Twins second baseman Edouard Julien reflects on his transformation since last year's struggles in the majors. After being demoted multiple times, he adopted a new mindset. Manager Rocco Baldelli's recent lineup change returned Julien to the leadoff spot. Currently, with a .217 average, Julien has shown improvement particularly in facing breaking balls, rising from .120 last year to .250 this season. His offseason adjustments focused on swing mechanics to enhance pitch coverage and understanding of pitcher strategies, aiming to maintain confidence even during slumps.
I feel like at times I would have good contact and good at-bats, but not the results I wanted. They would catch the ball and it would drive me crazy.
This year, every time I hit the ball forward and it's hit hard, I feel like it's a win.
Over the offseason, Julien worked on tweaking his swing so he could cover more pitches and stay through them better.
Where he hit .120 against breaking balls last year, he's hitting .250 against them this year, per Statcast data.
Collection
[
|
...
]