Reds’ Rece Hinds Takes Off After Key Adjustments To Hitting Setup
The 2023 season got out to a rough start for 23-year-old right fielder Rece Hinds.
Assigned to Double-A Chattanooga, Hinds hit just .206/.249/.394 with a 41% strikeout rate in the first two months of the season.
“Early on, he had some of the same issues he had in the past with some swing-and-miss, some chase,” Reds vice president of player development Shawn Pender said.
Hinds worked with Chattanooga hitting coach Daryle Ward after the slow start. He made changes both to his mechanics and his approach. He moved closer to the plate and lowered his hands a bit in his setup.
“It was a combination of approach and swing decisions,” Pender said, “but I think the mechanical adjustments they made—and where they put him on the plate—allowed those swing decisions to be more natural and much easier.
“He really took off.”
From June 1 onward, Hinds hit .304/.377/.617 with 18 home runs and a 28% strikeout rate in 69 games. His 23 home runs in 109 games tied for the top spot in the Reds’ farm system.
Hinds made improvements in the field as well. Drafted in the second round in 2019, he played third base in pro ball through 2021. The 6-foot-4, 215-pound Hinds now has two seasons in right field and has improved with experience.
“I think for a second-year outfielder his defense has improved to where it’s average at this point,” Pender said. “I can tell you with the kind of athlete he is, the kind of speed he has, with the kind of reach he has with his body type—he’s going to be an above-average outfielder.”
With a successful season under his belt at Double-A, and some big adjustments made at the plate, Hinds is knocking on the door to Cincinnati.
