Chicago Cubs middle infielder Addison Russell has played his best baseball during the second half of the season, helping the Cubs surge to a 24-15 record since the All-Star break in mid-July. Since the All-Star break, he has slashed .267/.303/.422, bringing his overall batting average up to a respectable .241. Many people expected this turnaround to happen at some point for the supremely talented 21-year-old. However, the fact that Russell rebounded so dramatically in such a short amount of time between the last game of the first half of the season on July 12 and now deserves further explanation.
His second half turnaround comes in stark contrast to his performance during the first half of the season. According to baseball reference data, during this time frame he slashed .226/.296/.354 with five home runs, 22 RBIs and 83 strikeouts. His batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage and OPS number have all been higher in the second half of the season. He is on track to surmount his first half totals in hits, home runs and RBIs despite the Cubs playing less games during the second half of the season.
Although he struggled initially when the Chicago Cubs promoted him to the Majors on April 21, his sheer talent and potential indicated that at some point he would get his act together and start playing better. Baseball Prospectus ranked him as the second-best prospect in all of baseball prior to the 2015 season, ahead of teammate Kris Bryant and only trailing Minnesota Twins outfielder Byron Buxton. Baseball America and MLB.com rated Russell at number three and five respectively in their pre-2015 prospect rankings.
A number of factors including a swing fix combined with a change to his approach and a position change have contributed to Addison Russell’s upsurge during the second half of the Chicago Cubs season.
Next: Swing adjustment
Aug 12, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Cubs second baseman Addison Russell (22) hits an RBI single during the fifth inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Caylor Arnold-USA TODAY Sports
With the help of his coaches, Russell made an adjustment to his swing during the All-Star break. Cubs manager Joe Maddon explained the change in Russell’s swing mechanics after the Cubs 4-3 victory against the Milwaukee Brewers on Aug. 2.
He’s in an entirely different stance and setup and start to his swing. It’s much more efficient. He’s getting to fastballs much better. I think he’s making better decisions at the plate. I think he’s at the point where he thinks he can hit anything hard, which may work against you sometimes. He’s in a really good position to hit right now. —Quote obtained by MLB.com writer Carrie Muskat
This season, Russell has struck out on 28.1 percent of plate appearances. According to data from FanGraphs, he struggles most hitting the fastball, averaging -6.1 runs above average on fastballs this season. Pitchers have picked up on this trend and have thrown Russell some type of fastball on 56.6 percent of pitches. The swing adjustment has helped with these struggles. During the second half of the season, his strikeout percentage is 21.9 percent. During the first half, he struck out on 31 percent of plate appearances.
Next: Mental Approach
Mandatory Credit: Caylor Arnold-USA TODAY Sports
Russell has changed his mental approach to his game as well, and this has made him more relaxed at the plate. The change in approach centered on shifting focus away from his own statistics and to stop trying to do too much at the plate. Cubs manager Joe Maddon assisted with this, even requiring Russell to read a Stephen King book to get his mind off of baseball when he wasn’t at the ballpark.
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Just to get him when he leaves the ballpark, he leaves the ballpark and gets caught up in a different part of his imagination or mind and not dwell on particularly bad or good. Have an escape and not just be this guy that just watches SportsCenter, reads about himself in the newspaper and never gets away from it. —-Quote obtained by CSN-Chicago reporter JJ Stankevitz
Russell said that the adjustments to his mechanics along with the change to his approach has helped him become more comfortable at the plate.
Trying to get my mind off numbers and stuff like that. I just go out there and do what’s comfortable. I’m seeing the ball well. Even my outs are aggressive. I’m not slapping the ball on the ground, I’m barreling the ball up and just missing it. It’s a good thing now. –Quote obtained by MLB.com writer Carrie Muskat
Russell was hurting himself by thinking too much. The big thing that changed between the first and second half of the season is pretty simple. He reverted back to the basics, while making small adjustments in his swing mechanics that would help him hit more efficiently. Mental approach is half the battle to becoming a great hitter. Russell no longer worries himself with the statistics and just goes out there and hits. These simple adjustments have made all the difference.
Next: Move to Shortstop
Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports
Russell’s move to shortstop has also coincided with his improvements during the second half of the season.
In the aftermath of Joe Maddon benching three-time All-Star Starlin Castro, Addison Russell became the Cub’s everyday shortstop on Aug. 7. He has played well in this role. Since earning the starting job, Russel has 25 putouts, 46 assists and one error in 168.0 innings of work. His fielding percentage is 98.6 percent and he has been a part of eight double plays in this time frame.
Cubs manager Joe Maddon has liked what he has seen from Russell at shortstop this season.
Right now, I think Addie’s [Addison Russell] doing a wonderful job. You guys can see it. You’re around, you talk to him. You can see his confidence. He’s very confident right now. He’s different as compared to the beginning of the season. Just look at his swings. They’re much freer, looser. Just a different animal right now. … Right now, Addie looks like the guy we thought he was going to be. —-Quote obtained by MLB.com columnist Phil Rogers
Confidence is key for Russell. The confidence that he has gained from playing his natural shortstop position has carried over to his at-bats as well. Since becoming the Cubs everyday shortstop on Aug. 7, Russell slashed .269/.292/.463 with 18 hits, two home runs and seven RBIs.
Russell’s recent position change has been instrumental to his success during the second half of the season.
Next: Conclusion
Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
In the second half of the season, Addison Russell’s improvements have coincided with the Cubs success. Although it isn’t necessarily a completely causal relationship, Russell has created a good precedent with these improvements. He has taken advantage of every opportunity this season (the position change) and continued to improve upon the things that he could control (swing mechanics, approach). The Cubs need continued improvements from all of their players if they expect to make a run in the playoffs.
The Cubs are banking that four of their rookie starters can continue to grow quickly and help this team make the playoffs for the first time since 2008. Can Kyle Schwarber, Kris Bryant and Addison Russell continue their hot hitting? Can Jorge Soler return from injury and continue to contribute? The answers to these questions will go a long way towards determining how successful the Cubs are for the rest of the season.
If the Cubs want to make the playoffs, Russell’s precedent must be followed. All four players, including Russell, must take advantage of every opportunity and continue to improve upon the things that they can control.
Stats don’t include results of the Chicago Cubs game against the Cincinnati Reds on 8/31/15.
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