CLEARWATER, Fla. -- Before John Mallee ever stepped into a batting cage with a Phillies hitter, he knew him.
He knew his strengths and weaknesses. He knew his tendencies. Mallee knew these things because after the Phillies hired him as their hitting coach in November, he dug deep into the numbers.
"A lot of times through the data you can kind of tell who they are," Mallee said. "What is their behavior? What is their approach? Is he a first-pitch swinger? How often are those pitches in the zone? Is that something we need to make an adjustment on early in the count?