Cubs fans had a firsthand view of development at the major league level in 2024.
Miguel Amaya took over as the Cubs’ everyday catcher, had to deal with a major-league pitching staff and hit the best pitching in the world. And early in the season, the results at the plate were a struggle.
On July 3, Amaya was hitting .186 and was a weak spot in a lineup that was struggling at the time. He was benched for a few days and worked on a change in his load during his swing and the results were staggering. He had a 7-game hitting streak after the change and finished the year with a .232/.288/.357 slash line and a 1.7 WAR, per Baseball Reference.
“Honestly, the mentality,” Amaya said of the key to the success. “Not giving up. Keeping going every day and work hard. Dedicating yourself to your work to the maximum in the batting cages. Being in communication with each of the hitting coaches, watching videos, looking ways in how to develop things with more results.
“Thanks to God, we found a moment, a point in where I could make my adjustments and, well, you know it’s a game of highs and lows and we’re working hard to try and find that consistency.”
If he continues to develop at the plate, that’s a positive development for the Cubs’ offensive game.
And that pairs well with strong game planning and pitching relationships that he already has.
“It takes a lot of hours, many days of concentration. Obviously, make reports the day before on the lineups we might face, batter by batter. How aggressive each hitter is, what pitch they do damage on.
“That’s how you have to prepare so you have a plan. The next day, you get together with your pitching coach, the pitcher and each one of you puts your plan together and when you get out on the field, we know what to execute to each hitter.”
