tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20374626786427916822024-03-17T23:03:38.006-04:00Buried Treasure: A Pirates BlogA blog covering the Pittsburgh Pirates from top to bottom.McCutchenistheTruthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02540590150310418792noreply@blogger.comBlogger242125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2037462678642791682.post-37709041361381488912013-09-09T14:34:00.000-04:002013-09-10T00:47:37.046-04:00Best Case Scenario: Pitching Prospects <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The title of this article is slightly misleading. It's very rare for a best case scenario to actually happen. A better scenario can always be imagined. Therefore, the Pirates pitching prospects could have technically done better this year, but realistically it's hard to imagine a better overall season for the pitching strength of the Pirates farm system as a whole. In fact, elation is probably the best word to describe the appropriate reaction of Pirates fans. Below is a short description of all the pitchers who have a very good year for the Pirates, based loosely starting at the top on how they are viewed as a prospect currently.<br />
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<b>Gerrit Cole and Jameson Taillon</b> - I'll actually spend the briefest on the two big-time pitching prospects for the Pirates. Cole and Taillon represent the second overall and first overall pick in back-to-back years in the draft. Neither had incredible years, but both progressed, stayed healthy, and pitched solidly. Cole will start out next year in the major league rotation and Taillon should follow shortly after.<br />
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<b>Tyler Glasnow - </b>Glasnow came into the season as the chic pick, gaining national recognition in a loaded Pirates system by pitching well to finish the 2012 season. More importantly, the Pirates strategy of taking projectable high school pitchers finally paid off, as Glasnow added several miles per hour to his fastball along with developing a good curveball. Glasnow's rise continued this season at a meteoric pace. He absolutely dominated Low-A hitters when you look at his hits given up and his strikeout rate. Glasnow does have control issues, but he progressed in that area in the second half and now - thanks to a premium fastball with nasty movement and a very good curveball - is one of the best pitching prospects in all of baseball<br />
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<b>Nick Kingham - </b>Kingham's story is very similar to Glasnow's. He didn't have the massive uptick in velocity that Glasnow did, and his progression has been more steady than meteoric, but he also pitched very well to end the 2012 season and that end to the season plus this 2013 season for Kingham has given the Pirates another fantastic reward for their strategy to take high upside lottery ticket pitchers out of the high school ranks. Kingham tore through High-A and held his own in Double-A despite the fact he won't turn 22 years old until November. From a scouting perspective, Kingham's stuff has incrementally improved since being drafted and he now possesses a three-pitch mix indicative of a guy a tick better than a middle-of-the-rotation pitcher. <br />
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<b>Luis Heredia - </b>Heredia has been passed in terms of Glasnow and Kingham, despite being a huge deal when he signed out of Mexico as the best pitching prospect in that year's 16 year-old international class. He's yet to absolutely dominate, but he again impresses from a scouting perspective. In addition, Heredia once again held his own facing competition years ahead of him in experience and age. The ace upside is beginning to come into question, but Heredia is still a very solid pitching prospect.<br />
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<b>Jason Creasy - </b>Creasy might be Nick Kingham-lite. Basically he's a notch down from Kingham, who's found success a bit earlier. His stuff hasn't developed to the point of Kingham, but he has a solid fastball and slider. He's a had a very good year in Low-A while turning 21 in May. Creasy has struck out nearly a batter an inning while walking very few. Creasy still has a while to go, but he's provided the Pirates even more of a return on their projectable pitching strategy. <br />
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<b>Clay Holmes</b> - This will be the first season synopsis where I use detailed stats, but they are necessary for illustrating why there should be excitement about Holmes going into next year. Holmes was the most highly touted pitching prospect signed by the Pirates in 2011 not named Cole. At this point, he's clearly been passed by Glasnow and arguably by Creasey, but it's actually a huge positive for Holmes that I used the word "arguably." Holmes allowed barely any hits in 2012 in short season ball, but his walk rate and strikeout rate was terrible. Holmes put up similarly awful ratios to start 2013, but the reason for hope is a similar end to his Low-A season as Nick Kingham, who had 9 fantastic starts to end his Low-A campaign in 2012.<br />
