MLB.COM publishes stats on hitters which it updates remarkably quickly.
If a guy just got a hit, let's say Jeff McNeil, you can go to their page on MLB and it is already reflected in his stats.
Baseball Reference, on the other hand, operates on a delay, usually of several hours or more.
Anyway, that statistical tidbit aside, of all qualifying hitters on MLB.COM as of Thursday AM, here are the worst 4 hitters so far, based on batting average - middle infielders abound:
#1 Dylan Moore - Seattle - 2B - .129 (he does have 11 RBIs) - I never was a Dylan fan.
#2 Eugenio Suarez - Cincy - SS - .140 (he does have 5 HRs, 12 RBIs - but also a whopping 45 Ks in 28 games)
#3 Elvis Andrus - Oakland SS - .149 (just 4 RBIs in 30 games) - this Elvis may not be dead, un-huh, uh-huh, but after hitting .194 last year, his bat surely is. (Look at his trajectory by age, by the way, and then consider what Lindor's might be like.)
#4 Francisco Lindor - NYM SS - .157 (just 3 RBIs in 24 games) - what would the start of a Mets season be without someone hitting bafflingly poorly? It Happens Every Spring.
There is also, in the infamous Bottom Ten, a 2B at # 6 (David Bote, 2B, Cubs, .176 - but somehow 15 RBIs in 30 games), and a,t # 8, another SS Willy Adames (.178, TBR, 8 RBIs in 31 games).
So there is a pandemic of poor hitting middle infielders in baseball.
We just happen to have the most expensive one of the aforementioned 6 - by a long shot.
The one big positive for Lindor over the other 5?
A much lower K rate, with just 14 in 104 plate appearances. So, how well Frankie does going forward remains to be seen, but just based on his contact rate, he should do much better.
Heck, Jeff McNeil amazingly has fanned just 7 times in the Year of the Strikeout in about 90 plate appearances - yet he is hitting just .230. SMH. Where's a weeping emoji when I need one?
Back to Lindor, his 2021 start, in fact, reminds me so far of 1968 Cleon Jones, who was hitting barely above .200 in late May that year, and fans were no doubt disgruntled. Fast forward, though, and after hitting .343 in June and .352 in September, I recall that on the 2nd to last day of the 1968 season, Cleon actually cracked .300 in mid-game briefly, only to settle in for the year at a fine .297.
Cleon was hitting nearly .360 the next season in 1969 before getting hurt around Labor Day and sliding down to a still-amazing .340.
So, as with Cleon, don't give up hope on Lindor - as tempting as that may seem right now - there could be a Lindor Surge about to start that will:
LAST.
AND LAST.
AND LAST SOME MORE.
Leaving him, once again...
At the top of the heap.
Promising signs emerged on Thursday in the Mets' 4-1 win. Lindor singled, walked 3 times and flew out deep in his plate appearances.
Perhaps the start of a MAJOR LINDOR HOT STREAK - after all, the top of the heap is a much better place to be. Barrels suck, especially the bottoms.
RISP:
Surprisingly, the Mets do not leave the most runners of any team in scoring position in 2021. As one might expect, especially after yesterday, the Mets are in the bottom quartile - 24th out of 30 to be precise. 3.65. But the struggling Dodgers? Last at 4.34 per game.
Sometimes, RISP weakness can have an element of bad luck. Kevin Pillar almost snuck a grand slam down the left field line yesterday (a little short of the foul pole, and just foul, and out on a great catch), and James McCann hit one half way back on the track in center with the bags full later in the game (also caught).
Hard to find, but Fangraphs shows team average with RISP. Mets are 28th in average with .212 and 29th in runs with 61. Best teams? Cincy at .305, and the Red Sox with 129 runs. The Mets have almost no place to go but up.
TEAM BATTING AVERAGE:
Again, surprisingly, the Mets are 11th out of 30 - but are just hitting .238. Mets had a BABIP of .320 last season, just .297 this season.
