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Xander Bogaerts’ secret weapon

San Diego infielder Xander Bogaerts turned around his difficult offensive campaign late in the year by adopting a split-grip adjustment on his bat during a September road trip in Colorado. The mechanical tweak, which keeps his hands separated by a couple of inches to deliver better bat control and a level swing plane, was publicly highlighted by television analyst Clayton Kershaw during the National League Wild Card Series.

Prior to this late surge, Bogaerts had endured a miserable slump that included a low point in July with a .167 batting mark, causing him to drop down from the top five of the batting order.

Following the grip modification, Bogaerts caught fire at the plate to post a .904 OPS during September, helping propel his club into the postseason for the third consecutive year. Ahead of the opening contest against the Milwaukee Brewers, Bogaerts joined manager Craig Stammen and teammate Robbie Ray before the press corps, though the notoriously superstitious hitter declined to offer specifics regarding his newly discovered batting technique when questioned by reporters.

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