Why Elvis Andrus is hitting more home runs and it's effect on his free agency call

Elvis Andrus belted his first home run of the spring Saturday, a towering two-run shot off Oakland A's right-hander Paul Blackburn in the first inning of what set the pace for an 8-2 victory.

It served as the first sign that Andrus' power breakout in 2017 shouldn't be viewed as an aberration. A heavier bat is all Andrus needed to find his power stroke.

And, with each home run, Andrus could be seeing more and more dollar signs with what could become a free agent year for him.

“I think that I’m in the prime of my career right now, physically and mentally,” Andrus said. “I’m just excited to see what else is in the tank. I’m going to keep pressing that gear up and see how much I can get.”

Andrus is referring to his offensive numbers. He’d love to join the 30-30 club (30 home runs, 30 stolen bases), a club that hasn’t had a member since Mike Trout and Ryan Braun in 2012. He’d love to have 200 hits in a season. He’d love to have a .300 average.

But Andrus easily could’ve been referring to his contract and how much more money he may fetch on the open market. He has an opt-out clause at the end of this season and could hit free agency as an in-his-prime 30-year-old shortstop.

Asked if he’s thought about it, Andrus said: “Not really. I’m happy with where I’m at right now.”

Still, Andrus understands that a player has a relatively short window in which to earn his money. The shelf life isn’t long and players have to cash in whenever possible.

“I’ll do what’s best for me and my family,” Andrus said. “Things are different now than the last time I signed it. I was single and younger, now I’m getting older with a family and have a kid. There’s a lot of things I can put into perspective."

Andrus then smiled and said: "I want to have more kids, so I need to make [as much money as possible].”

Andrus said there have been no discussions between the Rangers and his agent, Scott Boras, about possibly reaching an agreement in which Andrus wouldn’t consider exercising his opt-out clause.

Andrus is making $15 million this season, which is the second-most among shortstops behind Toronto’s Troy Tulowitzki. After this season, Andrus could either opt out or stay on his current contract that would pay him $58 million for four more years through 2022.

He also has an opt-out clause after the 2019 season.

So the question for Andrus is whether it’d make more sense to test the market or stay on his current deal. A factor could become whether his market would take a hit because the Rangers could slap him with a qualifying offer if he opts out of the deal.

If the Rangers make a qualifying offer, though, Andrus could give strong consideration to accepting it. It would be worth about $18 million, more than the $15 million he’d be owed if he didn’t opt-out, and then he could become an unrestricted free agent after the 2019 season.

“They haven’t talked to me yet about anything,” Andrus said. “I’m happy here. I would love to retire here. You don’t see that too often, playing your whole career with the same team. I’m working about having a better year this year and finding a way to win a championship, something that I promised the day that I signed a deal here. That’s what I’m still looking for.”

Becoming a more dangerous threat at the plate only bodes well for Andrus and the Rangers. Andrus took strides in every department last season by hitting .297 and setting career-highs in home runs (20), doubles (44), runs (100), RBIs (88) and OPS (.808). He also posted a career-best 4.7 WAR (wins above replacement).

“Sometimes it takes time for you to realize your swing,” said Rangers third baseman Adrian Beltre, a member of the 3,000-hit club with 462 career homers. “Elvis always had a good swing, good approach, good hitter, but he’s implementing different things in his swing. Now he’s able to maximize his power.

“It takes time to develop into the player you want to be or could be.”

Part of the reason for Andrus’ success is simply becoming more comfortable with a heavier bat.

Andrus started his career using a 33 1/2-inch and 31 ounce bat. He now uses a 35-inch and 32 or 32 1/2 ounce bat. He initiated the change back in 2015 when he used Josh Hamilton’s bat during a game and hit a home run.

“I always use my hands more than my body, so the heavier bat just makes sense,” Andrus said. “Josh always told me, ‘Why are you swinging such a small bat?’ Bengie Molina always told me that too. They always said, ‘You use your hands, use a heavier bat.’ I didn’t believe it. Then I used Josh’s bat and hit a homer. Then it was just a process of getting used to it.”

Along with the heavier bat, Andrus has refined his swing over the years. He had disappointing seasons offensively in 2014 and 2015, but has improved significantly the past two seasons.

The power is something that just took more time to develop.

“I always believed that it was there,” Andrus said. “I just didn’t know how to unleash. I used to just pretty much slap the ball. Now I can create an angle, create some momentum into my swing and that helps me spin it off the ball more.

“I have a different approach too. You have to know your role on the team. In previous years, it was more about getting on base. We always had a lot of guys hitting homers, so I was the one to get on base, see as many pitches every at-bat and steal bases and all of that. Now it’s kind of shifting a little bit and I think it’s part of the process.

“It’s part of having more years, knowing more of the league, knowing more of myself and things I can do better.”

This story was originally published March 10, 2018 at 5:15 PM with the headline "Why Elvis Andrus is hitting more home runs and it's effect on his free agency call."