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Monday, October 17, 2005 |
Minor League Scorebook
Well, today Baseball
America has a piece on Angels prospect Brandon Wood and his
wacky four-homer day:
Notes:
1Glaus only played a half season in AA Midland.
2Kennedy radically improved the walk portion of his OBP the next year, raising it to .073, but at the same time, he never struck out much, either, only 36 times the whole season.
3Neither The Baseball Cube nor MILB.com provide sac flies and hit by pitch for Kendrick and some other players. These aren't that significant, but some residual errors will exist in these calculations as a result.
4Wood's numbers from his 2005 in Rancho, so to be fair, I pulled Salmon's numbers from his single-A season as well.
The AFL had yesterday off. Here's the results of today's games:
After his fourth homer, Wood entered the dugout and told his teammates: "'Don't even ask me, I can't explain it.' It was one of those days. I don't know what happened. I think it was a little more luck than talent. It seemed like everybody in that game had at least three hits, you know. That was the craziest game I've ever played in."The article also mentions Howie Kendrick, who has 20 hits in 38 at bats. But speaking of plate discipline -- I wanted to draw to your attention the following bit of interesting trivia. Here's the stats for a few select players in their AA seasons:...
"It's good to get back in the groove. It's early in the Fall League, and I'd like to keep it going for the remainder of the year," said Wood, whose goal is to improve his strikeout-to-walk ratio (128-48 at Rancho). "It's a process. We're working on it."
| Player | Age | Line | AB | % Walk OBP | Player | Age | Line | AB | % Walk OBP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Troy Glaus | 21 | .309/.430/.691 | 1881 | .172 | Dallas McPherson | 24 | .321/.404/.660 | 262 | .113 |
| Adam Kennedy | 22 | .278/.310/.439 | 205 | .0382 | Howie Kendrick | 22 | .342/.366/.579 | 190 | .0313 |
| Tim Salmon4 | 21 | .288/.399/.390 | 118 | .144 | Brandon Wood | 20 | .321/.380/.672 | 536 | .065 |
1Glaus only played a half season in AA Midland.
2Kennedy radically improved the walk portion of his OBP the next year, raising it to .073, but at the same time, he never struck out much, either, only 36 times the whole season.
3Neither The Baseball Cube nor MILB.com provide sac flies and hit by pitch for Kendrick and some other players. These aren't that significant, but some residual errors will exist in these calculations as a result.
4Wood's numbers from his 2005 in Rancho, so to be fair, I pulled Salmon's numbers from his single-A season as well.
Now, to the interesting part. One thing that I have noticed here is that in general, the walk rates for the older players are better -- sometimes much better (the difference between Glaus and McPherson is exceptionally noteworthy) -- than they are for the new blood coming in. I begin to wonder just how many of the next generation of Angels will be useful major league hitters, despite their gaudy minor league numbers.
The AFL had yesterday off. Here's the results of today's games:
2005-10-17: Peo Saguaros 9, Surprise 2 #
Kendrick: 1-4, 1 K
Morales: 1-3
Wood: 0-3, 1 K
Smith: 2-3, 1 RBI, 1 BB
Weaver: (L, 0-2), 2.1 IP, 5 ER, 5 H, 2 K, 2 BB, 1 HR, 8.59 ERA
Barzilla: 2.0 IP, 0 ER, 1 H, 5 K, 0 BB, 6.75 ERA
Oooops. Weaver just couldn't get it going today, and his AFL isn't looking too good. Those hoping to see him with the Angels next year may well be disappointed.
Morales: 1-3
Wood: 0-3, 1 K
Smith: 2-3, 1 RBI, 1 BB
Weaver: (L, 0-2), 2.1 IP, 5 ER, 5 H, 2 K, 2 BB, 1 HR, 8.59 ERA
Barzilla: 2.0 IP, 0 ER, 1 H, 5 K, 0 BB, 6.75 ERA
Oooops. Weaver just couldn't get it going today, and his AFL isn't looking too good. Those hoping to see him with the Angels next year may well be disappointed.
