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Patrick Wisdom may have found a key to unlocking his full offensive potential

2 years agoTony Andracki

Patrick Wisdom may have found a key to unlocking his potential at the plate.

The Cubs third baseman recently switched bats, following the likes of Paul Goldschmidt and opting for one of the new “hockey puck” style handles, as Lance Brozdowski broke down on Cubs Live! Friday:

Nissan Breakdown

Wisdom reached out to Homewood Bat Co. — located in Chicagoland — to make a style that fits his needs.

Since that change, Wisdom has been on a hot stretch at the plate.

Wisdom Bat Improvements

Over that stretch, Wisdom has hit .241/.353/.535 (.887 OPS) with 5 homers and 10 RBI. He also has 9 walks against only 18 strikeouts in 16 games.

He added to those lofty numbers in the 1st inning Friday afternoon.

Wisdom stepped to the plate with 2 on and 2 out against Cardinals starter Miles Mikolas. Wisdom got down in the count 0-2 before battling back and sending the 6th pitch of the at-bat into the bleachers in left-center for a 3-run shot.

 

Maybe the most important part of the last few weeks is the strikeout rate.

Wisdom has whiffed 221 times in 564 plate appearances since joining the big-league club last May. That’s a 39.2% rate. If Wisdom can live more in the mid-20s in strikeout rate, that would be one dynamic player to go with his insane power.

But how does the simple switch in a bat help Wisdom’s contact rate?

Carlos Peña explained on Cubs Live!:

“This is about utilizing the tool,” Peña said. “If you have the right tool to do your job, then it’s easier. Right here with the balanced bat, you stay in the zone a lot longer. This has nothing to do with your swing. This is the tool that’s making you stay in the zone longer. Because this top-heavy bat is not going to come in and out of the strike zone.

“It’s interesting to see that now hitters like Wisdom are paying attention to the tool that he’s using to achieve what he’s set out to achieve, which is crush baseballs.”

Check out more from Peña and Brozdowski on how the bat may be the key to unlocking Wisdom’s full potential on offense.

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