SAN FRANCISCO — Following a rookie season in which he heavily struggled, Brett Wisely understood that change was necessary — with his body and mind. So, he evolved.
Thanks in part to mechanical and mental tweaks — and help from former major leaguer and playoff legend Daniel Murphy — Wisely, going into Saturday, had a .357 batting average (10-for-28) with a home run and six RBIs in his first 12 games of the season for the Giants.
The sample size is small, but the Giants have been happy to have Wisely’s early production.
“They’ve been fantastic,” Giants manager Bob Melvin said of Wisely’s plate appearances. “For him, it’s all about swinging at strikes. Sometimes, when you get to the big leagues, you want to do a little bit too much.
“Hasn’t really been the case for him. He’s swung the bat really well whenever we’ve put him in the lineup.”
Compared to last season, Wisely’s batting stance is noticeably more upright. Wisely, who hit .175 over 131 plate appearances in 2023, said his swing last year was “super uphill,” giving him difficulty with fastballs at the top of the zone and pitches below the zone.
To counter, Wisely has gotten more upright, allowing him to get more on top of the ball.
Here’s Wisely in 2023:
Compared to Wisely in 2024:
“When I’m up like that, I feel like I have a better chance of staying behind the ball, not chasing too much stuff down,” Wisely said. “Obviously, the pitchers up here are good; I’m going to chase here and there.
“But staying more upright and staying behind the ball is allowing me to see the ball better and control the zone a little bit more.”
Wisely discussed making a change last year with Giants hitting coach Justin Viele, but he didn’t want to alter his mechanics in the middle of a season. Upon returning home in the offseason, Wisely incorporated a more upright stance.
Among those Wisely worked with in the offseason was Murphy, the National League’s Silver Slugger winner at second base in 2016 and 2017. Murphy was also named the MVP of the NLCS in 2015 when he hit a home run in a postseason record six straight games.
Related Articles
‘Road Trip Mike’ is attending all 81 A’s road games this year — but not for the reason you might think
What Aaron Judge said after his 2-homer game vs. SF Giants: ‘Didn’t mind’ boos
Greeted by boos, Judge shows SF Giants what they’re missing in 2-homer game
JP Sears gives bullpen a break, but Athletics are shut down by Braves
Roster decisions loom as injured SF Giants begin rehab assignments
“He dives deep into hitting,” Wisely said of Murphy. “He dives deep into a lot of the approach stuff. He’s a really good hitter. He said, ‘The taller you are, the more force you have going into the ground, so the harder you’ll hit the ball.’”
Wisely didn’t immediately see results, hitting .188 during spring training. He admitted there was a temptation to revert to his old stance but Wisely stuck with the tweaked mechanics. That decision is bearing fruit.
Before being recalled on May 11, Wisely had a slash line of .311/.403/.487 with four home runs in 32 games with Triple-A Sacramento. Wisely’s underlying numbers show improvement as well. The sample size is too small to be conclusive, but Wisely’s average exit velocity (88.9 mph), expected batting average (.280), and expected slugging percentage (.427) are among the metrics that are up.
Factor in his defense (two outs above average at shortstop), and Wisely has been plenty productive in recent weeks.
Along with a new stance, Wisely possesses a new mindset, describing his rookie year as “humbling.”
He shared that he had “zero confidence” due to his struggles and shuffling between the majors and minor leagues. The growing pains helped instill maturity in Wisely, who learned the necessity of exuding confidence amidst rough patches.
Related Articles
Kurtenbach: The SF Giants’ starters could be this team’s fatal flaw
What Aaron Judge said after his 2-homer game vs. SF Giants: ‘Didn’t mind’ boos
Greeted by boos, Judge shows SF Giants what they’re missing in 2-homer game
Roster decisions loom as injured SF Giants begin rehab assignments
Kurtenbach: Here comes the hard part for the grit-and-grind SF Giants [3 up, 3 down]
“If you can lie to yourself and tell yourself, ‘I’m doing good’ when you’re doing bad, over the long period of time, the good mindsets can help you down the road,” Wisely said. “Last year, when I was going good, it was, ‘I’m on top of the world.’ When I was going bad, it was, ‘I’m down at the bottom.’
“This year, if I’m going good, I have to stay even-keeled, but if I’m going bad, I have to lie to act like I’m going good. I have to lie to myself.”
Injury updates
Thairo Estrada was not in Saturday’s starting lineup after he jammed his thumb several times on Friday. Melvin said the team didn’t want Estrada to do too much on Saturday and that he would be reevaluated on Sunday.
Keaton Winn (right forearm strain) will likely begin a rehab assignment with Sacramento on Tuesday. Winn has not pitched in a game since May 14.
Michael Conforto (right hamstring strain) began a rehab assignment with Sacramento on Friday, going 1-for-3. Conforto was in the River Cats’ starting lineup Saturday night, and the team will evaluate from there. Conforto could be activated during the Giants’ upcoming series against the Diamondbacks in Arizona.
All video courtesy of Baseball Savant.