Christin Stewart is the top power-hitting prospect in the Detroit Tigers system. He aspires to be the best overall hitter.
The 22-year-old outfielder got off on the right foot after being drafted 34th-overall last summer out of the University of Tennessee. Swinging from the left side, the muscular slugger slashed ..285/.372/.508 and bashed 10 home runs in half a season. He did the bulk of his damage in West Michigan, where he helped lead the Whitecaps to a Midwest League championship.
Stewart is highly touted, although the accolades come with cautions. Baseball America has lauded his plus bat speed and raw power, but also opined that he?s ?an aggressive hitter whose swing gets long.?
This past summer, I asked the first-year pro about the latter assessment.
?There?s not a lot of movement in my swing,? Stewart told me. ?I think I have a short swing to the ball. My extension through the ball can get a little long at times, and maybe that?s what they mean.?
Phil Clark, West Michigan?s hitting coach last year, had a different take. He concurred with his charge on length, but then to pointed to the start, as opposed to the finish.
?I don?t see so much of a long swing,? said Clark. ?I think it?s more in his lower body. The lower body dictates how his swing works. I see more of a balance issue with his legs. He has a non-traditional way of loading his body.?
?I do have a different load than a lot of people,? agreed Stewart. ?I stride back a little bit in my load. It?s a timing mechanism that I developed in college. When I got to Tennessee, I wanted to see what I could do to get more power in my legs and drive the ball farther. That?s what felt good, and it worked.?
His ability to drive the ball is unquestioned. Stewart left the yard a record 69 times as a Georgia prep, and he homered 15 times in 177 at bats in his final year as a Volunteer. At West Michigan, he homered seven times in 51 games.
?My first impression of him was his incredible strength,? said Clark. ?I like his upper body strength. When he?s doing it right, he can hit the ball a long way. He?s got a pull swing, but he can backspin it the other way, too. It carries.?
Stewart knows he?s ?been blessed with a powerful swing,? but he doesn?t want to ?keyhole myself to the pull side and try to turn-and-burn on everything.? He looks for pitches he can get his hands extended on, and tries to drive the ball to all fields.
?A lot of people call me a power hitter, but I like to consider myself a hitter that has power,? stated Stewart. ?I?m a hitter first. But if I get into one, I can drive it out of the ballpark.?
As for his non-traditional load, that?s something the Tigers haven?t tinkered with. At least not yet. Clark told me during the summer that Stewart ?maybe needs to smooth himself out a little bit, but right now we don?t see any urgency to touch him.?
Detroit will hold a mini-camp at the onset of minor-league spring training ? they didn?t field an instructional league team last fall ? and any possible tweaks will be addressed then. According to farm director Dave Owen, ?We?ll see how (Stewart) looks and begin preparing him for his 2016 season".
Fangraphs
