Grinding everyday! We ? you, @Amed_Rosario! ? pic.twitter.com/AWYpdFfBSK
— New York Mets (@Mets) January 19, 2018
The New York Mets shared a video of young shortstop Amed Rosario in the weight room getting ready for the upcoming season.
Pitchers and catchers don’t report to spring training for another month, but don’t tell New York Mets shortstop Amed Rosario that. He, along with Yoenis Cespedes and a few other players, have been in Florida getting ready for the season, and the team has posted a video of him working out on Twitter.
Rosario, who will make up half of the Mets double play combination this season (most likely with Asdrubal Cabrera as the other half), is taking swings with a chain attached to his bat.
The chain is designed to provide resistance in the swing and, ultimately, build up his strength. Rosario hit four home runs last season and while he’ll likely never be an elite power hitter like Cespedes, he has the potential to be a good gap power hitter who can contribute 12-to-15 home runs from the leadoff spot, where ESNY’s Nicholas Santuccio placed him in his projected lineup.
The chain and machine are additionally designed to increase resistance as the bat gets further away from a central axis. It makes it more difficult for players to take a longer swing or an uppercut swing. It’s great practice to ensure that a player’s swing remains the same.
He was later seen doing sit-ups on his side and lifting his torso with one leg on the ground, all designed to improve lower-body strength. That will be especially helpful for the team as it will improve his speed. He is the only speed threat the Mets currently have on their roster, so they need him running at peak speed.
He can lastly be seen catching a medicine ball while sitting on an exercise ball. That exercise is designed to strengthen the core of the body, which is especially important for creating speed when swinging a bat. All of these will help him reach his potential goals for 2018.
