By Alvin Alexander. Last updated: September 19, 2014
“As tough as it can be to watch sometimes, this is exactly what Javy needs,” Theo Epstein said. “He’s going to end up going into the offseason reflecting back on this. Over time, it will sink in that despite what pitchers do to him, he controls the at-bat. He can’t get away from his strengths. He can do as much damage as anyone in the game when he’s patient and gets a pitch that he can drive.
“Those are things you can’t just tell somebody. Hitting coach would be the easiest job in baseball — not the hardest job in baseball — if you could just tell someone that and it would sink in through osmosis somehow. It just doesn’t work that way. Players need to figure it out naturally.”