Phillies’ Cristian Pache putting his new batting approach to the test

ARLINGTON, Texas — Fifty percent of Cristian Pache’s hits in 2020 were ground balls. Fifty-five percent of his hits in 2021 were ground balls. Last season, that rate increased to 58%. For reference, the league average was 43.6% in 2022.

The Phillies would like their newly acquired center fielder to put the ball in the air more, and have already identified a few tweaks to help him do it. Pache, who was acquired from the Oakland Athletics last week, reported to his new team on Saturday, and has already begun working with hitting coach Kevin Long.

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Long encouraged Pache to stay back. He noticed that the 24-year-old Dominican was leaning forward in an attempt to hit the ball, which is why he hit so many grounders. His bat path was veering down.

Long also told Pache to use his hips and his lower body more. But the biggest adjustment was to keep his head still while he bats.

“It’s basically the same swing, but I’m using my legs a little bit more, to have more control,” Pache said in Spanish. “And [since] we looked at the video, I’m trying to not move my head as much. When I have too many movements, it can be hard for me to see the pitches.”

Pache had his first chance to put this to the test on Sunday evening. The Phillies are facing left-hander Martin Perez, so manager Rob Thomson penciled his new righty-hitting center fielder into the starting lineup.

“I feel good about the adjustments,” Pache said. “They feel good so far. Hopefully they make a good impact. I’m excited to try them in a game.”

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When the Phillies announced that 19-year-old right-hander Andrew Painter had a right proximal ulnar collateral ligament sprain, on March 10, they also provided a rough timeline for when he would start throwing again. The Phillies said Painter would begin a light tossing progression after four weeks of rest (starting from the date of the injury). Painter was injured on March 1, the first Grapefruit League start of his career.

After a month, it stands to reason that Painter should be throwing sometime soon.

“I’m not sure when he’s going to start his throwing program,” Thomson said. “He’s still in the plyometrics phase of this, I would think it’s coming very soon, but I’m not sure of that exact date.”

Thomson said that Rule 5 right-hander Noah Song came out of his bullpen session “fine.” Left-hander Ranger Suárez (left elbow strain) threw a bullpen on Sunday that went well. And left-hander Cristopher Sánchez (left triceps strain) threw Saturday, which Thomson said went “outstanding.” He’ll throw three innings on Thursday in Clearwater, Fla.