Andy Pages sure did turn around Opening Night at Dodger Stadium. Yes, they were only down 2-0, but until Pages uncorked a 3-run home run, Zac Gallen was, essentially, cruising. It was especially awesome to see Pages do that after he struggled massively (at the plate) in the postseason last year.
But something stood out about Pages in this moment. His batting stance is different. Not substantially — he didn’t go all Craig Counsell on us — but enough to notice.
First, the data say he has moved slightly closer to the plate and slightly up in the box.
It’s literally one game’s worth of data, so it remains to be seen if this is a permanent change for Pages.
The two videos sourced for the following screenshots are from a late-July homer from 2025…
Andy Pages needed one swing to tie the Dodgers and Twins at 3.
He crushed a three-run home run to left field to knock Simeon Woods Richardson out of the game.
Pages now has 19 home runs on the year with an OPS of .814.pic.twitter.com/GsrVEh68ic
— Noah Camras (@noahcamras) July 23, 2025
…and obviously last night’s three-run dinger.
Andy for the lead! pic.twitter.com/uUhvg76ish
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) March 27, 2026
Now, onto the stance.
The first thing I noticed is the bat is at a flatter angle pre-pitch. He also appears to have his top-half a little more closed with his front leg just slightly more open than last year. He has also incorporated more of a crouch, rather than the more straight up-and-down stance of last season. Because of that, he doesn’t have to crouch as the pitcher begins his delivery to get into a better hitting position.
His leg kick might be slightly more pronounced, but he still has good balance as the pitcher is just about to release the ball. He also employs the small toe-taps for timing before starting his swing.
He also appears to be slightly more balanced on last night’s home run than he did on the 2025 one against Simeon Woods Richardson. It’s subtle, but he almost looks a bit more closed. To be fair, the pitch ends up in the middle of the strike zone, while the homer against Gallen last night was one he had to go down and get, but he still looked more balanced than last season.
The point of contact shows Pages more angled on last night’s home run with his hips cleared more than last year. That helps him generate torque and power. He has a stiff front leg with good balance in his lower-half.
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After his postseason struggles, it’s encouraging to see him make some type of change. Granted, it’s one game, so the sample size is extremely small. It’ll be interesting to see if he continues with this new version of his stance and swing. It’ll be something to check in on as more data is available.
