With new swing and approach, TCU baseball’s Tommy Sacco bounces back from 2021 slump
Just about every baseball player endures a down year during their playing career. It’s never easy stepping to the plate without confidence in your swing.
That dreaded feeling is what TCU shortstop Tommy Sacco endured in 2021. Nothing, it seemed, could break him out of what turned into a season-long slump.
“Over the course of Tommy’s baseball career, he’s never had to deal with that kind of slump, that kind of failure,” said Tom Sacco, his father. “It was a wonderful learning lesson even though it was very painful to go through.”
Tommy spent a lot of long nights this offseason in his native Arizona rediscovering his swing with the help of his father, who played college baseball at the University of Miami and was part of the Hurricanes’ 1982 national championship team. Sacco also relied on some pointers from former big leaguer Lou Frazier, who runs a baseball facility in Arizona.
All of the offseason work is paying off so far this season. Sacco looks like a new hitter at the plate, swinging with confidence and driving the ball. He’s reached safely in 10 of the Frogs’ first 11 games, ranking among the team leaders with a .410 batting average, five doubles, one home run and nine RBIs.
Sacco went 3 for 5 with 2 RBIs in TCU’s 12-8 victory over Kentucky in Game 2 of a doubleheader Saturday in Lexington, and is looking to carry that momentum into Tuesday’s game at Louisville. First pitch is set for 11 a.m. as TCU looks to end a four-game road trip at the .500 mark. The Frogs dropped two of three to Kentucky over the weekend.
“In the offseason, I really just worked on my swing compared to last year and my approach has been working so far,” Sacco said. “There were a lot of late nights with my dad back in Arizona, sometimes even twice a day. We just went back to the very basics when I first started playing baseball. We had to reinvent my swing and get it to a point where I know I can hit with it.
“Then, after the swing and mechanics came, I worked on my mentality when I’m up at the plate. That’s where I got it throughout the fall and early spring, working on that mentality. That’s where I put it all together.”
Added Tom: “Tommy is now looking to do damage when he gets ahead in the count. He’s swinging nice and freely.”
For most of his baseball life, that had always been the case for Sacco. He was a four-year varsity letterman and earned honorable mention all-state honors at Perry High School in Gilbert, Arizona. He went on to become a standout player in the JUCO ranks at Yavapai College in Arizona, playing on the JUCO USA National team.
In his first season at TCU, Sacco seemed to be making a seamless transition by batting .304 through 15 games. But the COVID-19 pandemic abruptly ended the 2020 season.
Then 2021 happened. Sacco batted .231 with one home run and 27 RBIs in 208 at-bats. He struck out 65 times. The silver lining of the season was Sacco managing to keep his spot in the everyday lineup because he’s an elite-level defensive shortstop.
Sacco never allowed his struggles at the plate to affect his defense. He pointed to a conversation he had with former coach Jim Schlossnagle.
“Schloss told me something that was really good to hear — defensive runs saved are just as good as offensive runs scored,” Sacco said. “That kind of stuck with me. I might not be scoring a bunch of runs or hitting the ball well offensively, but he told me to keep making plays defensively, keep saving runs. That’s how I was going to help the team win. I held onto that and differentiated the two.”
Now Sacco is contributing on both sides. Nobody is too surprised given Sacco’s track record and the work he’s put in this offseason.
“What you saw last year wasn’t indicative of who Tommy is as a ball player,” TCU coach Kirk Saarloos said. “He went through some struggles and the season got away from him. We challenged him coming back, you are a great offensive player, you’re not just a defensive shortstop. I think him having the trust and knowledge that we see him as an offensive player, you’re seeing that now.”
Sacco’s father, Tom, couldn’t be prouder of how his son handled the down year and the drive to improve this offseason. It wasn’t easy but it’s paying off.
And Sacco himself isn’t complaining about how everything has unfolded. Yes, he had a down year but he’s worked hard to ensure that it won’t turn into two down years.
“I wouldn’t change anything,” Sacco said. “I wouldn’t change what happened last year. I wouldn’t change the COVID year. I’m experiencing things that I never would’ve gotten to experience if none of it happened. I wouldn’t change a thing. I’m enjoying this last year as best as I can.”
This story was originally published March 4, 2022 at 5:00 AM.
