Last year was an emotional year for Brewers shortstop Jean Segura. He lost his nine-month old son mid-season causing him to miss some time and making his numbers go down. It seems like Segura is primed to show his all-star form this season that we saw in 2013 when he was voted to the National League All-Star team.
Segura hit .246 with 5 home runs and 31 runs driven in, which were all career lows from Segura. He hasn’t been comfortable since the first half of 2013, which there could be some reasons why.
During the first half of the Brewers season in 2013, Segura hit 44% of 115 baseballs to right field. Since then, Segura is hitting 31.6% of 198 baseballs to right field, which isn’t a good thing according to Brewers broadcaster Bill Schroeder.
“You know he’s seeing the ball well when he takes it to right field.”
Segura’s form is all out of sorts now if you look closely. His defense is some of the best I have seen from a shortstop. It’s not about the defense though. If you look at videos from Segura in 2013, you can see his form at the plate is way better.
When Segura hit his home run 400 plus feet, you can see he waited back on the ball with his weight stay in his back foot. If you look at him now, there’s a huge difference.
Segura is now lunging to the hit ball, as he doesn’t hold back letting his swing go way out of sorts. All of last year we heard about how the hitting coaches for the Brewers were working with Segura on different things. Now we know why Johny Narron isn’t the Brewers hitting coach anymore. Darnell Coles, who is now the Brewers hitting coach will look to change what Segura does as long as others on the Brewers.
Coles was previously already a coach with the Brewers, as he worked as the Brewers as a hitting coordinator from 2009-2010.
“Coming back, I know a lot of the players so it’s an easy transition for both them and me,” Darnell Coles said in a phone interview. “I’m just looking forward to getting started – calling a few guys in the next couple days to introduce or reintroduce myself to them and then go from there.
Coles biggest goal to show Brewers hitters this year is one of Jean Segura’s biggest struggles at all.
“I think in the big picture, when you’re getting in a good position to hit, you’re swinging at strikes,” he said. “I think that’s most prevalent with good hitters, great hitters – they don’t miss their pitch and they’re generally swinging at pitches in the strike zone.
“If a pitcher throws balls off the corners and doesn’t have to throw a ball over the plate and you’re willing to chase those pitches, then there’s no reason for them to throw you good pitches to hit.
“Not everybody has the thought process that you’re chasing pitches out of the strike zone, so now it’s just realigning the stars and getting each individual on the same page as far as what their strengths are, what their weaknesses are and then getting better at the weaknesses and maintaining the strengths to give you the best possible chance to be successful.”
Jean Segura’s defense is exceptional, and we already know that. With a new hitting coach and his nightmare near behind him, it’s Segura’s time to prove himself.
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