Sam Hilliard’s at-bats improving with Rockies. Will power surge be next?

Based on raw numbers, Sam Hilliard’s season has been unproductive: .206 average, .294 slugging percentage, no home runs and just three RBIs in 41 plate appearances entering Tuesday night’s game against the Nationals at Coors Field.

But Hilliard, who started for the Rockies in left field, believes he’s close to busting out.

“I’m feeling like myself at the plate, I’m feeling confident, I’m staying within the zone and swinging at pitches I should swing at,” he said. “I’ve made a lot of hard contact and there are a couple of balls I’ve smoked right at guys in the outfield. And I feel like my average doesn’t reflect how I’ve been doing at the plate. The quality at-bats are there.”

It’s no secret that Hilliard was striking out too much, not getting on base often enough and failing to put the ball in play on a consistent basis. Last season, even though he hit 14 homers in 81 games, he struck out at a 36.6% clip, walked just 9.7% of the time and had a .294 on-base percentage.

This season, in the early going, he’s reduced his strikeout rate to 26.8%, increased his walk rate to 17.1% and carries a .341 OBP.

Hilliard has worked hard to tweak his approach and manager Bud Black said it’s paying off. Black is hopeful that home runs are on the horizon.

“Sam’s chase rate is much, much better,” Black said. “His strikeout rate is lower than it usually is for Sam, even though it’s slightly above the league average (23.1%). And his walk rate is well above the major league average (8.7%).

“Now it’s just a matter of getting to those pitches that he’s swinging at, especially those in the zone, and connecting. And putting those balls in play — hard. That’s where Sam wants to get to.”

Hilliard’s left-handed swing is pretty and powerful. The essence of his stroke hasn’t changed, although his approach has.

“What has changed is the set-up and how I get to my swing,” he said. “A couple of years ago, the way I would get to my swing would be very long and loopy and it would cause me to be late and trying to catch up to the baseball.

“Now it’s a way more efficient way of getting my bat to the zone for my swing and now it feels completely natural.”