2021 was a disappointing season for the New York Mets. The pitching staff was beset with injuries. Jacob deGrom and Carlos Carrasco, the two pitchers penciled in as 1 and 2 in the Mets' rotation, made only 27 combined starts. That was only the tip of the injury iceberg that sunk the Mets'season — all told, 42 starters and relievers toed the rubber for the Mets last year. That was not a recipe for success.
For all of that, however, what bothered me most personally about last season was the offense. It looked like a strength heading into the year, but the Mets finished the season dead last among National League teams in hits and runs scored. Had they hit as expected, the team might well have competed for a playoff spot until the end of the season. Instead, they fell out of the race before September began.
Early offensive struggles led to the decision on May 4 to replace hitting coach Chili Davis and his assistant Tom Slater with Hugh Quattlebaum and Kevin Howard. Both new coaches were originally hired by the Mets for very different jobs. Quattlebaum was initially employed as a minor league director of hitting development, while Howard was brought on as director of player development. It was unusual for a major league team to make such a drastic move with the season well underway.
Reportedly, the front office was very dissatisfied with Davis' aversion to the increased use of analytics. The hitters definitely weren't producing when Chili was handed a pink slip. Francisco Lindor struggled mightily, hitting .182/.297/.234 in March and April. Jeff McNeil slashed .203/.299/.339 during that same period. Dom Smith limped along at .222/.250/.333, while Michael Conforto delivered a weak .211/.325/.324 batting line.
In hindsight, the Mets would have been better advised to have waited until after the year to make such a drastic change, even if they weren't happy with Davis' approach. The offense never turned around when Quattlebaum and Howard took over. It wasn't for lack of data. Reportedly, Mets players were overloaded with details by the analytics team afterward. The needle swung drastically from too little use of data to information overload. Injuries played a part in the struggles, of course, but the Mets never found a way to put up offensive numbers even close to their potential, even when their hitters regained health.
It's easy to oversimplify a story like this and declare that the "old ways" are best. However, the problem wasn't the use of analytics — it was the failure to properly integrate the information in a manner that allowed the players to utilize it for success. Contrast this with the Mets' success by using data to position their fielders in a way that dramatically improved their defensive numbers last season.
I think so much of the team's frigid start had to do with the postponement of the opening series and the frigid April weather. They should wait until at least April 7 to start each season. Schedule some doubleheaders. If you want to start March 31, schedule earlier games only in warmer climate places and parks with roofs.
ReplyDeleteHitting in frigid weather is simply sub-optimal. And injury-inducing.
I would like to think that MLB got to the ML because they knew how to hit. It seems stupid to me that they forget how to so often. The talent is either there or not and any adjustments to their hitting should be minimal.
ReplyDeleteEvery time I see a shift on a LH hitter with no one even close to 3B and he pulls the ball anyway, I feel like throwing the remote against the tv. Don't these idiots know how to bunt or was that not part of their learning curve?
How long would it take for a team to play conventional defense if the hitter kept bunting to 3B and getting a free base hit? Same thing if they are leaving the right side of the infield open.
Is not as much that players go into slumps as it is their inability to adjust and take advantage to what's obvious. Again, if a player gets pitched a certain way all the time, he either adjusts or he doesn't have a long career.
I think you got it right, Mike! You said, "the failure to properly integrate the information in a manner that allowed the players to utilize it for success".
ReplyDeleteTo quote "eFastball.com", Hitters have roughly 0.40 seconds reaction time (typically) to:
* determine the type of pitch
* determine if it's a strike or a ball
* determine the speed of the pitched ball
* finish the stride and get their foot down
* get the bat to the ball
To complete all these tasks in .40 seconds, the batter must have a "quiet mind", meaning that they are relaxed, focused, and trust their instincts to recognize pitches. The 2021 analytics approach confused hitters, so they did not approach with quiet minds but rather were thinking about what is coming based on their daily briefing.
Eric Chavez is someone that comes touted as the right guy to integrate the analytics with batters' hitting approach. I am really looking forward to seeing what he can do.
BYW
ReplyDelete"To quote "eFastball.com", Hitters have roughly 0.40 seconds reaction time (typically) to:
* determine the type of pitch
* determine if it's a strike or a ball
* determine the speed of the pitched ball
* finish the stride and get their foot down
* get the bat to the ball"
This is the same list of things that PEDs help a hitter do NOT ONE IOTA!
Not exactly true. There is substantial evidence that HGH increases tracking ability in eyesight, which is why the suspected users not only hit tons of HR, but also batted .330 or above. Bonds would see like 7 strikes over a three game set and hit three of them out of the park. It wasn’t necessarily strength gain that resulted in more home runs, but a greater amount of solid contact, which may have been the result of seeing the ball better. All the batting average of the juicers plummeted after they stopped. Manny, Pudge and Giambi are exhibit A,B, C
DeleteIt is hard to understand what these types of drugs actually did.
ReplyDeleteThe issue I have is looking at all the names on the Mitchell report and seeing the vast majority of them did not become all-stars, or even very good everyday players.
Joe F, vision is what made Ted Williams so great - I believe he had 20/10 vision.
ReplyDeleteMine is more like 20/10,000.