Pretty bad night for the Angels' other top prospects, too.
2005-10-17: Mesa 2, Phoenix 10 (Completed Early: Rain) #
Burrus: 3-5, 1 2B, 1 3B, 2 RBI
Drew: 1-2, 1 2B, 2 BB
LaRoche: 2-4, 2 RBI, 1 K
Barton: 1-2, 1 3B, 2 RBI, 2 BB
Kemp: 1-4, 1 RBI
Ball: 2-2, 2 BB
Bush: (W, 1-1), 5.0 IP, 2 ER, 6 H, 2 K, 0 BB, 6.30 ERA
Good game for Andy LaRoche, but that's about it.
Drew: 1-2, 1 2B, 2 BB
LaRoche: 2-4, 2 RBI, 1 K
Barton: 1-2, 1 3B, 2 RBI, 2 BB
Kemp: 1-4, 1 RBI
Ball: 2-2, 2 BB
Bush: (W, 1-1), 5.0 IP, 2 ER, 6 H, 2 K, 0 BB, 6.30 ERA
Good game for Andy LaRoche, but that's about it.
Comments:
So if Kennedy can learn plate discipline, why not Kendrick? And I still that plate discipline does not equal walks. It also equals not swinging at bad pitches. I only know one guy who can hit .342 and slug .579 by swinging at bad pitches, and we already have him.
Man, I thought *I* was a pessimist.
Man, I thought *I* was a pessimist.
I only know one guy who can hit .342 and slug .579 by swinging at bad pitches, and we already have him.
Vlad's line in AA: .360/.432/.612
% OBP due to BB: .109
The big test will be next year for McPherson. In my mind he still has to prove he's a quality major league hitter. It's too bad Kotchman's the only hitter this club has with decent plate discipline.
Vlad's line in AA: .360/.432/.612
% OBP due to BB: .109
The big test will be next year for McPherson. In my mind he still has to prove he's a quality major league hitter. It's too bad Kotchman's the only hitter this club has with decent plate discipline.
<< I only know one guy who can hit .342 and slug .579 by swinging at bad pitches, and we already have him. >>
Honestly, if Vlad narrowed his plate coverage and worked counts, he'd have Barry Bonds-esque numbers.
Only raw bat speed is more important than plate discipline. And even if you can't chase down a 95MPH, you can know when to take them. There's absolutely no reason why Cabrera or Chone Figgins shouldn't learn to do what Eckstein (and every small guy using 110% of their talent) does.
And plate discipline is teachable. But when a team preaches swinging on first pitches (which is stupid and against everything your high school coach preached) plate discipline goes out the window.
Honestly, if Vlad narrowed his plate coverage and worked counts, he'd have Barry Bonds-esque numbers.
Only raw bat speed is more important than plate discipline. And even if you can't chase down a 95MPH, you can know when to take them. There's absolutely no reason why Cabrera or Chone Figgins shouldn't learn to do what Eckstein (and every small guy using 110% of their talent) does.
And plate discipline is teachable. But when a team preaches swinging on first pitches (which is stupid and against everything your high school coach preached) plate discipline goes out the window.
# posted by 
: 10/18/2005 11:07:00 AM
: 10/18/2005 11:07:00 AM
Honestly, if Vlad narrowed his plate coverage and worked counts, he'd have Barry Bonds-esque numbers.
I don't know about that. Bonds is an entirely different swinger, getting immense torque from his hips with the most compact swing I've ever seen in a power hitter. Vlad is all violence.
Figgins &c. won't change because they exemplify the Angels' offensive philosophy. Whether their postseason choke clues the Angels in to the problems they have remains to be seen. Joe Sheehan said it best: this offense "works when you hit .280, and doesn't work when you hit .265".
I don't know about that. Bonds is an entirely different swinger, getting immense torque from his hips with the most compact swing I've ever seen in a power hitter. Vlad is all violence.
Figgins &c. won't change because they exemplify the Angels' offensive philosophy. Whether their postseason choke clues the Angels in to the problems they have remains to be seen. Joe Sheehan said it best: this offense "works when you hit .280, and doesn't work when you hit .265".
