How Andrés Giménez Turned Into an Offensive Powerhouse

Over Andrés Giménez's first five seasons in the big leagues, he was a defensive specialist who could contribute occasionally on offense. He has won three straight Gold Glove Awards and a Platinum Glove Award in 2023 for being the best defensive player in the American League, but the star second baseman's offense didn't come up often. His most productive season at the plate was 2022, when he hit 17 home runs with 69 RBI, both career bests, over 491 at-bats. This season, in only 26 at-bats, Giménez has three home runs and six runs batted in with an OPS of 1.131. That is .294 percent higher than his career-high .837 percentage set in 2022.

What has led to Giménez's power surge?
While in Cleveland, Giménez had a somewhat defensive swing, greatly reducing the power through his hips. His stance included a wider base than now, he was closer to the plate, oddly had his feet turned slightly out, and his stride included a toe-tap before stepping to the ball to begin his swing. This approach limited the rotation in the hips, where hitters generate their power. It is an approach hitters usually take with two strikes to shorten their swing to make contact and put the ball in play. This signified that the 26-year-old wanted a more contact swing than a power swing.

Since Giménez joined the Blue Jays, hitting coach David Popkins has been working with the lefty to tweak his swing to offer more pop. Popkins was the hitting coach for the Minnesota Twins for three seasons before joining the Blue Jays this season, so he had experience watching the former division rival and knew there was untapped potential. Popkins wanted Giménez to bring back a version of his swing from his time with the New York Mets in 2020 and Cleveland's Triple-A in 2021.

There, Giménez had an open stance with a high leg kick that produced a higher exit velocity, but he struggled in the big leagues that season when he got called up by the Guardians. He had five home runs and 16 runs batted in over 188 at-bats and slashed an abysmal .633 OPS. These struggles led him to transition to a more contact swing, which worked as he had his career year at the plate in 2022. However, Popkins knew Giménez could provide more production offensively. Thanks to Baseball Savant's new batting stance we can see the difference very clearly. Giménez's 2024 batting stance is on the left, and 2025 is on the right.

The work with Popkins has narrowed Giménez's formerly wide stance by eight inches, opened it 16 degrees, and moved him three inches further back in the box. Giménez also looks more upright in the box and brought back a more subtle leg kick that helps his upper body stay closed before initiating his swing. These adjustments allow him to get more torque in his lower half, resulting in faster bat speed, contributing to his massive power increase early in the season. The change will likely result in more strikeouts, but the massive OPS difference is a solid trade.

There's no way to be sure that the adjustments we can see are the reason behind Giménez's power surge. Players change their stances all the time and for all sorts of reasons without dramatic results. However, the Blue Jays seem to be reaping the rewards from these mechanical changes. It's early, but Giménez's average exit velocity is up by nearly 4 mph from last year, and his hard-hit rate is up nearly eight percentage points. These are enormous gains. Giménez is batting in the four-hole and has been the power producer early this season. He leads the team in runs scored, home runs, and runs batted in. George Springer and Tyler Heineman are the only other Blue Jays with a home run, but they have only one each. The power of stars like Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Anthony Santander will eventually come, but for now, Blue Jays fans will enjoy watching Giménez's new-found power stroke.