7 years agoSan Diego Padres third baseman Chase Headley hopes a few mechanical adjustments in his swing will allow him to surpass his recent unexceptional performance. Since a magical 2012 season when he hit 31 home runs, scored 95 runs and drove in 115 RBI (along with 17 steals and an .874 OPS), Headley has settled for mid-teens power and half the runs and RBI. The latter body of work is much closer to his career norms, while the former was supported by a 21.4 percent HR/FB rate. Headley discussed with Jeff Sanders his challenges of pulling balls in the air; he's a 44.4 percent career ground-ball hitter who was trained to drive balls to the opposite field. Today, the Padres value Headley for his .343 on-base percentage and won't particularly depend on his power. If he focuses on his natural ability to hit liners up the middle, his at-bats will be successful. Headley is locked in as the starting third baseman and should bat anywhere from second to sixth.--Andrew Le - RotoBaller
Source: SDUT - Jeff Sanders