The Reinvention of Jorge Mateo: How Changes to his Swing and Approach are Leading to Success

(4/27/23) An improved offensive approach has made Jorge Mateo one of the best offensive players early in the 2023 season.

Originally published on Medium on April 27, 2023.

If you asked a handful of people before the season who the most productive hitter would be (by measure of Weighted Runs Created Plus) for the Baltimore Orioles, it is highly doubtful that anyone would’ve seriously answered the question with Jorge Mateo. Through the first 24 games of this season however, Jorge Mateo has been leading the Baltimore Orioles in offensive production with his new-found power complementing his long-standing speed and defensive abilities. With changes to his swing and approach at the plate, Mateo has transformed his offensive game, and his batted-ball metrics indicate that these adjustments might be sustainable moving forward.

Overview:

Since being claimed off waivers by the Baltimore Orioles in August 2021, Mateo has been mostly known as a light-hitting shortstop who can combine below-average offense with above-average defense, as well as steal a ton of bases over the course of a full season.

As shown by the table above, Mateo slashed .221/.267/.379 (18% below league-average by measure of wRC+), stole 35 bases (2nd highest in the Majors), and produced 11 Outs Above Average defensively (5th highest among shortstops) in 150 games played last season. This season, Mateo has taken his game to the next level, with all offensive metrics improving significantly, including an outstanding 105 point jump in wRC+. While Mateo’s BABIP of .364 is prime for some regression, in-part due to his ground-ball rate of 47.9%, Mateo’s increase in Isolated Power indicates that he is making solid quality of contact that will likely remain intact throughout the remainder of the season. Jorge Mateo’s improved offensive performance can be explained by two reasons: an improved approach at the plate, and changes to his swing mechanics that allow him to tap into more of his power.

Change #1: Approach

A change in offensive approach has been one of the reasons why Jorge Mateo has achieved offensive success early in the season. It appears that Mateo made an effort over the offseason to improve his offensive approach by focusing on making more efficient swing decisions (swinging less, and making more overall contact).

As shown by the table above, Mateo has been swinging less this season, with his Zone-Swing% decreasing from 72.6% to 67.5% and his Chase% decreasing from 36.6% to 27.9%. Conversely, Mateo has been making more contact on pitches he has been swinging at, with his Zone-Contact% increasing from 78.1% to 83.5% and his Whiff% decreasing from 30.9% to 25.4%. These changes have allowed him to cut his Strikeout Rate down from 27.6% to 16.4% and put the ball in play more often. Putting the ball in play more often leads to more opportunities for hits, and the more often Mateo is able to be on-base presents more opportunities for him to steal bases and wreak havoc on the basepaths.

Change #2: Swing Mechanics

Another important change to Mateo’s offensive approach this season is his improved swing mechanics. In the past, Mateo had no expectations to hit for power, as FanGraphs graded him a 40/40 Game Power as a prospect, and his 13 home runs last season were by far a career-high. By focusing on simplifying his swing mechanics and tapping into his power, it is not out of the realm of possibility that Mateo can hit 20–25 home runs, or at the very least, accumulate more extra-base hits this season.

As shown by the images above, one change that Mateo made to his batting stance this season is that he has more of a closed-stance, as opposed to the open-stance he had last year. By closing his stance up, Mateo is able to limit his body movement while the pitch is being thrown, improving his ability to see the baseball and identify pitches, as well as making him less vulnerable to swing and miss on breaking balls on the outer-third of the plate. In addition, Mateo places his hands in a higher position this season, allowing him to simplify his load, further aiding him in the pitch recognition process.

Link to 2022 Swing: aff01a45-ff6b-4989-b7e4–12b18edd1dbf.mp4

Link to 2023 Swing: 8ceab29b-ee35–4670-aa55-d716f23dde34.mp4

As shown by these videos above, Mateo has placed a focus on simplifying his mechanics, minimizing his upper body movement in order to tap into his power and increase his offensive production. Mateo has also placed increased focus on keeping his head and front shoulder over his front foot, to avoid “leaning back” and not maximizing power in his load. In addition to his Home Run totals and Isolated Power increasing this season, Mateo is also seeing positive changes with his underlying batted-ball metrics, such as Barrel Rate and Hard-Hit Rate, indicating that this power surge might be sustainable moving forward.

Concluding Thoughts:

Jorge Mateo leading the Baltimore Orioles in offensive production (by measure of wRC+) has been one of the more surprising developments of the 2023 season. By improving his approach at the plate and making more efficient swing decisions, Mateo has put the ball in play more, lowering his strikeout rate and creating more opportunities for base hits. Simplifying his swing mechanics have allowed Mateo to tap into his power, and his underlying batted-ball metrics indicate that this early-season power surge might be sustainable moving forward. In conclusion, Jorge Mateo’s increase in offensive production early in the season has been very impressive, and while some batting average regression can be expected, Mateo can be another important piece of Baltimore’s young core if his power surge is sustainable moving forward.

Follow @MLBDailyStats_ on X (Twitter) for more in-depth MLB analysis. Statistics provided by Baseball Savant and FanGraphs.