Interesting spring training drill

[Nellie_Fox]

I have to watch the Sox/Twins games on the Twins' feed. Tonight, Blyleven had the night off, and Tom Kelly did the analysis.

After the Twins had done the "get 'em on, get 'em over, get 'em in" routine early in the game, Kelly talked about a regular drill the Twins have done for a long time.

They do an intrasquad game where advancing a runner with an out gives your team a point, advancing a runner with a base hit gives your team two points, and hitting a home run costs your team two points. He said they work on that so the players will know how to just move a runner over instead of trying to do too much.

I know this will drive the sabermetric, "never waste an out" guys nuts, but I wonder if other teams do this?

[JB98]

Interesting. Never heard of anything quite like it before.

I have heard the Sox manager talk about how his hitters are "trying to do too much" during slumps.

If I were a beat writer covering the Sox, I think I might ask Ozzie Guillen or Greg Walker what strategies can be employed to get a slumping hitter out of the mindset of "trying to do too much."

[MtGrnwdSoxFan]

Interesting. Never heard of anything quite like it before.

I have heard the Sox manager talk about how his hitters are "trying to do too much" during slumps.

If I were a beat writer covering the Sox, I think I might ask Ozzie Guillen or Greg Walker what strategies can be employed to get a slumping hitter out of the mindset of "trying to do too much."

I'd ask them why the players keep thinking they have to take long, looping cuts to try to hit five-run homers every at-bat, why it's been like this for the last five years, and if that has anything to do with the system that is being taught by the White Sox and their coaches.

While the Twins do that "move them over" drill in ST, the Sox work on the finer points and perfecting the art of cap-tipping.

[SI1020]

I wonder do the White Sox have any practice drills at all? If so, what are they? As for the Twins, this doesn't surprise me. I know lots of people like to make fun of their playoff futility in recent years, but it is obvious that the Sox are not prepared when they play the Twins.