Like a puzzle piece that falls into place and suddenly brings the entire picture into view, one key swing adjustment played a major role in unlocking Andres Gimenez's swing and leading to his breakout 2022 season.

Gimenez, a central part of the Francisco Lindor (and Carlos Carrasco) blockbuster deal with the New York Mets, made his debut with Cleveland last year but was optioned to Triple-A Columbus following a slow start.

Manager Terry Francona said earlier this year that Gimenez's 2021 was derailed in part due to a lack of consistent approach. Whenever Gimenez had a poor series, or even just a bad night, he'd alter something in his swing, hoping it would work out better the next day. In reality, it was only making it more difficult to find any rhythm.

"I think everybody knew he had talent, it was just a matter of trusting his ability, trusting his daily work, trusting his preparation," Guardians hitting coach Victor Rodriguez said. "When young players don't have the results, they start reaching and looking for different stuff. [This year], he's stuck with all the stuff we've talked about, all the drips, and he's been consistent with that. You gotta give him credit."

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There was one adjustment that is now here to stay. Last year, Gimenez often relied on a leg kick as he loaded his swing. Hitting coaches Chris Valaika and Victor Rodriguez worked with Gimenez to eliminate it, believing the timing mechanism of his swing and his pitch recognition would improve.

The results have been both immediate and substantial. Gimenez has hit .303 with a .376 on-base percentage, 17 home runs, 26 doubles, 68 RBIs and 19 stolen bases, all the while playing Gold Glove-level defense at second base. He ranks 11th among all position players in baseball and fourth in the American League with 6.0 fWAR, even above infield mate Jose Ramirez (5.7 fWAR). It led to Gimenez starting for the American League at second base in the All-Star Game.

To Valaika and Rodriguez, much of that success can be traced back to the elimination of the leg kick, which in effect allowed everything else in Gimenez's swing to fall into place.

"Some guys can hit with the leg kick, some guys it's maybe not the most efficient for them," Valaika said. "I think for him, having that big leg kick was kind of hindering some of the strike zone awareness, having to maintain that move. Eliminating that has helped him let the ball travel and allowed him to stay behind the ball more constantly."

The result? Gimenez has crushed off-speed pitches in 2022. Last year, with the leg kick, Gimenez hit .121 with a .212 slugging percentage against off-speed pitches. This year? He's hitting .397 with a .692 slugging percentage, making him one of the best off-speed-pitch hitters in baseball. Suddenly, his biggest weak spot is his biggest strength.

Ditching the leg kick allowed Gimenez to be in the best position to look for the fastball first, which in turn allowed him to better react to off-speed pitches, which in turn led to improved strike zone discipline.

"He's been fastball first the whole year and he's been able to recognize and make adjustments on the breaking ball, and him being in the ground more allows him to ride out those pitches," Valaika said. "You see him pull spin and hit fastballs the other way. Even if he gets fooled on something, he's still got something left in the tank that he can fight to the middle of the field."

After a year of Gimenez searching and near-constant trial-and-error, the Guardians found the key to unlocking his wealth of potential. And with it, his standing as a central piece of the team's long-term puzzle has been placed.

Ryan Lewis can be reached at rlewis@thebeaconjournal.com. Read more about the Guardians at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/cleveland-guardians. Follow him on Twitter at @ByRyanLewis.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cleveland Guardians Andres Gimenez breakout year after eliminating leg kick