitters. So, hopefully Carlos doesn’t get too caught up trying to power the ball over the fence, and keeps the hip closed, making him a multi-dimensional hitter.

  • Brandon

    I agree with GTown. When I was a freshman/sophomore in high school i was a hitter that sprayed the ball all over the field. By the time I was a senior i was struggling more to handle outside pitches because my coaches changed me into a power hitter who opened his hips up (probably too much). My hope is that this new swing doesn’t make him too vulnerable to breaking pitches.

  • Slurve

    I’m a HS pitcher so I have only a semi-idea of what you’re talking about but yeah hopefully he learns that sometimes you don’t need a HR at every AB.