Kyle Teel

[u/Chronically_IL]

This is NOT a trash talking post or snarky/critical post about my beloved Sox or Kyle Teel, who I have mad love & respect for; it’s a genuine question I’d love to hear thoughts on:

Kyle Teel (imho) is a great defensive player—not only does he do everything he can to get the ball where it needs to be, minimizing the damage from a potential or actual wild pitch, etc.; he’s also been clutch wrt ABS challenges & has a great eye when he’s playing catcher.

However, when he’s batting, I’ve often seen him swing at pitches that are nowhere near the strike zone (admittedly, he’s improving, & I was so proud of & happy for him for giving us our first hit in Game 5).

My question is: is it simply harder to properly eyeball & respond accordingly to a particular pitch when batting (as opposed to catching), or is this just a Teel thing that can be remedied with more practice?

I really like him & think he’s an asset to the team—not just talent-wise, but because he brings a lot of heart & passion to the game, no matter what the score or inning is—imho, he treats every single play like it could be the game changer, which I love. But if anyone has insight about why he seems to be really good at calling pitches properly as a catcher but not as much as a batter, chime in! All I ask is please, no disrespect or trashing the Sox or him—yes, Game 5 was really hard, but I’m proud of how far this team has come so quickly & love watching them. Go Sox!!! ❤️

[u/Zestyclose-Sleep2290]

Kyle Teel was a slightly above average batter this year, just sayin.

[u/Chronically_IL → u/Zestyclose-Sleep2290]

Yes, & I saw the improvements! My question was just about whether it’s easier to accurately determine when a pitch is on or out of the zone as catcher, rather than as batter. Either way, I have tremendous respect for & faith in him & love watching him! ❤️