Buddy Kennedy Talks Hitting Mechanics and Improvement

Interview with Buddy Kennedy and thoughts on being back up with the Diamondbacks and what he's been up to in Reno

Buddy Kennedy is back up with the Arizona Diamondbacks after raking down in Reno with the Aces in Triple-A. This isn't his MLB debut though as you might recall his memorable Father's Day grand slam last year on a 3-0 count against the Twins.

He debuted last year on June 17th and lasted with the D-backs through August 1st before being optioned to Triple-A due to some struggles up at the plate and in the field. In 30 games last year, he hit .217/.287/.325 with two doubles, two triples, a home run, 12 RBI, and eight walks to 23 strikeouts in 94 plate appearances. He then came back up with a brief appearance in the last game of the season.

Over the winter, he was out-righted off the 40-man roster and passed waivers. Kennedy has since been in Triple-A where he has absolutely demolished the baseball. In 87 games, 403 plate appearances, he's hit .318/.447/.480 with a .927 OPS. He's seeing the ball at the plate terrifically with 70 walks to only 65 strikeouts. He has 22 doubles, eight triples, five home runs, 46 RBI, and three stolen bases.

The team sent down Emmanuel Rivera and designated for assignment prospect Kristian Robinson to bring up the surging Kennedy. Hopefully, the team will get some energy and hits from the 24-year-old third-baseman. Plus, there is a lot of optimism that his glove is ready for the MLB after some struggles there last year. He's here to hit so if the hits are coming, the team will deal with any defensive issues.

On hitting mechanics work:

Kennedy has been hard at work on his mechanics and stance. He's been working with coaches to stay consistent in the box. He utilized slow-motion video to better improve his swing path and how he holds his hands.

"In spring training, I just tried to get myself into position every time when hitting, have a good at-bat, good launch, and try to hit the ball as hard as possible I took that a lot into consideration in Spring Training and then when the season rolled on, I was just like, do your thing, minor adjustments throughout the season so far where I was struggled a little bit through a couple of games where I feel out of myself losing my hips, kind of just really talking to Travis Denker and Mark Reed just getting as consistent as possible getting my body into the same position all the time no matter what pitch it is so that I have a good contact point, good strong base with my legs."

Kennedy strives to stay consistent and created a repeatable routine. He went on to say that he utilized slow-motion video to better improve his swing path and how he holds his hands in his stance.

On Mental Approach

Buddy Kennedy has been focused on his mental approach at the plate and his push to always help the team no matter what.

"Yeah yeah, I just kind of got back to my old self...and also just the confidence mentally, I've been working on myself, be more patient as a hitter, work the count, get on base for the team and score some runs, whenever I can.

Torey Lovullo told him that he'll be in a platoon with Jace Peterson. He'll likely face left-handed pitching quite often and see the bulk of that side of the platoon.

Kennedy also discussed his work to improve on defense. He focused on slowing everything down in the field, especially his footwork. Kennedy will continue to focus on that every day here. He will be repeating the fundamentals and making sure his position is good on every ball. He's especially concentrating on his first step toward the ball and which direction he should go. Buddy gave high praise to the fundamentals of defense being important.

Kennedy is a high-energy guy that Torey Lovullo is hoping will bring some enthusiasm and energy to their dugout and offense. They are looking for a spark for the offense and hope that Buddy will take advantage of this opportunity to do just that. There's potential for Buddy to be an everyday player if he performs well.