Why Maikel Garcia changed his batting stance — and which Royals might join him
Maikel Garcia walked confidently to the plate.
On March 31, Garcia stepped into the batter’s box with a renewed purpose. It was another chance to prove to the Kansas City Royals that he was a changed man.
Garcia made several adjustments this offseason — in and out of baseball. He became fluent in English and took steps to mature on and off the field.
As he went through his normal routine, Garcia rested his bat on his shoulders. He took a deep breath and awaited the incoming pitch from Milwaukee Brewers starter Elvin Rodriguez.
Rodriguez fired a 93-mph four-seam fastball. Garcia loaded up without the big leg kick that defined him early in his career. Instead, Garcia tapped his left foot and centered his balance through his swing.
The result was rewarding. Garcia sent the baseball 428 feet over the center-field wall at American Family Field.
“Last year, I missed a lot of fastballs because my leg kick was inconsistent,” Garcia said. “I changed to the toe tap and I was able to see the fastball.”
Garcia has seen a lot of fastballs this season. And there haven’t been many that he has missed through 43 games.
Prior to Wednesday’s game, Garcia owned a .289 batting average with four home runs, 17 RBIs and an .806 OPS (on-base plus slugging). A big key to his improvement is the toe tap that was implemented at the behest of the Royals hitting coaches.
So what is a toe tap? As Royals hitting coach Alec Zumwalt explained: “It’s a hitter’s natural way to time a pitcher.”
But that doesn’t mean it’s easy.
A re-imagined approach
Long before he was the Royals’ hitting instructor, Zumwalt was a young player looking to refine his skills in the minor leagues.
He had a lot of resources in the Atlanta Braves system and did his research by watching Hall of Fame third baseman Chipper Jones.
Zumwalt had studied Jones since he was in high school. He was enthralled at how Jones could hit consistently from both sides of the plate. And he noticed a slight toe tap was apparent to his success.
“I think the toe tap has always been something that I’m interested in,” Zumwalt said. “For me, watching Chipper Jones as a high school hitter and trying to figure things out with a heavy front side, it was something I instituted as a high school hitter. It’s one of those things that is about rhythm and timing.”
Zumwalt talked to Jones to get a deeper understanding. He learned that a successful toe tap requires a rhythm that prevents over-striding through the strike zone.
There must be synergy throughout the batting stance. Jones detailed that a toe tap allows a hitter to create space and recognize a pitch better.
“It’s usually very rhythmic,” Zumwalt said. “I like to think of the metronome in music. The good ones have that metronome cadence to their toe tap.”
Zumwalt was named Royals hitting coach in 2022. In his tenure, he has helped players find their timing at the plate. Zumwalt played an instrumental role in Garcia adding the toe tap this offseason.
He suggested to Garcia to bring back the toe tap. After watching film, Zumwalt felt that Garcia was crashing into the plate. The re-addition of the toe tap was designed to help Garcia control his gather and generate more contact balance.
“He feels himself getting back in a really strong position early,” Zumwalt said of Garcia. “That’s allowing him to slow the pitch down and create more space between his eyes and the baseball.”
Garcia has an instrumental role in the Royals lineup. He offers production in the middle of the order behind Bobby Witt Jr. Vinnie Pasquantino and Salvador Perez.
“This is the most consistent he’s been, obviously, in his big league career,” Zumwalt said. “I saw stretches of him like this in the minor leagues. … Seeing him do it at this level and be consistent with it — his work and seeing him smile — he is having fun.”
Tic-Tac-Toe
While Garcia has seen the biggest growth with the toe tap, the Royals also have other players utilizing it from time to time.
Infielder Jonathan India switched to the toe tap in recent weeks. He doesn’t have a set batting routine but felt the toe tap could help him regain his timing.
“I just needed to be athletic,” India said. “In the spring, it was working and I was hitting everything hard. Being here I was just being stiff. My foot didn’t have any swag and the rhythm was lost.”
India entered Wednesday hitting .317 (19-for-60) in his last 15 games. In that span, he added seven RBIs and registered seven walks. On May 4, India hit his first home run of the season against the Baltimore Orioles.
He attributed the toe tap adjustment as a reason for his quick turnaround.
“It creates timing and rhythm for me,” India said. “I have timing and I can see the ball better. I never have a set stance. I’m a player that plays the game. Whatever it is it is. I’m going to enjoy it, have fun and play hard.”
Both Pasquantino and Perez have used the toe tap as well. Michael Massey experimented with it for a while.
“Everyone has to find their own ways to time the pitcher and be able to adjust,” Zumwalt said. “No two guys do it exactly the same, but all of the good ones get into a similar position at toe touch.”
Zumwalt also believes repetition is needed to perfect the move. He continues to work with Royals assistant hitting coaches Keoni DeRenne and Joe Dillon to help players find ways to be successful.
The toe tap is one discipline that has worked.
“It looks simple, but it’s really hard,” Zumwalt said. “I think that’s why you don’t see a lot of people do it. Just seems like we have a lot on this roster that are doing it right now.”
