After winter revamp of swing in ‘the lab,’ Paul DeJong eyes decisive spring with Cardinals

“This is the first offseason where I’m truly optimistic about the changes.”

Asked how best to illustrate those changes, DeJong shared a split-screen video Wednesday that had synced his new swing on the left to his abandoned swing on the right. The three-second clip showed the hours of work he’s put in over these winter months. Gone is the lift of his left foot, replaced instead with a twist for timing. From that moment it’s clear in the new swing how his head remains still, his sight-line level. What follows is a swing that keeps his torso upright, less lunging for balance, and then doesn’t snap forward until contact. His previous swing came down on the ball with a negative attack angle, as if chopping wood, instead of using the lumber to lift liners.

He finished his former swing by releasing his right hand for a one-handed follow-through. Now after a positive attack angle, he holds tight for a two-handed follow-through that maintains control through the entire sweep of the swing.

The results have been like the split-screen: On the old side, a ground ball spins off the end of the flicked bat as DeJong’s swing finishes high, straight-armed but body bent forward.