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For comparison, in Holmes last 10 starts*, Holmes pitched 46.2 innings, recording 42 strikeouts to 20 walks. In a vacuum, those numbers are merely decent. However, prior to that stretch, Holmes had pitched 72.1 innings, recording only 48 strikeouts to 49 walks. The improvement is stark, a huge plus for a young guy like Holmes who possesses an impressive fastball with heavy life and a nasty slider. <br />
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*One appearance was 5 innings after a rehab inning, so it wasn't technically a start<br />
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<b>Jon Sandfort</b> - After drafting several prep pitching prospects with top ten round talent starting back in 2009 under Neal Huntington, the new CBA limited the amount of money the Pirates could throw at projectable arms. As a result, the Pirates only were able to draft and sign one high profile prep pitching prospect in 2012. Jon Sandfort is similar to Tyler Glasnow. He came out of high school with a solid fastball and a thin, projectable frame. In his first professional season, Sandfort has pitched well, although they aren't the rave reviews that there were about Glasnow. He's struck out plenty of batters and his control has been more than acceptable at a young age. Sandfort didn't even turn 19 until August and still has tons of upside with solid performance already under his belt. <br />
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<b>Cody Dickson - </b>As mentioned above, the new CBA has changed how the Pirates have drafted in recent years. That's obvious in the 2013 draft, where the Pirates drafted college pitchers in the top 10 rounds in more abundance than ever before under Neal Huntington. Cody Dickson was the most highly touted of the college pitchers the Pirates drafted in 2013 and he's impressed in short season, striking out over a batter an inning with solid control. Dickson has excellent stuff and is a college pitcher, so this type of performance is expected, but Dickson has had control issues, so his control this year keeps his prospects high for 2014. <br />
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<b>Buddy Bordon - </b>Bordon was also highly touted and held out before signing late, an uncertainty. As a result, Bordon didn't pitch all that much in short season this year. However, the right-hander with a good fastball, but questionable secondaries. So far, so good. In a small sample size, Bordon struckout well over a batter an inning with very good control. He'll be one to watch heading into 2014. <br />
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<b>Ryan Hafner</b> - Hafner was part of the 2011 draft class that brought in Jameson Taillon and Nick Kingham, both higher up on this list. Hafner hasn't had nearly the success Taillon or Kingham have thus far in this career. In fact, Hafner had huge control issues in 2012. However, a move to the bullpen has resurrected Hafner's career. Pitching exclusively in relief in 2013, Hafner had some control issues, but nothing comparable to 2012, and his strike out rate was fantastic. Relief pitchers have minimal value, but Hafner has become a decent prospect after being left for dead after 2012.<br />
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<b>Blake Taylor </b>- Taylor is mainly on this list just due to his draft status. A second round pick in 2013, Taylor has significant upside as a prep lefty with good stuff and projection. Taylor only pitched 21 innings this year and his numbers were not awe-inspiring. That said, he's still healthy and he held his own. That's pretty much the exact report on Jon Sandfort, who proceeds Taylor by a year in his development. In fact, Taylor actually pitched better than Sandfort when comparing both prospects first partial season professionally. In turn, Sandfort pitched very well this year and looks to move to Low-A for his second full professional season, following in the exact footsteps of Kingham, Glasnow, and Creasy. Taylor, like Sandfort and Glasnow, is very young. He didn't turn 18 until this August. <br />
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<b>Neil Kozikowski - </b>It's possible to call Kozikowski a reach as he wasn't even rated in the top 500 prospects by Baseball America. The Pirates took him in the 8th round, 239rd overall. However, the same thing could be said about Tyler Glasnow. Throw in the fact that Kozikowski is from Connecticut - cold weather players are unknowns compared to warm weather players who get scouted more due to being able to play more - and he could end up being a gem. Skinny as a rail, Kozikowski didn't strike many batters out in his professional debut, but he also displayed phenomenal control, walking only 3 batters in 24 innings. If he could maintain that control and see his stuff improve, Kozikowski could develop into a solid prospect.<br />
