When the Philadelphia Phillies' star catcher, J.T. Realmuto, is locked in at the plate, his leg kick is completely in sync with his swing.
But when he goes into a funk, his high leg kick is criticized.
According to an in-depth article by Matt Gelb of The Athletic, Realmuto spent a chunk of the offseason trying to correct the issue.
"With technology," the star said, "there's no excuse to not get better."
Gelb reported that Realmuto analyzed data with hitting coach Kevin Long from a biomechanics lab.
"My leg lift wasn't always the same, but my hands were getting to their launching position earlier than I was most of the time last year. So if I could get my hands to where I need to launch, I'd be in a lot better position."
"The higher leg kick was a byproduct of me having to get my hands in a better spot."
Realmuto is considered among the top three catchers in all of Major League Baseball. He's a huge reason why the Phillies' pitching staff excels.
The fact that he's willing to do whatever it takes to improve is impressive. Not every player would be willing to do it.
Realmuto is clearly not satisfied and that shows how badly this franchise wants to win another World Series title.
He will turn 33 in March.
"I don't want to regress with age," he told Gelb. "I don't want to be one of the catchers who they're like, 'Oh, you know, at 34 or 35, he really fell off. You saw a drastic dip.' I don't want to be that guy. I want to be able to play at a very high level as long as I possibly can. So I think this is something that'll help us."
Credit to Realmuto for putting in the extra work. Philadelphia is clearly not content with just reaching the postseason.
They want another championship.
This is further proof.
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