{"id":615455,"date":"2026-04-30T15:14:10","date_gmt":"2026-04-30T15:14:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/615455\/"},"modified":"2026-04-30T15:14:10","modified_gmt":"2026-04-30T15:14:10","slug":"the-fernando-tatis-jr-puzzle-plus-zoom-in-on-this-photo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/615455\/","title":{"rendered":"The Fernando Tatis Jr. puzzle. Plus: Zoom in on this photo"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Windup Newsletter \u26be | This is The Athletic\u2019s MLB<\/a> newsletter. Sign up here<\/a> to receive The Windup directly in your inbox.<\/p>\n

Apparently it\u2019s not always as simple as \u201chit the ball hard.\u201d<\/p>\n

Plus: An unusual double play ends a Marlins-Dodgers game, we have a couple of very specific streaks and Ken Rosenthal tells us what the Cubs hitters are \u2014 or rather, are not \u2014 doing to find success. I\u2019m Levi Weaver, welcome to The Windup!<\/p>\n

Enigma: Tatis Jr.\u2019s home run mystery<\/p>\n

If you look at\u00a0Fernando Tatis Jr.\u2019s Baseball Savant page<\/a>, you\u2019ll notice a couple of things that seem completely incongruous:<\/p>\n

One, his \u201cHard-hit %\u201d is 66.7 percent, which is in the 100th percentile. As in,\u00a0nobody is hitting it hard with more frequency than Tatis. And two: His \u201cBatting Run Value\u201d is -3, which is in the 23rd percentile, and he hasn\u2019t hit a home run yet. How?!<\/p>\n

From a strictly \u201cWell, it\u2019s the physics \u2026\u201d standpoint, it\u2019s pretty easy: It\u2019s hard to hit a ball over the fence when your average launch angle is 3.5 degrees. The better question isn\u2019t \u201cHow?\u201d \u2026 it\u2019s \u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n

As in:\u00a0Why has Tatis been smashing baseballs with triple-digit exit velo directly into the nearest patch of dirt, grass, or leather?\u00a0That\u2019s the mystery Dennis Lin is tackling\u00a0in his story today<\/a>. Lin spoke to the Padres hitting coaches, opposing scouts and Tatis himself.<\/p>\n

If they had it solved, we wouldn\u2019t be having this conversation. But it\u2019s a bit of insight into how the pros approach a weird glitch like this.\u00a0And it\u2019s fascinating<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Speaking of which \u2026<\/p>\n

Middle Relief: Rosenthal on Cubs\u2019 unconventional approach<\/p>\n

Today we hear from our senior baseball reporter Ken Rosenthal about the Cubs\u2019\u00a0backwards approach, that works<\/a>. I\u2019ll be back next section. Over to you, Ken!\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Cubs rank second in the majors in runs per game. They\u2019re doing it without a dominant slugger. And they\u2019re doing it in somewhat of an unusual manner:\u00a0swinging at the fewest strikes of any club.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s right, the Cubs entered Thursday last in\u00a0swing rate inside the zone<\/a>, and third from the bottom in overall swing percentage. And no, it\u2019s not simply the Alex Bregman Effect, even though \u201cswing less\u201d is pretty much the third baseman\u2019s personal credo.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have not had a meeting and said swing less, by any stretch of the imagination,\u201d Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. \u201cIf there\u2019s one guy that trumpets swing less, it\u2019s Bregman. Are guys hearing it? I don\u2019t know if I have a good answer. We have some pretty established people who probably aren\u2019t changing too much.\u201d<\/p>\n

But some are.<\/p>\n

With the season nearly 20 percent complete, second baseman Nico Hoerner and shortstop Dansby Swanson entered yesterday with their in-zone swing rates down more than 10 percent. Center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong was down nearly 10 percent, though he hadn\u2019t solved his biggest problem. His 44.7 chase rate was a career high and the fifth highest in the league.<\/p>\n

First baseman Michael Busch\u2019s in-zone rate also was down, but not to the same extent as those three. Right fielder Seiya Suzuki and left fielder Ian Happ were at roughly last year\u2019s levels. And then there was Bregman, whose in-zone rate was a career-low, whose chase rate was its lowest since 2022 and overall swing rate was its lowest for a full season since 2019.<\/p>\n

Bregman, who joined the Cubs this season on a five-year, $175 million free-agent contract, makes a concentrated effort to swing only at pitches on which he can do damage. If he gets too aggressive, his knack for making contact on pitches outside the zone leads to too many easy outs.<\/p>\n

Hoerner is also a high-contact type, but Counsell said emphatically, \u201cI can tell you Nico\u2019s change is not a result of Alex Bregman.\u201d Cubs hitting coach Dustin Kelly said the team has spent four years trying to get Hoerner to be the hitter he was in the latter part of last season and the first month of this one \u2014 more selective, but taking chances when ahead in the count and pulling the ball in the air.<\/p>\n

(Read the rest\u00a0here<\/a>!)<\/p>\n

Streaking: Best season-starting hit streaks<\/p>\n

Once in a while, we like to start a\u00a0streak counter\u00a0at the bottom of the newsletter, above the most-clicked link.<\/p>\n

Today, we have a couple of pretty hyper-specific (but still interesting!) ones we\u2019ll be adding, starting tomorrow:<\/p>\n

Everyone knows Joe DiMaggio\u2019s MLB-record 56-game hitting streak, but do you know who holds the record for\u00a0the longest hitting streak\u00a0to start a season?\u00a0That would be George Sisler, who got a hit in each of the St. Louis Browns\u2019 first\u00a034\u00a0games in 1925.Ildemaro Vargas\u00a0of the DBacks is now at 22 games.\u00a0Here\u2019s the whole list of every other player who has ever done that, courtesy of Baseball Reference:<\/p>\n