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<b>Shane Carle</b> - Carle was another one of the college pitching prospects the Pirates drafted this past June. Taken in the 10th round, Carle has flashed impressive velocity in the past, although it wasn't there this spring. His secondaries need work as well, but Carle does have a projectable frame and his sinker produces groundballs. In this professional debut, Carle also showed a propensity to strike batters out, punching out 43 in 50.1 innings. Conversely, he only walked 6 batters, resulting in an impressive strikeout-to-walk ratio. It must be noted Carle turned 22 during the season, so this type of performance is expected to an extent, although overall it is nice to see.<br />
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<b>Chad Kuhl</b> - Using this list's order, Kuhl was the final college pitcher drafted by the Pirates in the top 10 rounds. Kuhl has fringe stuff, but comes with a groundball reputation. His strikeouts were limited in his professional debut, but 6 walks in 55.1 innings was nice to see. Kuhl is also fairly young for a college draftee as he will turn 21 right around when this article will be posted. Going forward, Kuhl most likely will be limited in his upside, but Phil Irwin or Brandon Cumpton are not out of the question, which is always valuable.<br />
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<b>Joely Rodriguez</b> - Every pitcher above on this list save for Luis Heredia is a North American obtained through the Rule 4 draft. Furthermore, Luis Heredia received a significant bonus to sign with the Pirates. The point is, for all the success the Pirates have had in Latin America with small to medium bonuses - Marte, Polanco, Hanson, Herrera, and even Garcia and Osuna - the same success has been absent as far as Latin American pitching prospects. All that said, Joely Rodriguez is doing his best to break that mold. The lefty with solid stuff had a solid season across Low-A and High-A ball. He will turn 22 in November and his season was only solid, so it's best to temper excitement, but at least he's a guy worth mentioning from the Latin American pitching pipeline, a rarity lately.<br />
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<b>Orlando Castro - </b>Castro joined Rodriguez in starting in Low-A and moving to High-A for second part of the season. Unfortunately, Castro doesn't have nearly Rodriguez's upside. He's a control pitcher with fringy stuff who is also short in stature. On the plus side, Castro is left-handed. As just noted, Castro has excellent control. Prior to trying his hand at High-A, Castro had 184 innings stateside and had only walked 39 batters. Prior to this year, he had mainly worked out of the bullpen, but earned a spot in the West Virginia Power rotation. He pitched very well and got promoted to High-A, where he was marginal. He will start next season at age 22 and combine that with his scouting report, and it's obvious the odds are against him. Still, the success he's had thus far is better than no success at all. <br />
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<b>Wei-Chung Wang</b> - Continuing the trend of international lefties, Wei-Chung Wang has a fairly interesting story. He signed for a fairly sizeable bonus in the summer of 2011 out of Taiwan along with catcher Jin-De Jhang. However, Wang's physical revealed he needed Tommy John Surgery, so he had to sign at a reduced price. That also meant he sat out the 2012 season, so he made his professional debut in 2013 in rookie ball. Wang was very old for the level, turning 21 in April. Still, his lack of experience meant dominance wasn't guaranteed. Wang did dominate however, striking out plenty of batters while walking virtually none. He also showed improved velocity by seasons end and a very good curveball, making him an interesting prospect to watch despite the age. <br />
<br />McCutchenistheTruthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02540590150310418792noreply@blogger.com32tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2037462678642791682.post-26614501567216090442013-06-22T15:18:00.000-04:002013-09-09T18:24:14.129-04:00Dissecting the Pirates Farm System<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Over the past several years, the Pirates farm system has steadily improved under the watch of general manager Neal Huntington. At the moment, prior to the official graduation of Gerrit Cole, it may be at its zenith. The farm system is absolutely loaded with both pitching and hitting prospects. For fun, I decided to break the farm system into two systems, one consisting of just pitchers and the other of hitters. From there, I'll compare each Pirates farm system to farm systems league-wide, identifying those that that one or both of the Pirates farm systems are clearly stronger than. This will show how incredible the Pirates farm system currently is and how balanced it is as well.<br />
