NORTH PORT, Fla. — As Bryce Elder rose through the minor leagues last season, he noticed something: The higher the level, the more hitters understood their plans at the plate. This allowed Elder to learn about batters’ swings and find the holes in them.
“If this is their hole (in Double-A), you can beat them there,” he said. “And the same thing in Triple-A. When they have that hole there, if you can get (the ball) there, not all the time but more often than not you can beat them.”
This, and everything else Elder has learned and applied, has put the right-hander on the cusp of something special: achieving his dream of playing in the big leagues.