One other comment from that Sheehan piece is worth quoting:
This has quietly become an old team, and with Kotchman and Dallas McPherson being eased in, a small drop in offense is probable. The Angels' run scoring is largely in the hands of Mike Scioscia, who will have to get at-bats to the right guys.
A "small drop"!
This has quietly become an old team, and with Kotchman and Dallas McPherson being eased in, a small drop in offense is probable. The Angels' run scoring is largely in the hands of Mike Scioscia, who will have to get at-bats to the right guys.
A "small drop"!
Actually, Bonds and Vlad do have similar swings. They get a lot of acceleration early in the swing, because their initiation step (i.e. sending the bat backwards) enables them to generate THT with their forearms. Then, they get the second stage acceleration with the hips. Where Vlad and Bonds strongly differ is the proximity of their launch position from their body. Because Bonds tends to launch near the body, he has less problems slotting his elbow properly on inside stuff than Vlad. Not only does this let you generate a crazy amount of bat speed, it lets you wait even longer before really committing to a pitch with the hips.
Now, if Vlad is having problems with his forearms and/or shoulder, then his ability to generate THT is suspect. That in turn means he has to produce power strictly through his hips, which in turn causes timing problems for Vlad. Moreover, it also means the swing plane probably isn't very parallel with the ground, which causes a lot of groundouts. Which is, apparently, what's happened with his stroke.
Mickey Hatcher should be able to diagnose this, but it looks like he hasn't. Both the BoSox and Astros hitting coaches preach THT (or THT-style dynamics) with their hitters. Angels and As don't.
Not all great power hitters uses THT (or THT-esque swing.) I don't believe Pujols does; he's a unusual one-stage hitter (hip initiates everything), and it's more apporpriate for a contact hitter. But, because he's also built like a linebacker, he can generate a sick amount of elastic potential energy across the core and muscles around scalpula, while powering with the back foot. It wouldn't be enough to hit for power with most hitters, but it does with his body. And because it's a such simple follow-through, he has less timing issues and an easier follow through across the swing plane.
<< Figgins &c. won't change because they exemplify the Angels' offensive philosophy. >>
That may be, but it again speaks to the team's methodology with pitch counts. And it begins with taking first pitches as a principle. Chone did hit 290 in the regular season. If he learned to work pitch counts and take walks, there's no reason why his BA wouldn't climb to 300+ and his OBP go up at least 50 points. As a leadoff man, that's exactly what he should do.
Now, if Vlad is having problems with his forearms and/or shoulder, then his ability to generate THT is suspect. That in turn means he has to produce power strictly through his hips, which in turn causes timing problems for Vlad. Moreover, it also means the swing plane probably isn't very parallel with the ground, which causes a lot of groundouts. Which is, apparently, what's happened with his stroke.
Mickey Hatcher should be able to diagnose this, but it looks like he hasn't. Both the BoSox and Astros hitting coaches preach THT (or THT-style dynamics) with their hitters. Angels and As don't.
Not all great power hitters uses THT (or THT-esque swing.) I don't believe Pujols does; he's a unusual one-stage hitter (hip initiates everything), and it's more apporpriate for a contact hitter. But, because he's also built like a linebacker, he can generate a sick amount of elastic potential energy across the core and muscles around scalpula, while powering with the back foot. It wouldn't be enough to hit for power with most hitters, but it does with his body. And because it's a such simple follow-through, he has less timing issues and an easier follow through across the swing plane.
<< Figgins &c. won't change because they exemplify the Angels' offensive philosophy. >>
That may be, but it again speaks to the team's methodology with pitch counts. And it begins with taking first pitches as a principle. Chone did hit 290 in the regular season. If he learned to work pitch counts and take walks, there's no reason why his BA wouldn't climb to 300+ and his OBP go up at least 50 points. As a leadoff man, that's exactly what he should do.
# posted by : 10/18/2005 12:54:00 PM
: 10/18/2005 12:54:00 PMNewer› ‹Older
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