With help from playoff legend, SF Giants’ Brett Wisely handles production

SAN FRANCISCO — After a rookie season in which he struggled mightily, Brett Wisely knew a change was needed — with his body and with his mind. Suddenly, it evolved.

Thanks in part to mechanical and mental adjustments – as well as help from former major leaguer Daniel Murphy – Wisely is 10 for 28 (.357 batting average) with one home run and six RBIs in his first 12 games. The sample size is very small, but the Giants were happy to get Wisely’s early production on both sides of the ball.

“They’ve been fantastic,” Giants manager Bob Melvin said of Wisely’s plate appearances. “For him, it’s all about hitting. Sometimes, when you arrive in the big leagues, you want to do a little too much. That hasn’t really been the case for him. He batted really well every time we put him in the lineup.

Compared to last season, Wisely’s batting stance is significantly straighter. Wisely, who hit .175 in 131 plate appearances in 2023, said his swing last year was “super upward,” giving him difficulty with fastballs high in the zone and pitches below the zone . To counter, Wisely stood up, which allowed him to better control the ball.

Here is Wisely in 2023:

Compared to Wisely in 2024:

“When I’m like that, I feel like I have a better chance of staying behind the ball, not chasing too many things,” Wisely said. “Obviously the pitchers here are good; I’ll run here and there. But staying straighter and staying behind the ball allows me to see the ball better and control the area a little more.

He wisely discussed a change last year with hitting coach Justin Viele, but he didn’t want to change his mechanics in the middle of a season. Returning home in the offseason, Wisely adopted a more upright stance. Among those Wisely worked with in the offseason was Murphy, one of the best second basemen of the 2010s.

“He dives deep into the strike,” Wisely said of Murphy. “It dives deep into many issues of approach. He’s a very good hitter. He said: “The bigger you are, the more force you have in the ground, so the harder you will hit the ball. »

Wisely didn’t immediately see results, hitting .188 in spring training. He admitted there was a temptation to return to his old position, but Wisely stuck with the changed mechanics. This decision is bearing fruit.

Before being called up on May 11, Wisely had a .311/.403/.487 slash line with four home runs in 32 games with Triple-A Sacramento. Wisely’s underlying numbers also show improvement. 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 in rise. Factor in his defense (two outs above average at shortstop), and Wisely has been very productive in recent weeks.

Along with a new position, Wisely has a new mindset. Wisley described his rookie year as “humbling.” He shared that he had “no confidence” due to his struggles, as well as the way he fluctuated between the majors and minors. Growing pains helped instill a maturity in Wisely, who learned the need to demonstrate confidence in difficult times.

“If you can lie to yourself and say, ‘I’m doing well’ when you’re doing poorly, over a long period of time, the right mindsets can help you down the road,” Wisely said. “Last year, when I was doing well, it was, ‘I’m on top of the world.’ When I was bad, it was: “I’m at rock bottom.” This year, if I’m doing well, I have to stay balanced, but if I’m doing poorly, I have to lie to act like everything is fine. I must be lying to myself.

Injury Updates

• Thairo Estrada is not in the starting lineup and jammed his thumb several times Friday. Melvin said the team didn’t want him to do too much today and they’ll see where he is tomorrow.
• Keaton Winn (right forearm sprain) is expected to begin a rehab assignment with Sacramento on Tuesday. Winn hasn’t pitched in a game since May 14.
• Michael Conforto (right hamstring strain) began a rehab assignment with Sacramento on Friday, with a grade of 1 out of 3. Conforto is in the River Cats’ starting lineup tonight, and the team will evaluate from there. Conforto could potentially be activated during the Giants’ upcoming series against the Diamondbacks in Arizona.

All videos courtesy of Baseball Savant.