New Setup Produces Results For Braden Bishop

The final challenge for outfielder Braden Bishop in a career makeover year is to put together a strong performance in the Arizona Fall League.

“Braden has done an exceptional job of controlling the zone,” farm director Andy McKay said, “and putting his body in a position to be ready to hit every pitch.”

Check the numbers.

The 24-year-old Bishop batted .306/.393/.413 with 22 stolen bases in 119 games at high Class A Modesto and Double-A Arkansas—and his production improved after a mid-July promotion to the Southern League.

Now it’s on to the AFL, which could serve as a springboard to an invitation next spring to big league camp for the 2015 third-rounder out of Washington.

Bishop’s production this season marked a sharp surge after two seasons that seemed to validate his reputation as a sound defensive outfielder who possessed plus speed but a no-pop bat.

A righthanded hitter, Bishop batted .289 over his first 160 games but had just 26 extra-base hits in 716 plate appearances.

Bishop traces his turnaround to spending the last offseason working out with Diamondbacks third baseman Jake Lamb, a college teammate with the Huskies.

“I saw him go from a higher set to a lower set (with his hands) and have success with it,” Bishop told BaseballCensus.com earlier this season. “Obviously, I’m not the same power guy as Jake . . . but I really thought about how I could use the same (hand) set for a different purpose.”

The numbers validate his change. Bishop struck 41 extra-base hits this season and produced a slugging percentage 87 points higher than last year.

The difference didn’t go unnoticed even at the organization’s top levels. General manager Jerry Dipoto recently observed: “He has been, among the guys not (previously) considered our top guys, the standout.”

The swing adjustment appears to have worked.

“The low set allows me to start low and finish a little bit higher,” Bishop said, “rather than starting high and then inevitably finishing low. My bat can stay in the zone so much longer like that.”