New Red Sox first baseman Garrett Cooper isn’t done working after the game’s final out. He describes himself as “a big video guy.” He sits in front of the computer studying the next day’s starting pitcher after games and before he goes to sleep.
“Every night, even though my wife probably doesn’t want to hear that,” Cooper joked. “It’s something I’ve always done and something I feel like you need to do. The big leagues is tough already as is. You need to familiarize yourself with how these guys are working because they watch the same video on you. So you need to have that same advantage when you’re going into the next day.”
Cooper, who Boston acquired April 27 from the Cubs after Triston Casas went on the 60-day IL, is off to a slow start with the Red Sox. He’s 2-for-20 with two walks and six strikeouts in six games. But the 33-year-old is definitely putting in the video work like he always has done. The 2022 NL All-Star has been studying the next day’s starting pitcher the night before since his rookie year in 2017.
“Seven or eight years now,” Cooper said. “So it’s always been a thing. Yeah, I don’t like going into a day blind and not knowing what they’re working with. What kind of sequences they like, what kind of pitches they like to throw with guys in scoring position, a guy on first, when they are trying to get double plays. That kind of thing. Just trying to get any advantage I can. … So you try to get as much info as you possibly can for the next day.”
Cooper also sends video of his at-bats to his outside hitting coach Mike Brumley, a former major leaguer who works with several big leaguers, including Dansby Swanson and Austin Riley. Brumley appeared in 65 games for the Red Sox in 1991-92.
Cooper made three different three-day trips to Texas this offseason to work with Brumley.
“Just having the feedback from him and trying to clean things up when they get a little bit off,” Cooper said. “Just having a set of eyes and ears besides the coaching staff. Just trying to simplify it, not overthink things.”
Cooper actually didn’t watch much baseball growing up.
“I’m not going to lie. I was good at baseball but I really wasn’t the biggest fan of it growing up,” he said.
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Cooper starred in baseball, football and basketball at Loyola High in Los Angeles. He was high school teammates with Anthony Barr, a four-time NFL Pro Bowl linebacker.
Cooper was a defensive end and tight end in football. He was a small forward in basketball.
“I played AAU my whole life,” said Cooper, who’s listed at 6-foot-5. “I thought going to college was going to be for basketball. But I learned that a lot of the guys on my high school team were a little bit better than me. So I was like, ‘All right. Maybe we’ll try this baseball full tilt.’ A lot of guys concentrate on one sport nowadays. That can help. If I were to redo it, I don’t think I’d change much. Playing multiple sports definitely helped athleticism-wise. Baseball, I wasn’t the biggest fan growing up. …. I was good at it but never really took it that seriously until my junior year.”
Cooper ended up in Boston a month into the season after almost signing with the Red Sox in free agency. He spoke with Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow on the phone a few times this past offseason.
“It was close. It was really close. I just felt Chicago was a good spot talking to (GM) Carter (Hawkins) and (president of baseball operations) Jed (Hoyer),” Cooper said. “Listening to both sides. It came down to the Cubs and Red Sox on a Sunday night. So everything has a funny way of working out and I’m glad to be here. I’m excited to get going. They’ve been playing really good baseball early on. So just trying to come in and find my footing at the plate.”
