Kris Bryant's Changed Swing Could Be A Huge Mistake

Last spring, Kris Bryant lit the world on fire by hitting .425 and nine home runs. He was also the source of some controversy because the Chicago Cubs sent him down to the minor leagues to start the year, a move that was widely criticized and viewed as a way to defer an entire year of free agency. This spring, Bryant has changed his swing in order to cut down on strikeouts, and it might be the worst thing to happen to the Cubs since that stupid goat.

After his torrid spring, Bryant lived up to expectations and belted 26 home runs, 31 doubles, five triples and even stole 13 bases while posting a .275/.369/.488 slash line. He did, however, lead the league with 199 strikeouts. It was all those strikeouts that led Bryant to come into spring training with a different swing, and the results might not be what he, or Cubs fans, wanted.

Bryant came to camp with a little flatter swing with the idea of cutting down on some of those strikeouts. Gone was that uppercut swing that looked like it would produce 40 home runs regularly. The new swing has made a small difference this spring in his strikeouts. He is striking out once every four at-bats compared to his one strikeout for every 2.8 at-bats he posted last year.

The decline in strikeouts is small. What has been huge, though, is the drop in power. Bryant only has one home run this spring. Normally, freaking out over spring training numbers is asinine. However, there should be cause for concern. We are talking about a 24-year-old whose rise to MLB has been built around his power, and now he has altered the very source of that power, his swing.

It isn’t time to hit the panic button. Not yet, at least. Bryant could just be focusing on feeling comfortable in his new swing and isn’t swinging for the fences just yet. He has stated that he expects to hit a lot of line-drive home runs with his new swing, but expecting to and doing so are very different beasts. A baseball swing comes from muscle memory. You don’t have time to think about your swing while sitting on a mid-90s fastball. Even small tinkers take weeks and months to get used to. Bryant has undergone a major tinker.

While it is too early to panic, the lack of power from Bryant this spring has to raise a few eyebrows. Is cutting down on strikeouts really worth losing a chance to consistently hit 40 home runs? Can Bryant generate the power with his new swing or is a return to his old swing necessary? Will his old swing still be there and will he be comfortable? There are so many questions and the answers won’t come for weeks. However, if the Cubs want to consider themselves a favorite to win the World Series, they will need Bryant’s power to help get them there.