Swing Adjustment Could Have Vinny Capra Ready to Impact the 2024 Brewers

In a busy offseason filled with personnel change, the Brewers' first addition was claiming infielder Vinny Capra off waivers from the Pittsburgh Pirates at the start of November.

Anyone who forgot about that inaugural move is forgiven. It was overshadowed hours later by the return of Colin Rea on a new one-year deal. Amid the roster movement that followed, Capra understandably wasn't a point of conversation.

Still, it's notable that the 27-year-old kept his 40-man roster spot throughout that time. While all but guaranteed to begin the season in Triple-A Nashville, Capra remains a useful depth piece for an organization that values flexibility and insurance across the roster.

He has just 28 MLB plate appearances to his name, but Capra did take a step forward offensively in Triple-A last year. The improvements he made to get there could aid him in his quest to establish himself as a big leaguer.

Capra has an excellent feel for the strike zone and strong bat-to-ball skills, but has always been held back by his limited power. He walked at a 14.5% clip in Triple-A last year against a 15.3% strikeout rate, but managed just a .096 isolated power.

Given his skill set, hitting the ball on a line and reaching base however possible is his best path to productivity.

"The goal has always been to hit drives," he said of his approach in the Brewers clubhouse on Tuesday. "And getting on base."

Capra did the former at a better rate than ever last season, boosting his line drive rate from 24.3% in 2022 to a career-best 33.7%.

It took some work to get there. Capra struggled with the Toronto Blue Jays' Triple-A affiliate in Buffalo, slashing .167/.357/.222 (67 wRC+) in 70 plate appearances.

"I was hitting a lot of grounders and pop-ups," Capra said, by way of self-diagnosis. "I was coming off the ball and not staying through it."

Things improved after a trade to Pittsburgh at the end of April, as Capra worked with Triple-A hitting coach Eric Munson on ironing out his swing.

"We worked a lot on my bat angle and how I approach coming into the zone," he explained. "Once I figured that out, it was, 'Okay, now the timing's coming back, the sequencing's coming back.' From there, we can let all the years of training take over because we're at a familiar spot."

The adjustments paid off, as Capra hit .329/.411/.439 (120 wRC+) in 192 plate appearances after switching organizations.

A secondary goal of Capra's line-drive-centered approach is limiting ground balls.

"If I'm barreling the ball up, that's obviously a good thing, but if it's on the ground, that's not as productive as if we can get that barrel into a line drive."

When he fails to barrel the ball in a way that produces a line drive, Capra would rather miss underneath it for a fly ball than over the top of it for a grounder. The former gives him a chance to tap into more power. To him, it can be a more productive mistake than chopping the ball into the ground. His offensive philosophy seems to fit gorgeously with that of his new skipper.

"Trying to hit homers is not really going to work, but if we try to hit line drives and miss under slightly, that can produce more power numbers."

Capra's best asset at the plate is his ability to get on base. His best asset in the field is his versatility. A natural shortstop, he has logged time at every infield position but first base and has some experience in left field.

"Each position has a different mindset and mentality," he said of bouncing around the diamond. "Understanding you can't play second base like you play third base and having a different mentality for each position, I think it helps out a lot."

Capra's mindset at the plate and on the field could help him make an impact in Milwaukee this summer. Andruw Monasterio is a recent example of a depth infielder who made the most of an opportunity brought on by injuries and underperformance. Capra could follow suit over the next few months.