Offensive / Hitting Approach

[justBLAZE]

Originally posted here: here.

 

Here's where the WhiteSox rank in MLB in a variety of offensive categories as of today (5/13)...

 

Hits - 27th

Doubles - 25th

Triples - 24th

Homeruns - 4th

RBI's - 24th

Walks - 14th

Strikeouts - 1st

Stolen Bases - 2nd

Batting Average - 29th

OBP - 24th

SLG - 19th

OPS - 20th

 

From looking at these statistics, it simply looks like we are a terrible hitting team. It makes you wonder about the approach of these hitters:

 

Ozzie wanted a athletic, fast lineup and he got that exactly as we excel in stealing bases as a team, we are a decently patient team where it comes to walks, right in the middle of the bunch.

 

Surprisingly for me we strikeout the least out of all baseball teams yet we can't get on base at a decent clip.

 

One conclusion I come to is: terrible approach when it comes to hitting, I don't know who is to blame for this but maybe the 'fire Walker' threads have some basis here. With the White Sox it's constant 'swing for the fences' approach that's why we are up there with HR's but everything else is a pop up or a grounder to infielders. I mean look at the hitting stats other than HRs, absolutely brutal.

 

The hitting philosophy of this team needs a change so we can start scoring runs and winning games.

 

Discuss.

Edited May 13, 2010 by justBLAZE

[scenario]

Pretty brutal numbers, but just to clarify the strikeouts ranking...

 

The Sox #1 ranking is for fewest strikeouts as a team.

 

I didn't note that in my original post.

 

 

Edited May 14, 2010 by scenario

[Milkman delivers]

I thought it meant that we had the most K's. I guess that's a positive.

[Lillian]

Originally posted here: here.

 

 

 

From looking at these statistics, it simply looks like we are a terrible hitting team. It makes you wonder about the approach of these hitters:

 

Ozzie wanted a athletic, fast lineup and he got that exactly as we excel in stealing bases as a team, we are a decently patient team where it comes to walks, right in the middle of the bunch.

 

Surprisingly for me we strikeout the least out of all baseball teams yet we can't get on base at a decent clip.

 

One conclusion I come to is: terrible approach when it comes to hitting, I don't know who is to blame for this but maybe the 'fire Walker' threads have some basis here. With the White Sox it's constant 'swing for the fences' approach that's why we are up there with HR's but everything else is a pop up or a grounder to infielders. I mean look at the hitting stats other than HRs, absolutely brutal.

 

The hitting philosophy of this team needs a change so we can start scoring runs and winning games.

 

Discuss.

 

If it's really true that you don't hit many home runs when you're trying to hit them, then it would seem that perhaps the Sox aren't swinging for the fences as much as we may think.

 

[Frankensteiner]

The lack of situational hitting is appalling. We hardly ever seem to make productive outs. With all that said, the Sox are 9th in the AL in runs scored which is about what I expected. There's been some guys who underachieved up to this point and some guys who have done better than predicted.

 

The major problem is we're 11th in the AL in ERA. At the start of the season had anyone said we'd be outside of the top 3, I'd say we have no chance in competing for the division. What people called the best starting rotation in baseball has only one above league average starter at this point.

[justBLAZE]

If it's really true that you don't hit many home runs when you're trying to hit them, then it would seem that perhaps the Sox aren't swinging for the fences as much as we may think.

 

How do we explain the absolute suckage in getting any kind of hits besides the long ball ?

 

 

[ChiliIrishHammock24]

We must be extremely unlucky if we put the ball into play more than any other team, but get a hit worse than 28 other teams. Either our hitters are weak pansies, or we are unlucky w/ our hit placement.

[Frankensteiner]

By the way, I think the key hitting statistic is our average w/ RISP. It's dead last. We've actually finished last twice before under Greg Walker ('05-surprisingly & 07) but we were much closer to the mean both times.

[gosox41]

By the way, I think the key hitting statistic is our average w/ RISP. It's dead last. We've actually finished last twice before under Greg Walker ('05-surprisingly & 07) but we were much closer to the mean both times.

 

 

 

This stat really bugs me. Why are the Sox so bad at this. All the turnover the team has gone in 2005 and they still have the same problem: Crappy situational hitting. What makes the Sox so bad at this but a team like the Twins so good?

 

It perplexes me.

 

Maybe what this team needs is an in your face hitting coach like Hriniak who will get on people like TCQ for being crap.

 

 

Bob

[Quin]

Originally posted here: here.

 

 

 

From looking at these statistics, it simply looks like we are a terrible hitting team. It makes you wonder about the approach of these hitters:

 

Ozzie wanted a athletic, fast lineup and he got that exactly as we excel in stealing bases as a team, we are a decently patient team where it comes to walks, right in the middle of the bunch.

 

Surprisingly for me we strikeout the least out of all baseball teams yet we can't get on base at a decent clip.

