This prospect looks to stick with Bucs using simple approach at plate

PITTSBURGH — After taking take a look at his swing final month, Billy Cook dinner decided it was time for a change. If it wasn’t a really feel factor, the outcomes on the scoreboard was sufficient to return to the lab. After a breakthrough marketing campaign final season that obtained him onto the Pirates’ roster and the group’s record of their prime prospects, Cook dinner (No. 18 per MLB Pipeline) was hitting simply .182 with Triple-A Indianapolis on the finish of April, with a close to 30% strikeout fee.

So for 3 days, Cook dinner went again to the cage. He wasn’t within the lineup. He wanted a change. All through the method, one thought caught with him:

“Simply keep it up. It’s going to work.”

“You need to discover success, and typically that’s simply trusting what you’re doing and the work, and typically it’s tinkering,” Cook dinner mentioned in Detroit throughout Pittsburgh’s most up-to-date highway journey. “Clearly for me, it was a bit little bit of tinkering.”

That tinkering led to a wider stance for Cook dinner, one thing that’s hardly international to the 26-year-old outfielder. Cook dinner had a wider stance all through most of his professional journey, however he had a “tall” season in 2024, getting nearer collectively. The outcomes have been encouraging final yr, sufficient in order that the Pirates acquired him in a prospect swap with the Orioles simply earlier than the Commerce Deadline. Cook dinner was promoted to the Majors in September, and he confirmed some flash and the knack for the large play, particularly within the subject.

You’ve got to have the ability to produce offensively to stay within the Majors, although. Cook dinner had an opportunity to crack the Opening Day roster this spring, however his sluggish begin on the plate obtained him optioned to the Minors on March 22. After a tough April, he opted to maneuver off of the taller, extra slender stance that helped him hit 20 residence runs throughout the Minors and Majors in 2024. The hope was a wider stance would assist together with his timing and get his mojo again on the dish.

“It’s undoubtedly freed all the pieces up a bit and saved it extra constant,” Cook dinner mentioned.

Up to now, it’s labored, and Cook dinner was hitting .444 (24-for-54) in June with Indianapolis earlier than being recalled on Wednesday, and he adopted that by choosing up two hits in his first three video games with the Pirates, together with one off the bench within the membership’s 6-2 loss to the Rangers on Friday night time at PNC Park. He acknowledged that his swing remains to be a piece in progress, with the obvious omission on his statline being that he’s nonetheless but to homer, however it’s a very good begin that warranted the promotion.

“Tried to maintain all the pieces less complicated than it was,” Cook dinner mentioned. “That’s been the strategy: hold all the pieces actually easy and simply discover a approach to get the bat on the ball. It’s been working effectively this month.”

How lengthy Cook dinner is in The Present is up within the air. He was recalled as a result of Bryan Reynolds was positioned on the paternity go away record, so this might theoretically be only a cup of espresso again within the Majors. Contemplating the place he was a month in the past looking for his swing, a cup of espresso certain beats a wakeup name.

Throughout his time up within the Majors final yr, Cook dinner absolutely realized the worth of consistency. It’s nice to indicate potential, however nothing compares to displaying a group what you’ll be able to present every recreation.

“That’s a part of this modification,” Cook dinner mentioned. “Final yr I felt a bit inconsistent. There was plenty of good, plenty of issues I wanted to work on. The huge stance has undoubtedly helped discover a bit extra consistency. That’s, I feel, the most important factor, particularly for me. You type of have some velocity, some energy, however how are you going to do it day in and time out and never present flashes right here and flashes there? Have it present every single day.”