Last summer, the Detroit Tigers sent Izaac Pacheco into the offseason with a mission.
The player development department, led by Ryan Garko, gathered several observations after Pacheco played 30 games (and struck out 43 times in 106 at-bats) in the Florida Complex League.
The sample size was small, but the Tigers had seen enough and received enough data to challenge Pacheco — a 2021 second-rounder known for swing-and-miss and raw power — to adjust. Professional pitchers exposed flaws in the approach and left-handed swing of a prospect recently removed from high school in Friendswood, Texas.
“It goes back to my offseason,” Pacheco, now in High-A West Michigan to finish the 2022 season, told the Free Press. “I learned so much from the half season that I had in the FCL. I worked my butt off in the offseason and found out what I needed to get better at.”
The Tigers learned Pacheco had trouble handling high velocity at the top of the strike zone. The first step was recognizing when a pitch was at the top of the strike zone; the next step was changing his swing to cover those fastballs.
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For that, Pacheco spent his offseason with Houston-based private hitting instructor Jeremy Isenhower, who trains other big league players, including Philadelphia Phillies third baseman Alec Bohm, the No. 3 overall pick in 2018.
“I did a lot of machine stuff,” Pacheco said. “I would set the machine up, and we’d use foam balls. I would do rise balls, so it felt like I had to get on top of it. That helped a ton. I feel like I can get to that ball at the top of the zone that I used to not be able to get to. That was a big part.”
Pacheco also tweaked his swing mechanics in the offseason. He eliminated unnecessary movements to help attack high-velocity fastballs and stay ready for changeups and breaking balls. Simplifying his swing allowed him to better recognize pitches and make decisions.
“I wanted a simple swing, for it to be the same swing every time whether it’s different pitches,” Pacheco said. “That was just my focus, to perfect my swing. … It’s a work in progress until I’m a Hall of Famer in the big leagues. It’s a process that I have to go through.”
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In 2022, Pacheco hit .267 with eight home runs, 38 walks and 80 strikeouts in 88 games for Low-A Lakeland. The Tigers promoted him Aug. 3 to West Michigan, and since his Aug. 5 debut, he is hitting .196 with two homers, six walks and 12 strikeouts in 15 games.
The Tigers have noticed more damage and less swing-and-miss on fastballs up in the strike zone.
“He’s only 19, so there’s a lot that gets baked into the cake with why he’s improved,” Garko said. “The body has gotten stronger. He’s tightened up his swing. He has a better understanding of his approach and the strike zone.
“He has almost accelerated past some of the other players that are his own age or in Lakeland. That’s why we moved him. For being only 19, he’s really done a nice job of doing all those things that even some of our older hitters have a hard time doing.”
Pacheco homered in back-to-back games to begin his stint with the Whitecaps, but in his third game, he suffered a hand injury. An opposing player dove into third base with his spikes up, and Pacheco reached for the baseball with his bare hand. Somehow, Pacheco ended up with a massive cut across his hand.
He spent 12 days on the injured list and returned Aug. 23. Still, the Tigers have seen encouraging signs from Pacheco in West Michigan.
“We had a man on second and two outs (a couple of weeks ago),” Whitecaps manager Brayan Peña said. “They had first base open. He didn’t chase. They were trying to get him to chase, but he held his ground, did a tremendous job and took the walk. And then, (Josh Crouch) hit a double after that. … For him to do that, and for him to realize what they were trying to do, says a lot about him mentally.”
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Adjusting to third base is another challenge in his first full season of professional baseball. Drafted as a shortstop, Pacheco played 63 games at third base and 18 games at shortstop for the Flying Tigers. He has spent 12 games at third base and two games at shortstop at the High-A level.
“Footwork and getting faster,” Pacheco said. “I did a lot of springs and footwork drills (this past offseason). I feel like that turned into a better first step. I’ve been working on that ever since, my first step being quicker and faster.”
The Tigers, naturally, have learned more about Pacheco’s personality since they drafted him No. 39 overall last year and signed him for a $2.75 million bonus. He is the organization’s No. 8 prospect, according to MLB Pipeline.
Pacheco is confident and mature but can be too hard on himself. Coaches in Lakeland and West Michigan have reminded him that he’s playing a difficult game. By next year, he could work his way to Double-A Erie. What stands out is Pacheco consistently holds himself and his teammates accountable, a testament to his leadership.
Most importantly, he is willing to adjust his swing.
“You start to see it,” Garko said. “He’s got a little bit of that ‘it’ factor. He’s a leader and has got that about him, which is think is pretty exciting when you start putting together the talent and the makeup, and how hard he works. That’s the most exciting part about him.”
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him on Twitter @EvanPetzold.