Los Angeles Dodgers: Adrian Gonzalez Having An MVP-Like Season
Adrian Gonzalez is hot!
With a current batting average of .469, 5 HRs and 14 RBI this season, Gonzalez is continuing to be the best offensive player in baseball. According to ESPN, he is ranked #1 in the National League and #1 in the nation with the best batting AVG.
A-Gon has been one of my favorite contemporary players because he has consistently been great offensively, and on the defensive side he always makes amazing plays at first. He has always been a great fielder, which can be tough for people who are his size, but it seems as if size is not a problem for Gonzalez. He has received multiple gold gloves in his career.
This year, Gonzalez is off to an outstanding start, which could end up being one of his best years. I can tell that in this preseason, he worked very hard on his hitting, and for any athlete, the hard work pays off when they perform well in a game.
Gonzalez truly is receiving quite a paycheck for the work he has put in. But this great start to his season can’t stop now. If he is going to continue to perform well, he is going to need to continue to put in hard work and stay sharp on his skills.
The Los Angeles Times quoted Gonzalez in an interview saying ““It has to do a lot with work in the cage, work in BP” which is the means to which hitters practice their basic skills and work on improving them. He also said that “[He’s] just been trying to hit line drives up the middle” which is all he will need to continue to stun us.
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This is what baseball is about; developing a skill and taking so many reps that when you take a swing or field a ball, it is so natural that you could do it in your sleep. Clearly Gonzalez has been practicing these skills and even trying to better them.
It’s not his skill that sets him apart though, it’s his approach to the plate. When he steps up to the plate, he is never trying to hit a bomb or smash the ball, rather he is just trying to get a hit that will get him on base. Many players don’t have a good approach like this, instead they want the long ball and they want to keep the streak going. Not A-Gon.
Gonzalez has 11 years in the MLB, and in those 11 years, he hasn’t been one to step up to the plate with the intention of hitting a home run. Gonzales knows that he doesn’t need to hit a bomb, just a base hit. That’s what I admire about Gonzalez.
I know that it is his confidence and his simple approach that makes him a great ball player. It is also the power that is generated by his ability to explode using his hip muscles which is used when hitting and sizing up at the plate.
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Any informed person knows that a good ball player needs to have strong legs and a strong core because that’s what is the source of the power generated. I can’t stand those players who have little legs and hardly have a core, but somehow manage to slap the ball over the shortstop’s head for a “base hit.”
I admire men who work extremely hard to build up their strength and I enjoy watching that hard work being paid off. That is one of the best feelings that an athlete can experience – being rewarded for their hard work.
I really hope that A-Gon continues to do well and continues to reap the rewards of his hard work because he is someone who deserves the rewards. The 33-year-old certainly is worth the price of admission.