Brett Wallace: Altered Swing Mechanics?

Brett Wallace has always been seen as a "pure hitter"; a big guy with a lot of natural power, but always described as a prospect who's swing was built more towards hitting .300+ than it was towards hitting 30+ home runs.  Because of this, his projection has always been as a 20-25 HR type hitter, with the optimistic projection of "maybe" a few 30 HR type seasons.  This projection goes all the way up to recently; when a few weeks ago (when the MILB season was about to start) Callis said that Wallace was a 20-25 HR "Batting Champ" type hitter in the future.

As a Blue Jay's fan, the Wallace/Taylor trade was a marginal one at best in my eyes at the time it was made.  I immediately looked into why a big, strong guy like Wallace was projected for so few home runs.  What I found were some consistently bizarre batted-ball splits in his two minor league seasons since being drafted:

2008

55.5% GB, 15.3% LD, 28.8% FB

2009

51.7% GB, 19.6% LD, 28.7% FB

As we know through common sense; to hit a home run you need to hit the ball in the air.  Fly balls are by far the most common home runs.  The shocking thing about Wallace was seeing a 240lb corner infielder with the batted ball splits of a purely speed based type player who tries to run his way into hits.  Obviously, Wallace is the opposite of this type of player as he's not going to beat out a throw to save his life.  Save for a few cases; the great majority of the MLB's big home run hitters (Dunn, Pena, Pujols, Fielder, etc, etc, etc) are hitting at 40%+ fly-ball rates...this shouldn't be that surprising, as these guys are all looking to lift the ball to take advantage of their natural power.  What do Wallace's sub-30% flyball rates compare to? Hitters like Carl Crawford, Ichiro, Jeter, Adam Jones.  In fact, the only sub-30% flyball hitter to hit more than 20 home-runs last season was Joe Mauer.  The 50%+ groundball rates were eye-popping; I mean why would you want any slow-as-molasses future first baseman hitting the ball on the ground at a 50% rate?

Questioning Brett Wallace's future HR output made perfect sense.  The guy simply wasn't lifting the ball enough to drive it out of the park.  The "inside-out", "level", "pure hitter" swing descriptions made perfect sense.

Cue 17 games and 60 at-bats into the 2010 season, and what has Brett Wallace shown? A league-leading 7 HRs (he had an 8th robbed in the 9th inning a few days ago) and a .667 SLG% that is outproducing all of the top big-named corner infielders in the minors (including Ike Davis).  How is he doing it? His current batted-ball splits:

2010

34.1% GB, 18.2% LD, 47.7% FB

Basically; a complete turn around from what he had shown the previous two seasons.  Its early in the season, but Brett Wallace isn't showing a "level" swing; he's showing a HR hitting swing, at least according to the statistics.  Its not like he is hitting a ton of flyball outs which are inflating his rates either; as he is hitting .381 on flyballs.  All 8 of his flyball hits have either left the park or dropped for a double.  The most impressive thing about this early start is WHERE he is hitting the homeruns:

HR #1 hit to dead-center

HR #2 pulled to right-field

HR #3 hit to opposite field

HR #4 pulled to right-field

HR #5 hit to opposite field

HR #6 hit to left-center field

HR #7 hit to opposite field

He has hit 7 HRs with only 2 being pulled to RF.  He has hit 3 opposite field homeruns, 1 that was hit to opposite CF, and 1 that was hit to dead center.  As I said above; the 8th HR that he had pulled back the other day was also on a flyball hit to opposite field.  In other words; he is lifting and driving the ball all over the field.

Whether or not the Blue Jays saw and altered something in his swing is undetermined at this point, but whatever has happened has been working.  It is still too early in the season to make a full conclusion, but IMO this is something to definitely keep an eye on as the season progresses.  If Brett Wallace can continue hitting at a 40%+ flyball rate it wouldn't surprise me if he shakes the "20-25 HR" label and becomes a true mashing first baseman.