PEORIA, Ariz. -- If you watched Christian Bethancourt at all last season, you might have a hard time recognizing that same player in 2016.
In need of a backup catcher, the Padres acquired Bethancourt in a December trade with Atlanta for oft-injured right-hander Casey Kelly and 18-year-old backstop Ricardo Rodriguez. That's when the evolution of Bethancourt's mechanics -- both offensively and defensively -- began.
Hitting coach Alan Zinter took a trip to visit Bethancourt in Panama shortly after the deal. The two were going through a routine soft-toss drill, when Zinter asked Bethancourt to try loading by lifting his front leg before the ball arrived.