Athletics try out Japanese-style dual cage batting practice
Those A's are always innovatin' -- whether it's igniting league-wide interest in sabermetrics, or importing novel methods of batting practice from Japan.
After seeing the two-cage setup before exhibition games in Tokyo back in 2012, the Athletics were inspired to try it themselves -- albeit with a couple tweaks:
The A's toyed with the idea of copying the format last spring but were hesitant of coaches getting hurt while throwing. Then bench coach Chip Hale came up with the idea of using pitching machines, paving the way for Friday's wildly successful experiment.
"Double the work and in just two and a half hours," said manager Bob Melvin. "It was a good day out there today."
"Double the work and in just two and a half hours," said manager Bob Melvin. "It was a good day out there today."
While the A's probably aren't going to switch to this system permanently, it's a clever way to increase efficiency during Spring Training -- and it looks really cool too:
Read More: Oakland Athletics