Red Sox hitters are working with a private instructor during batting practice; is it a ‘big deal?’

· Yahoo Sports

BOSTON — During recent homestands at Fenway Park, an interesting scene has played out during batting practice. Hitters Caleb Durbin and Carlos Narváez, after taking their rounds on the field, have paid frequent visits to the dirt area behind home plate to talk shop with Lorenzo Garmendia, a private hitting instructor who works with both players at Gradum Baseball, which has a facility in Waltham.

The optics of Durbin and Narváez working with Garmendia, located behind the ropes in an area where invited player guests can watch batting practice, are a little strange. Boston’s in-house hitting coach group of John Soteropulos, Collin Hetzler, Nelson Paulino and Jack Simonetty are usually feet away watching BP as Garmendia talks with Durbin and Narváez and gives them tips on hitting mechanics.

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To the untrained eye, the scene doesn’t look like a particularly cohesive one. In reality, Garmendia isn’t the first private instructor to work with Red Sox players at Fenway before games and he won’t be the last. Notables like J.D. Martinez and Alex Bregman, among others, frequently invited personal coaches to games. The club and players view the invitations as supplementary instruction — and not a problem.

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“It’s the opposite, actually,” Durbin said. “It’s a solution. We’re all working together on this thing. People that really don’t understand the way things go think it’s a big deal, but it’s a very normal thing.”

Gradum’s official social media accounts first posted videos of Narváez working out in Waltham in late April, with the catcher sharing them on his accounts. In early June, Gradum first posted a series of videos highlighting Durbin’s cage work; those gained attention as the third baseman started producing better results at the plate.

The Red Sox, like any club, would probably prefer any private instruction to be kept private to avoid the appearance that players need to leave the walls of Fenway to be coached. But instead of boxing out private instructors and not letting them attend games, the Red Sox are trying to collaborate. Soteropulos and Garmendia shook hands and spoke briefly before Tuesday’s game against the Blue Jays.

In a perfect world, the Red Sox would rather their players keep things streamlined within the organization. The reality of the modern game is that with so many private consultants available across the industry, players aim to find their comfort zone — even if it comes outside the organization.

“From a coaching standpoint, with a player’s success, we’re rowing in the same direction,” Soteropulos said. “Especially at this level, players have had a lot of coaches throughout their careers. When they get to this level, there’s a lot of people who have helped them have success.”

Added Durbin: “Everybody’s got their own personal hitting coach. That’s why I really don’t think anything of it. I’ve had my own hitting coach. And you can get traded every year. It’s kind of a normal thing so I really haven’t thought too much of it. I’m talking to these guys (pointing at the Red Sox coaches) just as much as I’m talking to him (Garmendia) about the adjustments I’m trying to make.”

Durbin, acquired from the Brewers in a six-player March trade that sent starter Kyle Harrison to Milwaukee, hit .163 with a .479 OPS in his first 48 games with the Red Sox. Since around the time he first went to Gradum on Narváez’s suggestion, Durbin has produced much more. Entering Tuesday, he had hit .278 with two homers, five doubles and an .812 OPS in his last 15 games.

The focus of Durbin’s private hitting work has been on his direction at the plate and staying inside the ball. So far, there have been signs of life.

“The results are getting better, so that makes you feel a little bit better,” Durbin said. “You try not to be emotionally attached to any type of result. You go about your work and try to make it translate into the game.”

While businesses like Gradum are quick to take credit for in-season turnarounds, the reality is much more complicated. Baseball players are constant tinkerers and always open to ideas to improve their seasons and eventually, extend their careers.

“I think that gets overblown because in some of these cases, it’s on social media,” said interim manager Chad Tracy. “It’s not uncommon. Guys go home in the offseason and spend four months (there). We don’t have 15 hitting coaches to send somebody home with every guy. They go home and work with people to make sure they’re ready for a season.

“Durbin’s working his tail off with our hitting coaches and working on a lot of the things you may have seen on social media,” Tracy added. “He was doing it all before all that stuff came out.”

Soteropulos knows how the modern industry works more than most. Before joining the Red Sox as a minor league instructor in January 2023 (and eventually joining the major league staff this season), he spent four years as a hitting trainer for Driveline Baseball — perhaps the most well-known company for private instruction in baseball.

“Players have a lot of coaches they listen to outside of what’s with the Red Sox,” he said. “It’s just about alignment, continuity and communication. Getting with the player, knowing what they’re trying to accomplish and knowing what we’re trying to accomplish and then coming up with a unified plan of attack in the cage, then for the games.

“Even from when I was the instructor outside of the walls, it’s just about communication and talking to the player. The north star is always the player’s performance. Both parties are trying to help influence the player’s performance in a positive fashion.”

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