Why the Blue Jays Think They Can Unlock Zack Collins’ Full Potential

How Toronto handles a hitch in Collins' swing could make or break his profile as a hitter.

© Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports

The Blue Jays' trade with the White Sox for catcher Zack Collins wasn’t exactly an eye-popping transaction.

Brought to Toronto in exchange for Reese McGuire, Collins’ acquisition was more about roster flexibility than anything else. But under the surface there’s a bit more to the 27-year-old, and the Blue Jays are quite high on how Collins, a left-handed hitter, profiles at the plate.

“He can come off the bench at any time and be a threat at the plate,” Jays hitting coach Guillermo Martinez said of the club’s third catcher. “Obviously he could be an everyday guy, too, so it's just another power asset for our team.”

The Blue Jays are banking on Collins’ potential at the plate. His .645 career OPS doesn’t scream hitting aptitude, and Collins said he hasn’t broken through because he’s been constantly tinkering with his swing.

“I have a little hitch in my swing,” he said. “And a lot of people are trying to get rid of that, so that was always a big thing. But I hit with it in college; I hit with it my whole life, so it's here with me. It's here to stay.”

The small wiggle in Collins' hands before he swings has been with him his entire baseball career. With the Blue Jays, he's going to embrace it. 

The hitch, a slight wiggle of the hands before a batter strides, can derail a hitter’s approach, oftentimes lengthening the swing and subsequently making it hard to catch up to major-league fastballs.

For some hitters, though, the hitch works—and Martinez wants Collins to stop fighting that mechanical imperfection.

“That was our conversation—embrace what he’s doing,” Martinez said.

Former Rangers and Angels slugger Josh Hamilton swung with a successful hitch, Martinez said, and while Collins isn’t as big or strong as Hamilton, he could see it working to similar success.

“[The hitch] is something that he's been doing for a long time, since high school, college,” Martinez said. “He has minimized it, but it's in his genes, so might as well embrace it and maybe just make sure that you start on time and make sure he's in the right positions when he fires.”

Collins has been on the Jays roster for just over a week, but he’s already receptive to Martinez’s ideas, which goes back to the pair’s shared history at the minor-league level.

Martinez crossed paths with Collins while he was a minor-league coordinator in the Cubs’ organization and Collins was a player on Birmingham Barons, the White Sox’s Double A team. Both guys are from Miami, so they connected on social media prior to Collins joining the team this season.

Since Martinez knows Collins’ swing so well from when the catching prospect was tearing up the minor-league level, they already have a very understanding relationship.

“You could be the smartest hitting coach in the world, if you don't have that relationship with a player, it doesn't matter,” Martinez said.

With a little hitting tutelage, some rediscovered confidence, and a change of scenery, Collins has solid expectations for his Blue Jays career—and if Toronto maintains its right-handed heavy lineup, he’ll have plenty of chances to prove himself.