Thursday, August 12, 2004
Hacktastic T?
Untamed. Aggressive. Swinging as if he's blindfolded.
All words or phrases used to describe Luis Terrero's approach at the plate.
There's just one problem.
The numbers don't bear it out.
Here's a list of the 20 Diamondbacks with the most plate appearances (I have no idea why Alomar is in the list if Finley and Mayne aren't). The data is as follows:
Player: Plate Appearances, Pitches, P/PA, K/BB (Total Ks), OPS
Gonzalez 451 1836 4.07 0.85 (58) .866
Sexson 104 413 3.97 1.50 (21) .914
Tracy 372 1474 3.96 1.22 (39) .753
Johnson 59 233 3.95 12.50 (25) .327
Alomar 125 492 3.94 1.50 (18) .855
Brito 129 501 3.88 3.71! (26) .473
Terrero 62 237 3.82 3.20 (16) .798
Hammock 168 641 3.82 2.91 (32) .618
DeVore 56 210 3.75 5.67! (17) .478
Kata 178 663 3.72 2.23 (29) .665
Hairston 242 881 3.64 4.00! (56) .747
Olson 109 396 3.63 1.13 (18) .652
Baerga 65 233 3.58 1.6 (8) .568
McCracken 89 314 3.53 1.86 (13) .830
Webb 51 176 3.45 12.50! (25) .208
Cintron 434 1497 3.45 1.84 (46) .649
Hillenbrand 422 1417 3.36 2.41 (41) .807
Bautista 421 1412 3.35 1.67 (45) .803
Green 34 109 3.21 4.00 (4) .688
Sparks 30 91 3.03 N/A (14 Ks, no BBs) .207
So, do these numbers show that he's too aggressive? If they do, then everybody except Gonzo, Richie, and Chad Tracy would be definitively excused from additional batting practice; everyone else either has a P/PA, K/BB, or K/PA rate worse than Terrero's. (And in case you're wondering, the D-Backs' team K/BB rate is 1.96, which is right in the middle of the pack of NL teams, so it's not like the D-Backs are blatantly more hacktastic than the rest of the National League.)
And, for what it's worth, visually, I'm not sure those numbers on "patience" have any relationship to OPS. But I'd have to plot or run the regression to be sure.
Obviously, numbers -- or, at least, these numbers -- can't say whether Terrero swings at more incredibly awful pitches than his teammates. But I can't help but think his wildness in the field (and is that just a visual trick, too?) and off the field (cf his anger-management issues) has colored the impression of others re: his batting, an impression that isn't really justified.
All words or phrases used to describe Luis Terrero's approach at the plate.
There's just one problem.
The numbers don't bear it out.
Here's a list of the 20 Diamondbacks with the most plate appearances (I have no idea why Alomar is in the list if Finley and Mayne aren't). The data is as follows:
Player: Plate Appearances, Pitches, P/PA, K/BB (Total Ks), OPS
Gonzalez 451 1836 4.07 0.85 (58) .866
Sexson 104 413 3.97 1.50 (21) .914
Tracy 372 1474 3.96 1.22 (39) .753
Johnson 59 233 3.95 12.50 (25) .327
Alomar 125 492 3.94 1.50 (18) .855
Brito 129 501 3.88 3.71! (26) .473
Terrero 62 237 3.82 3.20 (16) .798
Hammock 168 641 3.82 2.91 (32) .618
DeVore 56 210 3.75 5.67! (17) .478
Kata 178 663 3.72 2.23 (29) .665
Hairston 242 881 3.64 4.00! (56) .747
Olson 109 396 3.63 1.13 (18) .652
Baerga 65 233 3.58 1.6 (8) .568
McCracken 89 314 3.53 1.86 (13) .830
Webb 51 176 3.45 12.50! (25) .208
Cintron 434 1497 3.45 1.84 (46) .649
Hillenbrand 422 1417 3.36 2.41 (41) .807
Bautista 421 1412 3.35 1.67 (45) .803
Green 34 109 3.21 4.00 (4) .688
Sparks 30 91 3.03 N/A (14 Ks, no BBs) .207
So, do these numbers show that he's too aggressive? If they do, then everybody except Gonzo, Richie, and Chad Tracy would be definitively excused from additional batting practice; everyone else either has a P/PA, K/BB, or K/PA rate worse than Terrero's. (And in case you're wondering, the D-Backs' team K/BB rate is 1.96, which is right in the middle of the pack of NL teams, so it's not like the D-Backs are blatantly more hacktastic than the rest of the National League.)
And, for what it's worth, visually, I'm not sure those numbers on "patience" have any relationship to OPS. But I'd have to plot or run the regression to be sure.
Obviously, numbers -- or, at least, these numbers -- can't say whether Terrero swings at more incredibly awful pitches than his teammates. But I can't help but think his wildness in the field (and is that just a visual trick, too?) and off the field (cf his anger-management issues) has colored the impression of others re: his batting, an impression that isn't really justified.
Comments:
It's probably a reaction to 17 K's in 60 ABs (65 plate appearances) after today's game - more than a quarter of the time, Terrero strikes out. Pro-rated to 400 AB's, that'd be 114 Ks, enough for fifth in all baseball. For someone yet to hit a home-run, that's kinda impressive. :-)
Jim McLennan
But It's a DRY Heat...
http://azdiamondbacks.blog-city.com
Jim McLennan
But It's a DRY Heat...
http://azdiamondbacks.blog-city.com
Comment posted by 
: 8:43 PM
: 8:43 PM
Yeah, but my point was, there are a lot of people on the D-Backs who strike out almost that much (DeVore, Brito, Sexson, Hairston) and nobody says that they're wild (OK, we do... but the Republic doesn't).
I guess I'm not nearly as worried...
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I guess I'm not nearly as worried...