When you consider that Francisco Lindor and Jeff McNeil combined are hitting .193 despite just 23 Ks in 204 plate appearances, shifts must really be killing batting averages.
In fairness, one of the most important stats is On Base %, and that duo has been on base a combined 64 times and have an OBP of .314. Of course, in their cases, RBIs is another all-important stat, and those two have just 9 RBIs.
CROW WATCH:
In his first 3 pro games, in Low A ball, Pete Crow-Armstrong has been on base an utterly remarkable 10 out of 16 times (.588).
Albert Almora Jr. has been on twice in 16 plate appearances.
CALL UP CROW? WHO NEEDS MORE THAN 3 GAMES?
The Mets essentially traded Jake Marisnick for Almora. How is Marisnick doing?
Well, since you asked, .269/.356/.635, with 4 HRs and 14 RBIs. In other words, a lot better than Uncle Albert.
Jake was a robust .333/.353/.606 in very limited ABs last year.
Almora hit just .167/.265/.200 last year, also in very limited at bats.
How do you spell "MISTAKE"?
10 comments:
How do you spell mistake?
S A N D Y A L D E R S O N
Let's see if last night's Lindor hit turns the corner.
I think Lindor bounces back strong now, along with the continuing bounce back of McNeil.
Viper, you could be referring to the Lindor deal or to the Marisnick/Almora situation, but I had ZERO issue with Marisnick as a fifth OF. It seems the Cubs have no problem with him as a 3/4 OF. And for very good reason.
I'm not sure between the 2 who inflicted more pain on us poor Met fans: M.Donald or Jeffy. Zach hurled a gem and like with Murph not only a classic blunder but of course they got signed by division rivals. The biggest mistake/blunder is on Selig who didn't force Fred and Saul to sell. The upside now is we have to assume the hitting will come around and coupled with CC, Thor and Lugo (by the way where is he?) returning to bolster what has been solid pitching so far we should roll. Fingers crossed. LGM
Tom,
Is more of a realization that for the money Sandy has spend, we should have a better team. Is like I am looking at the same old Mets.
Can't hit with risp, can score when deGrom pitches and are just boring to watch.
How many left of base last night? Just brutal to watch right now.
Brutal indeed, Viper. The clutch hitting HAS to improve. As well as they hit last year, the gap between overall hitting and clutch hitting was very high then, too. Clutch hitters are worth their weights in gold...or bitcoin.
I think "clutch" isn't really the problem.
It's the SLG.
It's the overall hitting.
The RISP will even itself out over time.
Lindor is the straw that stirs the drink. Once he returns to form, the overall offense will be much better. McNeil, too, is part of that solution.
Jimmy
I loved the Marisnick signing last year -- it directly and cheaply addressed need: RH bat, good OF glove -- but injuries took a toll.
Sandy's MO has been to undo all things Brodie, so Marisnick wasn't coming back. The Cubs swapped Almora for Marisnick.
I won't quote stats on Almora, he's surely not been given a credible shot. I don't know how he turns around the bat if he never plays.
Given the outfield situation, that might be the move come July. Right now we are looking at a brittle Nimmo, who might be prone to injury. And a Dom Smith who is just baaaaad out in LF. Which is okay if he hits like Manny Ramirez. But my goodness, what has happened to Dom. He used to use the entire field. Now he just grips-and-rips and rolls grounders to 2B.
If he doesn't hit, he's a problem out there, because he hurts you in the field. Dom has time, but he looks half-asleep and possibly confused up at the plate.
I liked the Pillar signing a lot and I'm glad to see him contributing. But I don't want to see too much of him, either. Not an everyday player.
It feels like they might be one good 3/4 type outfielder short. And if they can add a star out there in July, it might be the best way to help the overall team.
Jimmy
Cohen will want to hit the sales this summer. Buy something bold and big.
I don't know Tom...
Post a Comment