{"id":193829,"date":"2021-03-04T10:57:24","date_gmt":"2021-03-04T07:57:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/yankees-mike-ford-hasnt-lost-confidence-hitting\/"},"modified":"2021-03-04T10:57:24","modified_gmt":"2021-03-04T07:57:24","slug":"yankees-mike-ford-hasnt-lost-confidence-hitting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/yankees-mike-ford-hasnt-lost-confidence-hitting\/","title":{"rendered":"#Yankees\u2019 Mike Ford hasn\u2019t lost \u2018confidence hitting\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

“#Yankees\u2019 Mike Ford hasn\u2019t lost \u2018confidence hitting\u2019<\/strong>”<\/p>\n

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TAMPA \u2014 Mike Ford is aware of the players the Yankees brought into camp on minor league deals, including established veterans such as Jay Bruce and Derek Dietrich \u2014 both lefty swingers who can play first base, just like Ford.<\/p>\n

\u201cI always try to perform, especially when I\u2019ve got a little chip on my shoulder,\u2019\u2019 Ford said Wednesday. \u201cThere\u2019s great competition here with a lot of experience. Who knows where the chips are gonna fall?\u201d<\/p>\n

Bruce, who had made a running catch in left field already this spring, looked sharp at first base in Wednesday\u2019s 4-1, seven-inning win over the Blue Jays. He also added two hits, including a double.<\/p>\n

Dietrich, who played third base on Wednesday, also hit his first homer of the spring.<\/p>\n

Ford, who roped a double on Tuesday against the Orioles in Sarasota, Fla., said on Wednesday, \u201cit was a great feeling,\u201d especially following a rough 2020, when he had just 10 hits in 74 at-bats and his OPS plummeted to .496 after a .909 mark the previous season.<\/p>\n

\"Mike
Mike Ford<\/figcaption>
N.Y. Post: Charles Wenzelberg<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cI haven\u2019t lost any confidence hitting,\u2019\u2019 Ford said. \u201cYou learn from it and move past it. 2021 is a new year and hopefully it gets better.\u201d<\/p>\n

The double, Ford hopes, is a sign of things to come after he dropped weight during the offseason. He said he\u2019s in \u201cthe best shape in a very long time.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think I\u2019d had a hit in probably five months,\u2019\u2019 Ford said. \u201cIt was a good feeling to get that one out of the way.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Darren O\u2019Day, with his sidearm delivery, threw live batting practice on Tuesday at the Yankees minor league complex, immedia<\/a>tely after batters had faced Aroldis Chapman.<\/p>\n

O\u2019Day noted that Chapman will be throwing 100 mph during the season, while he tops out at 85.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can\u2019t really quantify deception, but it\u2019s a valuable tool to have,\u2019\u2019 O\u2019Day said. \u201cTo have different looks.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s one reason O\u2019Day believes this bullpen will be effective.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust messing with the hitters\u2019 timing [is important],\u2019\u2019 O\u2019Day said. \u201cThe more we can do to disrupt that timing, the more outs we\u2019re going to get.\u201d<\/p>\n

The right-hander is ready to contribute in various roles, much like he said he was used by Buck Showalter in Baltimore.<\/p>\n

O\u2019Day pointed to Showalter using his relievers to get \u201cfour, five six outs a night.\u201d<\/p>\n