From Baseball America:
Some things of interest…
BA: Scouting reports say that your swing is a little long. Do you agree with that?
DS: You know, I don’t consider it to be long. Growing up, it’s always been pretty compact in my opinion. I have struck out a bit too much, and I think my K totals influence that perception. People draw the conclusion that if you strike out a lot, your swing must be long. I don’t think it is.
BA: Scouts also say you have trouble with breaking balls. Do you think that’s pitch-recognition, or something else?
DS: I think that’s any young hitter’s problem. At the pro level you’re seeing elite pitchers, and it”s a constant period of making adjustments. You see it in the big leagues when guys are in their first years. As you gain experience and get more repetitions, you should get better.
BA: Have your coaches asked you to make any mechanical adjustments?
DS: Only minor details with my swing. They want me to work on my load — keeping my hands back and getting better separation to help me to track balls better.
BA: Three major components of hitting are your load, your hands, and your head. Which do you consider the most important?
DS: First and foremost is your head. The bottom line is that you need to keep your eyes on the ball. You don’t want your head moving.
No mention of the switch from the aluminum bat to the wood bat that Gary Roller mentioned in his interview with RN. The couple of times that Bo has mentioned Drew this spring, it sounds like he’s hitting the ball well thus far.
BA: You’ve been compared to a young Dale Murphy. What are your thoughts on that, and if you could be compared to anyone, who would it be?
DS: It’s a great compliment, obviously. He was one of the best players of his era. But if I had to compare myself to someone, I’d say maybe Torii Hunter. He’s a big, athletic outfielder who can change the game with his defense. That’s the level I want to get to.
BA: How would you assess where your defensive game is right now? What are your strengths and weaknesses?
DS: I think I’m doing pretty well. Having played at Texas, I was able to take my game to the next level because of good coaching and the level of competition. I think my strengths are an ability to get good jumps and track down balls. Not everyone is blessed with my speed, and I feel fortunate that I possess it. There’s always room for improvement, but overall I think I’m fundamentally sound.
It’ll be interesting to see him in CF at Dayton this year. Couple of other things, he plays the piano and has done some bungee jumping when he was younger.