Interestingly, Vlad's average exit velocity is up this year.
2019: 89.4 mph
2020: 91.7 mph
GB%: way up in 2020!
Plate discipline stats don't seem far off. Making contact at about the same rate.
I don't see why he should pull the ball any more or any less.
This is a one dimensional batted ball profile issue; he just needs less GB and more LD+FB.
It's sort of like Kevin Pillar's issues at the plate, just in someone with much more talent. Pillar has always had decent contact numbers but he makes such poor swing decisions that he hits a lot of balls meekly - weak groundballs and popups. Vlad is doing a bit of that this year and last. Swinging at bad pitches and because he is such a good hitter he makes contact and puts it in play. This is being magnified by not squaring up some hittable pitches too - timing is off or a mechanical issue on inside pitches. Unclear there; small sample, we are taking about a handful of pitches.