Heston Kjerstad's swing feels back to normal. Now comes the work to best unleash it in the Orioles hitting program.
The Orioles' top pick in 2020 ends the year at High-A Aberdeen fully immersed in the hitting program that is designed to help his powerful swing get even more effective.
A year ago Wednesday, Heston Kjerstad posted a welcome sight for Orioles fans who had been monitoring the 2020 second overall pick’s recovery from myocarditis when he shared a video of his first on-field batting practice session.
He was off the field for well over a year; surely, the player that finally got back under the turtle shell doesn’t resemble the one he was before his illness or a year later as he’s hitting in the heart of an Aberdeen lineup that’s a game away from the South Atlantic League title, right?
He kindly laughed when I asked as much at Aberdeen yesterday: “It’s the same – your swing doesn’t change,” he said. “You’ve taken it so many times. I compare a swing a little bit to your handwriting. Your handwriting as time goes on, once you hit a certain age you’re not stuck with it permanently, but the changes are really small and probably no one can notice unless you really dive into it, or get noticed by yourself. You’re the one who notices, ‘I moved my hands half-an-inch closer to the body or changed my grip on my bat this way, open my stance a tad.’ You’re always just making those small changes to make yourself a better hitter.”
That swing was what made the Orioles believe he was the best left-handed hitter in the shortened 2020 draft, before Kjerstad’s health issues stalled the start of his career for nearly two years. Given the time away, it speaks volumes that his work is the same as the rest of the Orioles’ young hitters–doing damage to all fields–as opposed to anything mechanical.
“You don’t lose it,” Kjerstad said. “You just have to find it again.”