SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Live batting practice sessions generally are not a great place to learn something about hitters. Pitchers are far ahead early in camp, and they use those days to get ready for the first set of spring games. Many Giants veterans didn't even take the bat off their shoulder during the first couple days of live BP, preferring to stand in and track pitches to get used to velocity. A couple of players homered, but all that does is get you a round of polite applause from the fans in attendance.

But for Steven Duggar, a swing he took in live BP a couple weeks ago served as strong reinforcement for all of the work he has been doing in the cage and on back fields. Duggar smoked a ball the other way. It landed at the edge of the track near the left field pole, ratting around for what would have been a standup double and possibly a triple with Duggar's speed.

The pitcher grabbed another ball from the coach behind him and moved on. Duggar walked slowly back to the dugout and let a teammate dig in, but he still was thinking about that swing a few days later, and for good reason. According to Statcast, Duggar didn't have a single hit land that deep in left field last year. He certainly didn't come close to lining any doubles in that direction.

"The live at-bats have been refreshing," he said later. "Being able to get good swings off on breaking pitches has been nice."

Like just about everybody in camp, Duggar is working on swing changes with Donnie Ecker, Justin Viele and Dustin Lind. But nobody in camp looks as different than Duggar, who now stands fully upright with his feet just a few inches apart. The ensuing leg kick is smaller, with Duggar placing his lead leg towards the pitcher more than lifting it dramatically.

Duggar mentioned Ketel Marte and Tommy La Stella as examples of two guys who got narrower and found success. When he sent videos to offseason training partners, many had the same thought: Duggar's upright setup looks pretty similar to Cody Bellinger's.

"I think a skinnier position for me is better off, there are a lot less moving parts," Duggar said. "I just think the way pitching has gone, especially the last couple of years, we need to be adjustable in how we approach things. There are so many variables -- guys that spin-rate fastballs at the top of the zone, cutters in, changeups ... I think that's been an area where personally I felt I could get better at.

"This swing is just about being ready to pull the trigger. There were times I got stuck in the box and was like, 'Why can't I pull the trigger? I see the pitch, why can't I let it go?' It's because I wasn't in a position to do it."

Duggar is hopeful that the changes will allow him to attack more pitches and do a better job of leveraging counts to his advantage. He said that over the past couple of years he often would pinpoint a location but then foul off the pitch he was looking for, or pause instead of getting a swing off. That led to 78 strikeouts in 261 at-bats last year and just 16 walks, a rate that won't be accepted for any Giants hitter this year, but especially not for a speedster who profiles as a potential leadoff hitter.

"Last year there's a get-me-over breaking ball and it's hanging there and I'm like, 'Why didn't I let that eat?'" Duggar said. "You foul it off, you foul off two pitches, and now I'm 0-2."

In addition to the changes that are more noticeable to the naked eye, Duggar also is working on changing his approach. The coaching staff has asked younger hitters to focus even more on pinpointing different zones of the strike zone and just waiting for the right pitch in that location. There certainly is no shortage of information, and the Giants want hitters like Duggar and Jaylin Davis to take advantage and play to their strengths.

If Duggar can do that, if he can show improvement at the plate, he should be in a pretty good spot. The Giants don't have a true center fielder outside of Duggar and Billy Hamilton, who has been similarly restricted offensively in the past. Duggar still is just 26 and remains an elite defender. There is a path to a significant role on the roster this year and moving forward if he can make a bigger impact at the plate.

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To get there, Duggar also will need to stay healthy. He has had two consecutive seasons ended by a shoulder injury. This time, he was done rehabbing far before camp started and has no restrictions as the season approaches. That allowed Duggar to focus on what he wanted to, make the changes that hopefully will have him in a more competitive position as he looks out at opposing pitchers.

"It's not a full overhaul, just because there are a lot of new philosophies and similarities that I already agreed with," Duggar said. "But all of us talked about it and there was dialogue with the coaches in the offseason and we're trying to find a better way to get into an attacking posture. It's going to be a work in progress, but I feel good so far."