One conclusion I come to is: terrible approach when it comes to hitting, I don't know who is to blame for this but maybe the 'fire Walker' threads have some basis here. With the White Sox it's constant 'swing for the fences' approach that's why we are up there with HR's but everything else is a pop up or a grounder to infielders. I mean look at the hitting stats other than HRs, absolutely brutal.

 

The hitting philosophy of this team needs a change so we can start scoring runs and winning games.

 

Discuss.

 

Translation: Crappy luck + No Power = GRINDY

[TitoMB345]

I don't get how we can just be so unlucky as a team, year after year. To me, it seems like we need to overhaul the scouting department. Bring in some new eyes or something. Who is our scouting director and how long has he been here?

[Frankensteiner]

I should have mentioned we lead the league w/ RISP in 2006. So it's not all terrible under Walker, but 2006 clearly looks like an anomaly at this point.

[GREEDY]

A few quick thoughts and I will try not to bog them down:

 

#1 Ozzie/The White Sox do not like taking a called third strike. This leads to "putting the bat on the ball". In '08 Ozzie/The fans/Hawk hated watching Swisher guess on 2-2, take one right down the pipe, grimace, and stroll back to the dugout. Sox fans much prefer Quentin popping a high heater out of the zone, straight up in the air... "at least he tried to get a hit". Note to all Sox fans: Just because Swisher didn't swing, does not mean he wasn't trying to help himself/the team.

 

#2 There appears to be no consequence for failing at situational hitting.

 

#3 The Sox have four everyday players that have "big, free swings". I believe that is more than any other team in baseball. When you are swinging from your heels it is hard to adjust your approach at the plate.

 

 

[JorgeFabregas]

Where do the White Sox rank in terms of strikeout rate?

 

I am sure that a large part of their low strikeout total has to do with the fact that they don't have that many plate appearances due to making frequent outs.

 

Edit: They are 25th in plate apperances

Edited May 14, 2010 by JorgeFabregas

[Balta1701]

Where do the White Sox rank in terms of strikeout rate?

 

I am sure that a large part of their low strikeout total has to do with the fact that they don't have that many plate appearances due to making frequent outs.

 

Edit: They are 25th in plate apperances

I just did the Math. The White Sox have the lowest K/PA rate in the league as well.

 

Edit: What is interesting in that data is when I plot K/PA versus batting average, there is a weak correlation, but there are 2 obvious outliers. The Diamondbacks have the highest K/PA in the league and an elevated batting average, and the Astros and particuarly the White Sox are well, well below what you'd consider to be the trend.

[jphat007]

What is our LD% as a team. I bet that tells a lot of the story

[BigSqwert]

What is our LD% as a team. I bet that tells a lot of the story

I though I read somewhere that we are either dead last or close to it.

[scenario]

What is our LD% as a team. I bet that tells a lot of the story

 

Don't know.

 

But we're right in the middle of the pack in terms of GB% and FB%.

 

 

[scenario]

A few more stats...

 

HBP's -1st

 

SH (sacrifice hits) - 22nd

SF (sac flies) - 27th

 

I expected us to be higher in SH.

We've only got 7 all year?

Almost half the teams in baseball have 2X as many as we do.

So much for small ball.

 

And only 6 sac flies all year?

 

Two more indications of our challenges with situational hitting this year.

 

 

[Balta1701]

I though I read somewhere that we are either dead last or close to it.

Bottom 7 teams in MLB:

DBacks

Giants

Pirates

Twins

White Sox

Astros

Orioles

 

All at 17% or so.

 

The Sox being that low isn't surprising. 2 teams that caught my eye were the D-Backs, who were the same team with the anomalously high batting average given their strikeouts/PA ratio, and the Twins right above us.

[BaseballNick]

A few more stats...

 

HBP's -1st

 

SH (sacrifice hits) - 22nd

SF (sac flies) - 27th

 

I expected us to be higher in SH.

We've only got 7 all year?

Almost half the teams in baseball have 2X as many as we do.

So much for small ball.

 

And only 6 sac flies all year?

 

Two more indications of our challenges with situational hitting this year.

 

I suppose it makes sense to have less SH due to the high number of stolen bases. Seven still seems very low, however. Six sac flies is pathetic this far into a season.

 

[iamshack]

I think our lack of sacrifices is because of our lack of men on base. You can't sacrifice when no one is getting on base. There has to be an actual belief that a hit may occur...

[Leonard Zelig]

What is a "sacrifice hit"? It is an oxymoronic expression.

[ChiSox_Sonix]

What is a "sacrifice hit"? It is an oxymoronic expression.

 

It's a sac bunt.

[Balta1701]

It's a sac bunt.

The abbreviation for Sacrifice Bunt is the same as the abbreviation for Stolen Base, so if you want to compile them all, you need to change at least 1 of those abbreviations.