Giants Hitting Coach Speaks Out about the Team's Struggles

During a recent radio appearance on KNBR, Burrell defended his approach to hitting and offered his take on how the team could be more successful.

"You know, we're trying to win based on pitching and defense and timely hitting," Burrell said. "And, you know, you look back at '10, '12 and '14, those teams, you know, those teams didn't slug. That's a recipe that works here, you know. And so, look, it's a tough place to score runs, right?”

Devers' Struggles have caused a Void in the Lineup

One big reason the offense has sputtered is the lack of production of first baseman Rafael Devers. Acquired when the team wasn't quite sure where it stood in the National League pecking order, Posey thought that Devers might move the needle enough to push San Francisco back into playoff contention. Instead, the trade (at least for now) looks like a major bust. Devers has been striking out at an alarming rate, and he hasn't shown anything near the production that made him a feared hitter in the Boston Red Sox lineup

Still, Burrell defended the star slugger, saying that there's a lot more to his game than he's displayed thus far in the City by the Bay.

“I love him. I think having him is going to make us so good. It’s very hard to change teams, change leagues, facing pitchers he’s not as familiar with, especially in the middle of the season," Pat Burrell told The San Francisco Standard. "I know the situation in Boston was less than ideal on probably a number of levels, and so getting comfortable here is super important. There’s been some bright spots, but overall, I think he’d tell you he’s working on getting better."

"He’s so dynamic in what he does, he’s so gifted that if his timing gets a little better, I think he’ll be off and running. He’s shown enough glimpses, in my opinion, to go, ‘OK, yeah.’ You can see that he has tremendous adjustability in his swing; his hand-eye coordination is unbelievable. He has a lot of movement, but he can get it timed up."

The Giants (61-67) will look to break out the bats against the Milwaukee Brewers, owners of Major League Baseball's best record at 80-48, on Friday night, in the first of a three-game road series.