SEATTLE — It was still only March 10, but Isiah Kiner-Falefa could already see the writing on the wall.
The Yankees’ incumbent shortstop was still technically part of the position battle being held in spring training, but with Anthony Volpe taking camp by storm and Oswald Peraza also standing by, Kiner-Falefa started an exhibition game against the Tigers at second base.
It was the first of three straight games in which the Yankees planned to play Kiner-Falefa somewhere other than shortstop, so one of the more perceptive minds on the team quickly pivoted his thinking to dive into a role that would allow him to remain with the team.
Less than three months later, Kiner-Falefa is beginning to thrive in that super-utility spot, thanks to a strong mindset and a new mentality at the plate centered around hitting the ball hard instead of just trying to find holes.
“I worked my butt off to make adjustments,” Kiner-Falefa said after he went 4-for-5 with four RBIs on Tuesday in a win over the Mariners. “I felt like I ran away from them early and our hitting coaches really helped me stick with the changes I’ve made. There’s been times where I’ve wanted to shy away from it and go back to hitting ground balls up the middle or slapping the ball around. But they’ve been keying in on me and telling me to stick with it.
“It’s starting to finally pay off.”
Entering play Wednesday, Kiner-Falefa was batting .382 with a 1.181 OPS, six extra-base hits and 12 RBIs in 11 games since May 16. Dating back even further, he was batting .294 with a .848 OPS over his past 23 games.
Kiner-Falefa, who played center field on Wednesday, went 0-for-4 in the 1-0, 10-inning loss to the Mariners.
He had a potential run-scoring extra-base hit to left-center tracked down by Julio Rodriguez in the seventh inning and also popped out with runners on the corners with no out in the top of the 10th.
The key to his turnaround, especially his increased pop over the past two weeks, has been buying into swinging hard.
Entering Wednesday, his hard-hit rate was a career-high 42.6 percent (up from 30.1 in 2022, which ranked in the bottom seven percent of the league).
His average exit velocity (89.1 mph) and barrel rate (4.3 percent) were also both career-highs.
So, too, was his average launch angle (9.0 degrees), which signaled a willingness and ability to not just hit ground balls all the time.
The Yankees’ hitting staff showed Kiner-Falefa that their internal version of those metrics — plus his bat speed, hitting coach Dillon Lawson said, which directly correlates to exit velocity — that indicated better results were ahead.
That allowed Kiner-Falefa to trust the process, which is now leading to results.
“Proud of him,” Lawson said Wednesday. “For him to stick with it, to push through some of those low moments, constantly focused on helping the team — he’s a great teammate. The best strategy for when things aren’t going right for yourself is to invest in others. He’s an example of that. Now he’s reaping the benefit of the persistence that he’s shown while he’s been with us.”
Kiner-Falefa’s mindset at the plate also coincides with his defensive position.
When he was playing third base regularly for the Rangers in 2020, he thought he had to do more offensively, so that’s how he trained.
When he moved to shortstop in 2021, he wanted to be a high batting average player who could steal bases.
Now that he is moving all around the diamond this season — he has started games at center field (12), left field (11), third base (five), right field (one) and shortstop (one) — he knows he needs to “drive the ball to stay on the field.”
“You gotta hit to play,” Kiner-Falefa said. “So I think just knowing that and understanding that, I’m just trying to go up there and drive the ball. Last year playing shortstop, I was just trying to get hits, doesn’t matter if it’s hard or soft. I was trying to do anything to slap the ball around. I think it’s just a different mentality right now.”
And the Yankees are reaping the rewards of sticking with him.
“I think he’s a great piece to this team,” Nestor Cortes said. “He knows what his role is and he accepts everything. He loves to be here.”