• The KillerFrogs

2019 MLB Thread

ShreveFrog

Full Member
Also, it appears the league and analysts are trending toward more HRs and extra base hits at the expense of hitting for average and keeping strikeout numbers down.

Which drives me nuts. Analysts. I guess that’s who convinced Banny to bat Gallo SECOND in the order for a while. GMAB!
 

Purp

Active Member
Also trending toward a far less watchable version of the sport IMO.
I agree. Can't stand it. We had Dean Palmer once. Don't need him again. The game is better when you need to use all 5 tools to be successful. It seems like they're willing to settle for only 2-3 these days.
 

Moose Stuff

Active Member
Last two champs seem to have contact mentality. Maybe BoSox and Stros have better analysts.

The Astros put as much into that as any team in baseball while the Red Sox/Dombrowski are a little more old school. In the end they both just have better players than everyone else. Somewhat ironically in this age of all analytics all the time they both also have teams made up of guys that have the main thing analytics can’t account for, makeup. Altuve, Bregman, Verlander, Betts, Benintendi..... all superior.
 
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I agree with this, but not sure Gallo could have commanded as much in a trade. Also, it appears the league and analysts are trending toward more HRs and extra base hits at the expense of hitting for average and keeping strikeout numbers down. Given that he may have been more attractive in a trade than I think.

If this trend continues what I previously thought was an untouchable strikeout record for Nolan may suddenly be attainable again. That said, whoever wants to do it will have to start pitching more innings than modern pitchers tend to get.

I think if shift rules are implemented you'll see Gallo with an average around .275 and an OPS well north of .900. He'll still strike out a lot but lots of the balls he puts in play will fall as base hits. Last year alone he had probably 20-25 hits taken away. Then, if you figure in the fact that it WON'T be in his head that's worth an extra 40-50 balls put in play.
 

MTfrog5

Active Member
I think if shift rules are implemented you'll see Gallo with an average around .275 and an OPS well north of .900. He'll still strike out a lot but lots of the balls he puts in play will fall as base hits. Last year alone he had probably 20-25 hits taken away. Then, if you figure in the fact that it WON'T be in his head that's worth an extra 40-50 balls put in play.
I saw a video of Babe Ruth hitting the other day and the team had a shift on. It wasn’t as crazy as you see some now days, but thought it was interesting seeing that
 

Purp

Active Member
I think if shift rules are implemented you'll see Gallo with an average around .275 and an OPS well north of .900. He'll still strike out a lot but lots of the balls he puts in play will fall as base hits. Last year alone he had probably 20-25 hits taken away. Then, if you figure in the fact that it WON'T be in his head that's worth an extra 40-50 balls put in play.
If he'd be willing to take what the defense gives him he could hit .400 easily. He struggles against the shift bc he is a one dimensional hitter. Work on hitting for contact and to all fields and the shift won't be in your head.
 
If he’d hit the ball the other way he’d get more hits. That would require some discipline and contact though.

See Goldschmidt. Power and hits to all fields.

Rules should not ban shift. Beat the shift.

I get it but that's not really how the game it taught and coached these days. Lefties who can spray it to all fields are the exception. With the way the shift is employed these days I would highly discourage a kid to hit left-handed.
 

Eight

Member
I get it but that's not really how the game it taught and coached these days. Lefties who can spray it to all fields are the exception. With the way the shift is employed these days I would highly discourage a kid to hit left-handed.

why? if a left hander who can drive the ball to all fields is rare wouldn't that make one that can do that more valuable?

didn't the astros just drop 32m on a guy who somewhat fills that mold
 
If he’d hit the ball the other way he’d get more hits. That would require some discipline and contact though.

See Goldschmidt. Power and hits to all fields.

Rules should not ban shift. Beat the shift.

Goldy is also a line drive hitter. That's not exactly who Gallo is. I bet if you look at Gallo's spray chart you'll see far more batter balls to the left side of the field than you assume. It's not for lack of trying. It's just who he is.

But he isn't the only one affected by the shift. It's all across the league. It's preventing runs from being scored and is helping create a very boring product on the field.
 

Eight

Member
Goldy is also a line drive hitter. That's not exactly who Gallo is. I bet if you look at Gallo's spray chart you'll see far more batter balls to the left side of the field than you assume. It's not for lack of trying. It's just who he is.

But he isn't the only one affected by the shift. It's all across the league. It's preventing runs from being scored and is helping create a very boring product on the field.

name me another sport in which the defense is forced to line up a certain way because the offensive player is either too damn stubborn or stupid to make a simple adjustment.
 

Purp

Active Member
But that's not who he is or who he's ever been.
And if it's not who he is going to try to be I'd trade him. Hitters are trying to beat the shift with homers, but nobody hits those often enough to be as effective as getting on base more with fewer Ks. Until they beat the shift by going the other way they'll continue to see it and it's their own fault. Learn how to inside-out a pitch down a wide open 3rd base line and you'll stop the shift without a candy area rule change. The defense shows you what they think your weakness is. Nut up and go work on improving it.
 

Purp

Active Member
Goldy is also a line drive hitter. That's not exactly who Gallo is. I bet if you look at Gallo's spray chart you'll see far more batter balls to the left side of the field than you assume. It's not for lack of trying. It's just who he is.

But he isn't the only one affected by the shift. It's all across the league. It's preventing runs from being scored and is helping create a very boring product on the field.
They hitters refusing to work to defeat the shift are creating a boring product. The shift is an opponent willing to give you half of the field. They're giving it away for free. Just take it. Spend your time learning how to take what they give you if you're a real pro.
 
name me another sport in which the defense is forced to line up a certain way because the offensive player is either too damn stubborn or stupid to make a simple adjustment.

I don't think he's stubborn or dumb. Again, look at his spray chart and he's more willing to go to the left than you think. The problem is that he pops it up a TON. Maybe he needs the right instruction or maybe he just needs more time. I know just about everyone but me tuned out on the Rangers last year but I noticed almost every time they showed him in the dugout he was talking to someone about the game. Either his last AB or something that happened in the field. Remember, he's basically had 1100 ABs of full-time MLB service. 81 HRs in that time. He's only 25.

What he needs to work on more than anything is pitch selection and his approach at the plate. He works on that and puts more balls in play it won't matter that he doesn't inside-out a pitch on the outer half. I think he has one career sac fly. That's an insane stat for a guy who can hit it 450 ft on the reg. If there's a guy at 3rd with less than 2 outs he just needs to put the ball in play and the analytics say it will be a fly ball deep enough to score the runner.

I'm hopeful the new staff will help him get to the next level.
 
And if it's not who he is going to try to be I'd trade him. Hitters are trying to beat the shift with homers, but nobody hits those often enough to be as effective as getting on base more with fewer Ks. Until they beat the shift by going the other way they'll continue to see it and it's their own fault. Learn how to inside-out a pitch down a wide open 3rd base line and you'll stop the shift without a candy area rule change. The defense shows you what they think your weakness is. Nut up and go work on improving it.

So you want him to be Tony Gwynn?
 

Eight

Member
believe it was odor that year in the early games against the astros that went the opposite way a few times and got some 150 ft extra base hits.

might not have been odor, but it was one of the rangers' left hand hitters and they did it enough that the astros slid correra to the left side of second base and bregman was closer to the 3rd base line.

far from straight up, but you no longer had altuve standing in shallow right field.
 
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