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Tuesday, May 09, 2006 |
Once In A Lifetime: White Sox 9, Angels 1
Letting the days go byAt least, it seems the same as it ever was. The combination of absurdist offense — ironic considering all the team's best prospects were all supposed to be offensive powerhouses — and pitching collapses continues anon, and so the Angels arrive at an appalling 2-7 May record. There's no indication that any future the Halos might inhabit this year will involve better hitting so far; if the team had a solid set of players and one or two rookies struggling, it might be feasible, but everyone in the organization is weary of the swing-and-misstitude going on; just ask the team about Casey Kotchman:
let the water hold me down
Letting the days go by
water flowing underground
Into the blue again
after the money’s gone
Once in a lifetime
water flowing underground.Same as it ever was...same as it ever was...same as it ever was...
Same as it ever was...same as it ever was...same as it ever was...
Same as it ever was...same as it ever was...
"We're keeping an eye on him, that's all I can say about that," Angels hitting coach Mickey Hatcher said. "That's one person that's really frustrated. We've all still got a lot of confidence in him, but you've got to perform at this level. This organization's not about development."The Angels rookies are just plain dead right now, and as a consequence, so is the team. While I don't share the Chronicler's itch to assign the blame to Mickey Hatcher (does he get a lifetime pass for 2002?), I do think the team's offensive strategy is suspect at its core — and yes, Matt, the Angels would seem to be taking RISP2 hitting-as-a-skill as a foundational thing. Caveats duly observed for small sample sizes, we also recognize when things aren't working and take note. They need some power, but before that, they simply need guys who are coming up to the plate with a plan. It's not happening — as witness Dallas McPherson's silver sombrero against a pitcher with a 5.40 K/9 — and I honestly don't expect it to for a number of months, if at all this season.Manager Mike Scioscia said Kotchman's demotion is not imminent, but he said it has been frustrating to watch the 23-year old take one step forward and two steps back.
"It's one thing to come up to the majors, it's tougher to start making your footprints for a career," Scioscia said.
Comments:
I think luck had more to do with 2002 than Hatcher.
Two things stand out to me. One, the hitters look like they have no plan. Phys & Hud were talking about a pregame meeting Hatcher had with the hitters, talking about having a plan. Clearly, they did not pick up on the message for tonight.
I've often wondered what a ML-level hitting coach actually does. I mean, you don't make it to the big leagues as a position player (except maybe catcher) if you don't know how to hit - you can't learn to hit at the major-league level. So, it's not as though these guys are teaching anything.
So what is it that they do? Go over film & try to identify tendencies, spot flaws, etc?
And if one of the hitting coach's responsibilities is helping the batters to develop the so-called plan, then it's pretty obvious that Hatcher (a) doesn't give them a good plan, (b) is unable to effectively communicate the plan, or (c) is able to formulate and communicate plans, but the hitters are all too inept to implement them. Option (c) seems the least likely.
I assume that some hitting coaches are better than others. What are the traits and qualities of the good ones? Does Hatcher possess those attributes?
I don't know.
That said, many have criticized the Angels' organizational player development philosophy, which has been to shy away from players with good strike zone recognition and on-base ability.
Another thing I've observed, and maybe it's perception more than reality, is that nobody on the team is hitting the ball hard. Everything is hit rather meekly. They're not just hitting rockets right at people; that would indicate bad luck, which tends to even out over time. None of these guys is able to hit the ball with any authority. They can't all be hurt. Even Vlad has basically turned into a singles hitter.
If Hatcher is not at least partly to blame, then what is the cause?
Two things stand out to me. One, the hitters look like they have no plan. Phys & Hud were talking about a pregame meeting Hatcher had with the hitters, talking about having a plan. Clearly, they did not pick up on the message for tonight.
I've often wondered what a ML-level hitting coach actually does. I mean, you don't make it to the big leagues as a position player (except maybe catcher) if you don't know how to hit - you can't learn to hit at the major-league level. So, it's not as though these guys are teaching anything.
So what is it that they do? Go over film & try to identify tendencies, spot flaws, etc?
And if one of the hitting coach's responsibilities is helping the batters to develop the so-called plan, then it's pretty obvious that Hatcher (a) doesn't give them a good plan, (b) is unable to effectively communicate the plan, or (c) is able to formulate and communicate plans, but the hitters are all too inept to implement them. Option (c) seems the least likely.
I assume that some hitting coaches are better than others. What are the traits and qualities of the good ones? Does Hatcher possess those attributes?
I don't know.
That said, many have criticized the Angels' organizational player development philosophy, which has been to shy away from players with good strike zone recognition and on-base ability.
Another thing I've observed, and maybe it's perception more than reality, is that nobody on the team is hitting the ball hard. Everything is hit rather meekly. They're not just hitting rockets right at people; that would indicate bad luck, which tends to even out over time. None of these guys is able to hit the ball with any authority. They can't all be hurt. Even Vlad has basically turned into a singles hitter.
If Hatcher is not at least partly to blame, then what is the cause?
# posted by 
: 5/09/2006 09:56:00 PM
: 5/09/2006 09:56:00 PM
Hate to steal any thunder, but did you notice Adenhart's performance tonight? Shutout with 9 Ks over seven innings?
Why is this guy not in Rancho yet? Can he yet do wrong?
Why is this guy not in Rancho yet? Can he yet do wrong?
# posted by : 5/09/2006 10:59:00 PM
: 5/09/2006 10:59:00 PM
This organization's not about development.
What the fuck is that supposed to mean. What's the point of having a bunch of prospects if you aren't going to develop them. Does he mean this "level" is not about development?
What the fuck is that supposed to mean. What's the point of having a bunch of prospects if you aren't going to develop them. Does he mean this "level" is not about development?
I'm beginning to wonder whether we're hearing Arte talking, and if so, how loudly. Yes, of course he means the major league level.
I'm not a scout, but watching on TV the rookies seem to be unbelievably bad at hitting breaking pitches. The times I saw Mathis "hit", they didn't even bother to set him up with fastballs ... just threw him junk after junk ... and he whiffed and whiffed.
# posted by : 5/10/2006 09:45:00 AM
: 5/10/2006 09:45:00 AMNewer› ‹Older
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