Statistically speaking, Joey Loperfido has gotten off to slow start in his major league career. Over his first 222 plate appearances, the lefty-hitting outfielder is slashing just .229/.281/.371 with four home runs and an 86 wRC+. Those numbers are split fairly evenly between two organizations; the 25-year-old Loperfido was traded from the Houston Astros to the Toronto Blue Jays shortly before July’s trade deadline as part of the four-player Yusei Kikuchi deal.
He’s projected to produce more than he has thus far. The Duke University product put up a .933 OPS in Triple-A prior to making his major league debut at the end of April, and as Eric Longenhagen explained in mid-June, Loperfido “has done nothing but perform since breaking into the pro ranks.” Our lead prospect analyst assigned Loperfido, who was selected in the seventh round of the 2021 draft, a 45 FV while ranking him third on our 2024 Astros Top Prospects list.
Loperfido sat down to talk hitting when the Blue Jays played at Fenway Park in late August.
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David Laurila: Let’s start with one of my favorite ice-breaker questions in this series: Do you approach hitting as more of an art or as more of a science?
Joey Loperfido: “I think it’s somewhere in between. When you look back at it, you can see the parts that would be considered more of a science. But when you’re doing it, and as you’re feeling it, a lot of it is an art. There are a lot of calculated actions and movements, and for me that’s kind of the question of feel versus real.”
Laurila: How has that perspective evolved over the years? When you’re a kid, you’re basically just up there swinging a bat…
Loperfido: “As the game advances, some people can just hit. There are talented players in MLB that can kind of continue to do that, just like when they were kids. When things are going really well, I feel like you can just go up there with a really clear mind and be able to hit naturally, like you always have.
“I think any time you have to make an adjustment… I feel like I’ve made a bunch, whether it was when I got to the varsity team in high school, got into college, transitioned into the minor leagues, and then obviously into the major leagues. Your feel of just being able to naturally hit can require some adjustments to get back to that clarity and freedom.”
Laurila: Has what you learned about yourself meaningfully impacted you as a hitter, or has it mostly been, “This is what I do?”
Loperfido: “I think it definitely validates some of the things that I’ve felt at the plate, like where in the zone I hit pitches best or where I struggle with some pitches and locations. I think you always look at that data with a grain of salt, but it’s good to have the information. The more information you have, the more informed decisions you can make as a hitter.”
Laurila: High school to the ACC is a big step up in terms of competition. Did you make changes in college in order to better handle velocity and the overall quality of pitching?
Loperfido: “My freshman year, not so much — I had a really simple swing — but after that I made a couple of adjustments through my sophomore and junior years. I felt like the pitching got a lot better in college baseball. Guys’ velocity ticked up and I had to adjust to that. I did more of a toe tap those years. I’d kind of hovered my front foot in my freshman year.
“For timing’s sake I did more of a toe tap, although I probably didn’t really control that toe tap well until my senior year. That’s when I felt like everything kind of went together for me as a hitter and I had a really good season. Then I transitioned into pro ball, and in short-season I really struggled. After that, I had to make another pretty significant adjustment.”
Laurila: What was that adjustment?
Loperfido: “That was no more toe tap, because I was kind of falling forward and lunging forward. I went to more of a solidified staying back, more in my legs with a lot of focus on my rear leg and my back hip.”
Laurila: What about now? Has anything changed?
Loperfido: “Since I’ve been in Toronto, one thing we’ve worked on is really being stable on my back hip and being able to buy time going forward on offspeed pitches. I think my leg kick is honestly a little bit bigger now than it was, but it’s easier for me to control because I have a better understanding of how to control and stabilize that back leg.”
Laurila: How would you explain being stable on your back hip?
Loperfido: “I would say being able to swing — [assistant hitting coach Matt] Hague would say this too — from a position where you can go whenever you want to. You can swing whenever you want, as soon as your foot is in the air. That kind of lets you always be on fastball timing, and when you get something spinning, or an offspeed pitch, being able to buy time and adjust to that as you move forward. As you see and recognize that pitch, you’re under control enough to handle it.”
Laurila: Where are you biomechanically with your swing? For instance, are you naturally rotational?
