Back to the Basics: Chicago Cubs Hitters Must Make Adjustments

The Cubs offense misses Aramis Ramirez. He's clearly their best hitter and one of the best hitters in the National League. That said, his loss has nothing to do with Chicago scoring four runs in 45 innings.

That's right, four runs in 45 innings against medicore pitching. Cubs hitters need to make adjustments and they need to make them quickley.

I've focused this slide show on Geovany Soto, Mike Fontenot, Ryan Theriot, and Milton Bradley. About two weeks ago, Lee would have been on this, but he appears to have found his stroke.

It's time for these guys to get back to the basics.

Geovany Soto Struggles 2009

Geovany Soto is off to an awful start. He has one HR and 10 RBI with a .208 average. A year ago at this time, the 2008 Rookie of the Year was hitting .317 with seven HR and 30 RBI.

Problem: Soto is way too pull happy and is pulling off everything. His front shoulder is flying open.

Solution: Soto must take the ball the other way. The best way to break a slump is finding the opposite field. Once you do that, you can work your way back to your power field.

2008 Soto

This is where we need to get Soto back to. The above slide is a game against the St Louis Cardinals last year.

2008: See how Soto's power stays on his back foot and everything else stays level. His head is down, his shoulder is in, and he's staying on top of the ball. This is a beautiful piece of hitting.

Mike Fontenot Struggles

Pitchers are starting to adjust to Mike Fontenot, and he must make adjustment. The first year starter is hitting .205 with five HR and 17 RBI

Problem: Pitchers are pounding Fontenot inside under his hands. Take a look where the Rockies catcher is setting up on Fontenot. He's on the inner half of the plate, and Fontenot can't get around.

Solution: Fontenot needs to lay off the high pitcher on the inner half, and he must show pitchers he can turn on the ball. The next picture will show you how well Fontenot goes the other way.

Mike Fontenot 2008

Here's a picture of Fontenot from 2008. The weight stays on his back foot and he's taking the ball the other way. This is before pitchers realized they can bust the ball inside on Fontenot.

Ryan Theriot struggles

Maybe the worst thing that could have happened to Ryan Theriot was his recent power surge.

Problem: If you take a look at the above picture of Theriot, you can see he has develped an uppercut swuing.

This is a huge issue and why his average has dropped 30 points in one week. Not only is he consistantly trying to drive the ball, he's expanding the zone and striking out at an alarming rate.

Solution: Theriot needs to go back to what he does best. He needs to work the count and start taking the ball the other way again. The next slide will show you what Theriot needs to do.

Ryan Theriot 2008

Take a look at this photo. It's a photo of Theriot last July taking the ball the other way. That's what makes Theriot a good hitter.

Milton Bradley Struggles

Milton Bradley is known for three things: Being crazy, getting hurt, and being a great hitter. Right now, Bradley is not hitting.

Problem: Bradley is taking way too many pitches and falling behind in the count.

Solution: Attack the ball a little more, and spray the ball around the field.

Milton Bradley 2008

Milton Bradley has one of the best swings in the game, and it would be nice if we saw more of it.