Albert Almora Jr.’s offensive profile is pretty well known at this point. The acrobatic center fielder is a very aggressive hitter, often jumping on pitches early in the count. And though he makes frequent contact, not much of it has come in the form of line drives and fly balls.
About half the balls Almora has put in play over the last two seasons have been on the ground. With a below-average walk rate of around 5%, he has needed a lot of those grounders to find holes to get on base.
Hoping to get more elevation on his contact, Almora worked throughout the winter and spring to adjust his swing and re-incorporate the leg kick he had used when coming up.