Loperfido: “I would say that I’m pretty rotational. I’ve been kind of closed off pretty much my whole life, so I’m definitely rotational through the swing. I think there are common denominators of how we move as hitters, and then also kind of how we have success. It’s about trying to find the biomechanics of how to blend those two things. It’s ‘Hey, this is kind of how I’ve always moved, and how can we best match that up to a swing that is going to put me in a good spot?’”
Laurila: Has your swing plane changed over the years, or has it essentially remained the same?
Loperfido: “I feel like it’s pretty much been the same swing. The path has always been the same, but where you are at your ready position to start that bat path is pretty important. Starting my bat path from a good stable position is going to be a lot different from starting it from a leaked-forward position, from a kind of falling-out-of-control spot.”
Laurila: Are you generally trying to let the ball travel, or are you more trying to catch it out front?
Loperfido: “A lot of it depends on the pitcher. There are some guys where you can take your shot a little bit more out in front of the plate, but I try to stay to the middle of the field. When I get directionally too far to the pull side, I get a lot of ground balls that way. I’ve always felt comfortable taking the ball the other way. Left-center and center have kind of been my go-to directions.”
Laurila: Any final thoughts on hitting, maybe something we haven’t touched on that you feel is important?
Loperfido: “That’s a good question. I’d probably say how much as a young player you’re able to learn from watching and being around the older guys who have done it for such a long time. In Houston, being in a cage with Alex Bregman, Jose Altuve, and guys like that. Here I’m getting to see guys like Vladimir [Guerrero Jr.], George [Springer], and [Daulton Varsho]. As a younger guy you pick up on things just by observing, seeing how they work. That stuff can really benefit you.”
Laurila: Of course, you don’t have the exact same swing or skillset as those guys. Everyone is an individual…
Loperfido: “Yes. Everybody produces a dude in their own way. But kind of seeing how everybody gets themself ready to do that is cool. It’s cool to see behind the scenes.”
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Earlier “Talks Hitting” interviews can found through these links: Jo Adell, Jeff Albert, Greg Allen, Nolan Arenado, Aaron Bates, Jacob Berry, Alex Bregman, Bo Bichette, Justice Bigbie, Cavan Biggio, Charlie Blackmon, JJ Bleday, Bobby Bradley, Will Brennan, Jay Bruce, Triston Casas, Matt Chapman, Michael Chavis, Garrett Cooper, Gavin Cross, Jacob Cruz, Nelson Cruz, Paul DeJong, Josh Donaldson, Brendan Donovan, Donnie Ecker, Rick Eckstein, Drew Ferguson, Justin Foscue, Michael Fransoso, Ryan Fuller, Joey Gallo, Paul Goldschmidt, Devlin Granberg, Matt Hague, Andy Haines, Mitch Haniger, Robert Hassell III, Austin Hays, Nico Hoerner, Jackson Holliday, Spencer Horwitz, Rhys Hoskins, Eric Hosmer, Jacob Hurtubise, Tim Hyers, Connor Joe, Jace Jung, Josh Jung, Jimmy Kerr, Heston Kjerstad, Steven Kwan, Trevor Larnach, Doug Latta, Royce Lewis, Evan Longoria, Michael Lorenzen, Gavin Lux, Dave Magadan, Trey Mancini, Edgar Martinez, Don Mattingly, Marcelo Mayer, Hunter Mense, Owen Miller, Ryan Mountcastle, Cedric Mullins, Daniel Murphy, Lars Nootbaar, Logan O’Hoppe, Vinnie Pasquantino, Graham Pauley, David Peralta, Luke Raley, Julio Rodríguez, Brent Rooker, Drew Saylor, Nolan Schanuel, Marcus Semien, Giancarlo Stanton, Spencer Steer, Trevor Story, Fernando Tatis Jr., Spencer Torkelson, Mark Trumbo, Brice Turang, Justin Turner, Trea Turner, Josh VanMeter, Robert Van Scoyoc, Chris Valaika, Zac Veen, Alex Verdugo, Mark Vientos, Matt Vierling, Luke Voit, Anthony Volpe, Joey Votto, Christian Walker, Jared Walsh, Jordan Westburg, Jesse Winker, Bobby Witt Jr. Mike Yastrzemski, Nick Yorke, Kevin Youkilis.
