When the Boston Red Sox drafted Henry Godbout in the second round of last year's draft, they were envisioning a high-contact hitter who rarely struck out and never missed his pitch to hit in the zone.
Godbout didn't skip a beat after he made his professional debut with High-A Greenville last season, as he posted a slash line of .341/.473/.477 over 13 games to end the season. The 22-year-old did not seem to be fazed by pro ball pitching and picked up right where he left off at the University of Virginia.
The one knack in Godbout's game is his power. His max exit velocity in college was 108.3 mph and he produced average exit velos across the board.
How does that change?
Enter in the Red Sox's hitting development that has adopted Driveline philosophies all across the organization. It all starts with the Director of Hitting Development, Jason Ochart, who came over from Driveline. From there, they have hired dozens of coaches and coordinators across every single minor league level.
The approach has left an impression on Godbout.
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"It's very new to me because UVA is probably the opposite of Driveline," Godbout said. "It's all about hitting balls the other way, moving guys over, hitting the ball on the ground, and bunting. That is completely opposite of what we are doing over here, in a good way. It's perfect for me and I knew this going into it by talking to Kyle Teel. I do a lot of those other things very well. Adding the ability to step on balls and pull them over the fence is the last piece of the puzzle. I think it's the perfect marriage.
"There are obviously a couple of hiccups along the way, but that is part of it. I am learning that I don't need to just gear up and take a long swing to create power. It might just come (by) swinging these bats and being in the bat speed program. This spring has been great being able to test things out. It is really a great system for me to take my game to the next level."
Godbout debuted his newfound power at the Future at Fenway South game over the weekend and hit a long home run over the left field wall. The hope is to continue showing off this side of game through minor league games before reporting to an affiliate at the end of the month.