Hitting
James goes into spring training penciled in as the No. 10 hitter. He has an upper cut swing that too often leads to popups instead of keeping the ball on the ground and using his speed. He is susceptible to pitchers who go up the ladder with highballs. He batted everywhere in the order but third and fourth last year and, interestingly, his best average (.520) was from the ninth spot. It’s actually considered a good sign that his attempted homers have decreased in each of his eight full games while his base hits have increased.
Base-Running & Defense
Gillespies’ defense is the strongest part of his game. He has excellent range, especially to his right, and possesses the kind of arm that allows him to throw out a runner even after making a play deep in the hole.He also is steady on the routine plays. Gillespie has not become the base runner that many expected him to be after he tied a minor league record with 56 extra base hits in the kornBREAD kidz softball.
