Ty France has been one of the best hitters in the American League over the past year. His ability to spray the ball all over the field is impressive, but how does he do it? After breaking down Jesse Winker's swing recently, I decided to sit down with Driveline Baseball Director of Hitting Tanner Stokey to go over what makes France so good.
Of course, France has been out since June 24 with a Grade 2 flexor strain in his left forearm. Before the injury, he was not only the Mariners' best hitter, but one of the best hitters in the American League overall.
When I first sat down with Stokey, the first thing we did was take a look at some of France's data. Driveline grades players based on their “Big Three” data, which takes into account bat speed, bat to ball skills (smash factor) and swing decisions. Driveline ranks each of these on a 20-80 scale, which is traditional in the scouting world.
Stokey expected France and Winker to grade out completely different on this scale, but surprisingly it was just the opposite.
France grades out at a 52 for bat speed, a 51 for bat to ball skills and a 53 for swing decisions. Those numbers are basically that of a league-average hitter—very similar to Jesse Winker but with a lower grade for swing decisions. But obviously France is much better than league-average, so what sets him apart?
He has an unorthodox style where his hands hitch and drift up high during his load. This action makes it look like they are going to come into the zone at a disadvantageous angle. However, his barrel quickly flattens out as he gets into the hitting position. The barrel should get pretty close to the back shoulder at this point, allowing the hitter to turn and rotate efficiently. His barrel then stays in the zone for a very, very long time, giving him more margin for error and allowing him to adjust and stay on fastballs and off-speed stuff alike.
Because his margin of error is so large, France excels with two strikes and making things happen. He carries a batting average of .260 with two strikes, which is almost 20 points higher than the league average from a 0-0 count. His ability to keep his bat on plane for a long time is one of the main reasons why.
France speaks about his college coach, the late Tony Gwynn, in high regard. He's previously gone on record as saying he thinks about getting into a good position to take his best swing every time, and this shows up in his consistency.
Another thing Stokey points out that makes France a fantastic hitter is his stretch and hip torso separation. Right before his front foot hits the ground, his hips start to rotate, creating a lot of stretch and tension right before the swing.
"It happens really, really late and very rapid. This is going to lead to more force production," Stokey says. "He does that really well."
You can see this really well at the end of the first clip below. His belt buckle gets square to the pitcher before his shoulders turns.
Stokey believes France has much more in the tank. Looking at his average exit velocity of 89.1 MPH and his max exit velocity of 110.4 MPH, there is still room to grow.
"If you add just a little bit of bat speed he is going to hit 30-plus homers a year."
Sometimes you have to just appreciate someone who has been so overlooked and under-appreciated across the sport. His ability to hit has changed the timeline of the Mariners' rebuild, as well as put him in conversations for one of the best hitters in the league.
While he is currently on the IL, France still has a chance to make the All Star team and rightfully so. He is slashing .316/.390/.476 on the season, and his Baseball Savant page shows exactly the story Stokey told: lots of consistent contact and spraying the ball across the field.
France deserves every vote he gets to start the All-Star game. He is currently in the final two at the first base position, trailing Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Every vote counts, and the winner will be announced on July 10.
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