Re: Introduction to Five Tools Analysis: Hitting
 

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I would also like to take this opportunity to brag about my new custom-turned bats from NYStixs:

http://baseballdelusions.com/blog/wp...07/12/bats.jpg

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What type of wood? Ash?

Re: Introduction to Five Tools Analysis: Hitting
 

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Why is hitting for average a tool and controlling the plate for high OBP not? OBP >>> BA.

For example, Mark McGwire's career BA was .263 vs. a league adjusted average of .262. But his career OBP was .394 vs. a league adjusted average of .332. Was he an average hitter?

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Mark McGwire was not a five-tool player. Just because he lacks the tool to hit for high average doesn't mean he is a bad hitter. You are not reading correctly.

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Gotcha, I skimmed past where you explained that.

Re: Introduction to Five Tools Analysis: Hitting
 

Kyle,
Great stuff. I have a few questions though.

1. Do hitters change their swings to compensate for a weakness? Let's say a AA player can't hit a low inside curveball. How does that player adjust so that the pitchers don't constantly throw that pitch? Or is he basically never going to move up to AAA or the majors?

2. Mickey Mantle always used to say to hit for distance, you almost have to start swinging before the pitcher throws the ball. What does he mean by that?

3. If you compare Derek Jeter and A-Rod, both are the same height although A-Rod is about 20 lbs. heavier. So how come A-Rod has 500+ HR's and Jeter is nowhere near that amount? Does the difference in weight make that much of a factor when hitting?

Re: Introduction to Five Tools Analysis: Hitting
 

Great post
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) That's not really the Moneyball idea, but I see why people get that feeling based on Lewis's book. I believe what a player has done (stats) is more important than what a player can do (tools), but too much reliance on stats will lead to the Blue Jays Syndrome - getting a ton of low-ceiling low-variance players in your farm system without any impact players.


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Re: Introduction to Five Tools Analysis: Hitting
 

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3. If you compare Derek Jeter and A-Rod, both are the same height although A-Rod is about 20 lbs. heavier. So how come A-Rod has 500+ HR's and Jeter is nowhere near that amount? Does the difference in weight make that much of a factor when hitting?

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I'm not kyleb, but IIRC I spotted a BP piece that noted a statistical significance with prospects and their weight with isolated power.

So to a degree... yes?

Re: Introduction to Five Tools Analysis: Hitting
 

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I would also like to take this opportunity to brag about my new custom-turned bats from NYStixs:

http://baseballdelusions.com/blog/wp...07/12/bats.jpg

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What type of wood? Ash?

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Maple.

Re: Introduction to Five Tools Analysis: Hitting
 

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1. Do hitters change their swings to compensate for a weakness? Let's say a AA player can't hit a low inside curveball. How does that player adjust so that the pitchers don't constantly throw that pitch? Or is he basically never going to move up to AAA or the majors?

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I suppose the best way I can answer this question is with an anecdote from Moneyball. Jason Giambi can't hit a fastball waist-high on the inside corner of the plate. However, if you miss by 2 inches, you get the favorite part of his hitting zone.

Giambi also steps out and smashes those pitches foul, scaring the pitcher into believing he can hit that pitch.

No hitter can hit all types of pitches in all zones of the plate. Fortunately enough, most pitchers aren't good enough to throw the weakness pitch every single time.

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2. Mickey Mantle always used to say to hit for distance, you almost have to start swinging before the pitcher throws the ball. What does he mean by that?

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He is right. He's basically saying you need to load the bat and follow the four steps of hitting that I outlined. The best power hitters exercise a negative bat load by bringing their hands back and loading their back shoulder as they perform the back leg push step, creating greater "separation."

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3. If you compare Derek Jeter and A-Rod, both are the same height although A-Rod is about 20 lbs. heavier. So how come A-Rod has 500+ HR's and Jeter is nowhere near that amount? Does the difference in weight make that much of a factor when hitting?

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A-Rod has a lot of things going for him over Jeter:

1) He has way more LBM.
2) His swing is a classic power stroke that is nearly identical to Hank Aaron's. He generates insane backspin on his fly balls, giving them 20-30 feet more distance easily.
3) His swing has more loft in it.
4) And lastly, A-Rod is just a better hitter.

Re: Introduction to Five Tools Analysis: Hitting
 

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I would also like to take this opportunity to brag about my new custom-turned bats from NYStixs:

http://baseballdelusions.com/blog/wp...07/12/bats.jpg

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What type of wood? Ash?

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Maple.

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Nice.

I'm partial to the Carolina Clubs myself. I love the thin handle.

Re: Introduction to Five Tools Analysis: Hitting
 

How do you go about purposefully generating more backspin?


Awesome, awesome thread, ldo.

Re: Introduction to Five Tools Analysis: Hitting
 

The Clemente gif should get more love--it beautifully shows how great hitters generate an explosive weight transfer forward, creating power and then their front leg acts as the wall stopping the weight from keeping their body from continuing to move forward--you can see Clemente's back leg come up off the ground, every good hitter does this and this is b/c of the force moving forward and then the foot jabs back down b/c of the firm front leg acting as the wall. If he were to rotate his back leg into the ground and not get any weight transfer forward that leg wouldn't come up and his center of gravity would be driving straight downward which=bad bad bad.