With a refined swing, Adam Duvall ready to provide power threat to Marlins’ lineup
Even after seven seasons in the majors, Adam Duvall is still learning ways to cultivate his power at the plate.
Duvall, who signed with the Marlins in February, is coming off a 16-home run season during the shortened 2020 campaign. Projecting his total over 162 games, Duvall was on pace to hit 43 home runs – 10 more than he hit during his All-Star season in 2016 with the Reds.
But while working with Marlins hitting coach Eric Duncan this spring, Duvall made an adjustment to his swing he feels will keep him on track for such production as he heads into his first season in Miami.
“I was putting myself in a bad position from the get go, and it was throughout my swing,” Duvall said. “My bat path wasn’t as clean as I wanted it to be. Hopefully the drills that we’ve been doing have cleaned that up and we can continue to progress with that as far as being a routine guy.”
The results are starting to show for Duvall, who hit his second home run in as many games on Thursday night in Jupiter.
In fact, all five of Duvall’s hits so far this spring have been extra base hits, giving the Marlins a glimpse of the potential production he could bring to the heart of their batting order this season.
Duvall is likely to hit cleanup behind Corey Dickerson, Starling Marte and Jesus Aguilar and ahead of third baseman Brian Anderson.
“He’s a power bat and a guy that’s been coming and getting better the last couple of years,” Marlins manager Don Mattingly said. “For us, he’s an all-around player. For a guy that’s big, he runs pretty good and is a good defender in the outfield and power. He’s a guy that’s dangerous when he walks up there.”
A deeper look at Duvall’s 209 plate appearances last season with the Braves when he hit .237 (45 of 190) but slugged .532 with 33 RBI reveals that he would have ranked in the top five in multiple analytical categories that reflect hard contact.
Per Statcast, Duvall’s 13.9 percent barrel rate would have led all Marlins’ hitters. His 88.1 mph average exit velocity would have ranked fifth. His .513 expected slugging would have been second only to Garrett Cooper’s .518. And his 40.1 percent hard-hit rate would have ranked third behind Jorge Alfaro’s 49.1 percent and Cooper’s 41.6 percent.
“I’d say I’m always working on things,” Duvall said. “I’m not a guy that can just jump off the couch and have my timing and be game ready. It does take a second to get going a little bit and as a player, you want to be able to come in and right away be game ready. That’s what we all strive for but it doesn’t always work out like that.”
Duvall will also open the season as the Marlins’ primary right fielder, a position he’s played only 27 games in his career and made 23 starts with a .983 fielding percentage.
“I did forget how much running right field you have to do,” Duvall said, “especially when you got a bunch of guys that sink the ball and get a bunch of ground balls so I got to make sure my legs are ready for the season.”
Intrasquad highlights
▪ Elieser Hernandez, who is lined up to be the Marlins’ No. 3 starter behind Sandy Alcantara and Pablo Lopez, struck out 11 on 70 pitches in Friday morning’s intrasquad scrimmage at Roger Dean Stadium.
▪ The sim game featured numerous prospects including JJ Bleday, Jose Devers, Braxton Garrett, Peyton Burdick, Connor Scott, Lewin Diaz, Nasim Nunez, Jerar Encarnacion, Will Banfield, Kameron Misner, Victor Victor Mesa and Will Stewart.
▪ Garrett threw 39 pitches, allowed four hits, struck out one and did not issue a walk.
▪ Will Stewart threw 43 pitches, walked two and struck out one while allowing one hit.
▪ Miguel Rojas was the lone non-prospect to take at-bats, leading off five times. Rojas hit a ground rule double off Garrett and then scored on an RBI single by Devers. Banfield then threw out Devers trying to steal second.
▪ Facing Richard Bleier on a later at-bat, Devers fouled a ball off his foot that appeared to bounce and catch him on the side of his face. Devers got a quick look from the trainer and then finished the at-bat and played two more innings.
▪ Burdick smoked a ball that knocked Nunez’s glove off his hand. Nunez made a couple of strong defensive plays highlighted by a tremendous pick on a slow roller and threw across his body to retire Sandy Leon.
▪ Bleday pulled a solo homer to right field in the eighth inning off righthander Alexander Guillen.