\"\"\/<\/p>\n

Credit to MLB\u2019s Sarah Langs, who\u00a0posted this last night<\/a>: A\u2019s first baseman Nick Kurtz has now walked in 18 straight games. That\u2019s the fourth-longest streak in MLB history (since at least 1900).Next up: Ted Williams (19 games in 1941), Barry Bonds (20 games in 2002-2003), then it\u2019s Roy Cullenbine, who walked in 22 straight games for the 1947 Detroit Tigers.<\/p>\n

Knowing this will really impress your friends. You\u2019re welcome.<\/p>\n

Check This Out: Marlins seal win on double play<\/p>\n

We often lean on gifs here. And sure, the video is in\u00a0Fabian Ardaya\u2019s story<\/a>. But I think the double play that ended yesterday\u2019s Marlins-Dodgers game calls for a still-shot analysis!<\/p>\n

\"\"\/<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s go right to left\u2026<\/p>\n

Far right: First base umpire Adam Hamari, who somehow got this call right despite the large man in between him and the essential part of the play. (In fact, it\u2019s possible he got part of it wrong by accident, but we\u2019ll get to that.)<\/p>\n

Second from right: That\u2019s perhaps the greatest baseball player who ever lived (Shohei Ohtani, but you knew that. Didn\u2019t you?). He\u2019s just been called out for leaving the base path, and is contorted into a position that made me \u2014 for the first time in at least two decades \u2014 think about\u00a0this song<\/a>\u00a0by Brak of \u201cSpace Ghost Coast to Coast\u201d fame.<\/p>\n

Middle top:\u00a0Marlins second baseman Xavier Edwards. With the Marlins leading 3-2 in the ninth, bases loaded and one out, Edwards caught a ground ball by Freddie Freeman. He ran Ohtani back to the bag, got the out via base path violation (and also tagged him, by the way) and then stepped on the \u2026 hang on.<\/p>\n

Middle bottom: Dodgers first base coach Chris Woodward, who is frantically pointing at somethi\u2013<\/p>\n

Far left:\u00a0Marlins first baseman Connor Norby, who is (understandably, since it\u2019s right there in his position\u2019s name) covering first base. The problem: His foot is\u00a0right\u00a0in the way. Zoom in and you can see it getting stepped on, right there above the ad for the injury law firm.<\/p>\n

Edwards did also drag his foot across the base, so whether Hamari saw that, or just never considered that Edwards might be stepping on a shoe rather than the base, the call was correct. The Dodgers lost 3-2, which leads us to another quick question \u2026<\/p>\n

Are they OK?<\/p>\n

L.A. is 7-7 since the start of its series in Denver on April 17. It doesn\u2019t even have the best record in baseball anymore!<\/p>\n

I\u2019m mostly joking. The Dodgers are still 20-11. But they have looked a lot more human for a couple of weeks now. We\u2019ll keep an eye on it.<\/p>\n

More Dodgers:<\/p>\n

Handshakes and High Fives<\/p>\n

Great stuff from the trio of Eno Sarris, Andrew Baggarly and Dan Hayes: As the sport continues to evolve, are we seeing the\u00a0devaluation of saves, in favor of \u201cleverage?\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

More fallout from the managerial change in Philadelphia: Matt Gelb tells us\u00a0what will (and won\u2019t) change<\/a>\u00a0under interim manager Don Mattingly. Meanwhile, Jayson Stark reminds us that Mattingly has\u00a0dug out of a hole like this before<\/a>.<\/p>\n

And the (wrong kind of) hits keep coming in Boston. Garrett Crochet is now on the IL<\/a>\u00a0with shoulder inflammation.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s only\u00a0sort of\u00a0related to baseball, but I thought\u00a0this story from Rustin Dodd<\/a>\u00a0was so fascinating: \u201cWhy some of the best athletes in the world pretend to be someone else.\u201d<\/p>\n

Zack Meisel did some digging to tell the story of Travis Bazzana, the Guardians\u2019 newest call-up, and\u00a0his path to the big leagues<\/a>, including PowerPoint presentations and a leaky air mattress.<\/p>\n

Two-player rookie cards make for some interesting retrospectives. Today, Larry Holder talks to\u00a0one of the \u201cother guys\u201d<\/a>\u00a0\u2014\u00a0Jeff Winchester, who shares a rookie card with Matt Holliday.<\/p>\n

Chad Jennings took your questions, and\u00a0I don\u2019t think Mets fans are OK<\/a>\u00a0right now. Maybe\u00a0it\u2019s the hitting<\/a>. Or\u00a0the pitching<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In plays separated by no more than 10 minutes, Braves first baseman Matt Olson beat the Tigers with\u00a0a walk-off home run<\/a>, then Cardinals outfielder Nathan Church\u00a0pulled off a robbery<\/a>\u00a0to prevent Nick Gonzales of the Pirates from doing the same.<\/p>\n

At 44, Alexei Ramirez was the oldest player in the World Baseball Classic. So he probably wasn\u2019t going to play in the next one anyway, but he definitely won\u2019t now: He\u00a0tested positive for \u201cfour anabolic steroids.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

Most-clicked in our last newsletter:\u00a0Matt Gelb detailing the inside story of the\u00a0end of the Rob Thomson era<\/a>\u00a0in Philadelphia.<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udceb Love The Windup? Check out\u00a0The Athletic\u2019s other newsletters<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Windup Newsletter \u26be | This is The Athletic\u2019s MLB newsletter. Sign up here to receive The Windup…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":615456,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[65],"tags":[363,99],"class_list":["post-615455","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-mlb","tag-mlb","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/615455","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=615455"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/615455\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/615456"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=615455"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=615455"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=615455"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}