Dunlap: New Polanco Working Out Just Fine
PITTSBURGH (93-7 The Fan) - The sample size is small.
I get that.
But how can you not think the message has been big?
How can you not be excited?
How can you not like --- through this point in the 2016 baseball season --- this "new" Gregory Polanco?
I know I do. A whole lot.
Coming into this season, what did we hear so much about the 24-year-old kid who is in some ways still growing into his body and in just about every way still growing into his life as a Major League Baseball player?
We heard that he needed to shorten up his swing.
We heard that his swing --- like his body --- was so long and not compact enough.
We heard that he needed to exhibit more patience at the plate.
We heard that he needed to realize the power could come, but, paramount should be an emphasis on putting the ball in play instead of trying to put the ball in the river --- or even over the river.
We also heard the he would do well to be more selective at the plate, to grow comfortable prolonging at-bats and making the pitcher work a bit more.
Again, small sample size as the Pirates have played just 13 games, but through this early portion of the season it would appear Polanco --- of whom so much is counted on --- is performing perfectly at the plate.
This is a guy who is at the top of baseball right now with 13 walks, a young man with a .456 on-base percentage (.130 points higher than last year), a fella with a batting average up over .300 and he's already pounded out four doubles of his 13 hits.
On top of all that, Polanco has struck out just seven times in 58 plate appearances.
Simply put, Polanco has shifted --- and, again, it's early --- from potential crusher to more of a catalyst in the Pirates' order as he's hitting out of the No. 6 spot.
There was no better evidence to that than his 3-for-4 effort on Sunday in a win against the Brewers that included a walk, a run driven in and three runs scored.
So maybe we should all get used to this. Maybe some of us who projected Polanco --- because of that massive frame and less and less fat by the day --- to be a guy who could hit a bunch of home runs got it all wrong.
Perhaps, though, that's not the worst thing in the world.
Instead, it might turn out to the best thing and exactly what the Pirates need.
Conceivably, the evolution of Gregory Polanco will be a guy who patiently punches and punches and punches with steadying blows, as opposed to a guy who just hits you with a big, powerful knockout every once in awhile.
Come to think of it, I think this Polanco just fine.
I don't know how anyone couldn't.
Colin Dunlap is a featured columnist at CBSPittsburgh.com. He can also be heard weekdays from 5:40 a.m. to 10 a.m. on Sports Radio 93-7 "The Fan." You can email him at colin.dunlap@cbsradio.com. Check out his bio here.
