LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — When Hector Olivera took batting practice Saturday with a few other early arriving Braves position players, he displayed a stance and swing that looked simpler and smoother than he had as a rookie in 2015.
Even his manager in the Puerto Rican Winter League, former major leaguer Alex Cora, noticed the distance when he saw a video posted on Twitter by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
“Hector looks, physically, a lot better in that video,” Cora said in a Twitter direct message. Asked about the lack of a stride or coil in Olivera’s new stance, Cora said, “Yep, and he looks comfortable with it.