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First is the pitchers. Gerrit Cole has technically not graduated, although he almost certainly will have by the end of the season. The Pirates top pitching prospects would be as follows, with personal preference obviously involved.<br />
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Gerrit Cole<br />
Jameson Taillon<br />
Luis Heredia<br />
Nick Kingham<br />
Tyler Glasnow<br />
Kyle McPherson<br />
Blake Taylor<br />
Clay Holmes<br />
Cody Dickson <br />
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Those are the names that standout and then there is the next "tier" if you will. That would consist of Andy Oliver, Stolmy Pimentel, Phil Irwin, Brandon Cumpton, Victor Black, Joely Rodriguez, Orlando Castro, Zach Dodson, Jake Burnette, Jason Creasy, Colton Brewer, Jon Sandfort, Buddy Bordon, Neil Kozikowsk, and Chad Kuhl. I'm sure I missed a few guys too.<br />
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That's two top 25 overall prospects, three guys that have a strong argument to make the top 100 and a plethora of interesting C+ type guys. The Pirates pitching farm system would currently - unsigned draft picks included - rank unequivocally better than, in alphabetical order, the Angels, Brewers, Dodgers, Giants, Phillies, Tigers, and White Sox. They would be in the conversation the Athletics, Blue Jays, Braves, and Nationals as well. <br />
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Second is the hitters. Adding McGuire - who has signed - and Meadows - who has not - provides the system with several good hitting prospects that may even rival the pitching prospects, dispelling the previous notion or the previous trend, depending on how one looks at it, that the Pirates farm system lacks bats. The Pirates top hitting prospects would be as follows, with personal preference obviously involved.<br />
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Gregory Polanco<br />
Alen Hanson<br />
Josh Bell<br />
Austin Meadows<br />
Reese McGuire<br />
Tony Sanchez<br />
Dilson Herrera<br />
Barrett Barnes <br />
Stetson Allie<br />
Max Moroff<br />
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For hitters there is also plenty of interesting names outside of the top guys listed above. In no particular order, Wyatt Mathisen, Elvis Escobar, Harold Ramirez, Andrew Lambo, Adalberto Santos, Ivan De Jesus, Jin-De Jhang, Jacoby Jones, Alex Dickerson, Mel Rojas Jr., Jarek Cunningham, Kevin Ross, Danny Collins, Jose Osuna, Willy Garcia, Edwin Espinal, Michael De La Cruz, Julio De La Cruz, and Tito Polo. I'm sure I've missed guys worth mentioning here as well.<br />
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Comparing the hitters to the pitchers, Polanco and Hanson are both top 50 guys, with Polanco getting some recognition as a top 25 prospect overall. They compare well to Cole and Taillon, although they are a bit behind. The pitchers has Heredia, Kingham, and Glasnow as top 100 type guys and the hitters compare with a virtually equal trio of Bell, Meadows, and McGuire. In the "third tier" the hitters actually come out ahead, with Sanchez, Herrera, Barnes, Allie, and Moroff looking better than McPherson, Taylor, Holmes, and Dickson, at least in my mind. From there, the hitting depth is less than the pitching depth, even though there are plenty of names.<br />
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Again, the hitting prospects would definitely be better than the Angels, Brewers, Giants, Tigers, and White Sox farm systems. It would be closer when comparing them to the Dodgers and Phillies, at least while Yasiel Puig is eligible for the Dodgers. The Pirates could put their hitters up against the Athletics, Blue Jays, Braves, and Nationals, but they would have less of a case than the pitchers in the Pirates farm system.<br />
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All-in-all, essentially cutting the Pirates farm system in half still leaves enough talent to be substantially more impressive than half a dozen farm systems in baseball. That's pretty incredible. Add the halves together and the Pirates have one of the most formidable collections of minor league talent in baseball. In fact, they might have the best. That's a great testament to the work Neal Huntington and the rest of the front office has done over the past several years and it sets up the Pirates to have success going into the future. McCutchenistheTruthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02540590150310418792noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2037462678642791682.post-59020310636946777612013-06-20T12:44:00.002-04:002013-06-20T12:44:15.487-04:00Treasure Trove: 6/19/2013<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Indianapolis played a double header. The Indians won both games against Norfolk by scores of 8-1 and 5-3. In the first game, Jeanmar Gomez pitched a gem in a rehab start. He threw 5 innings, giving up no hits and no earned runs. Gomez walked 1 and struck out 4. Andy Oliver started the second game, giving up 4 hits, 3 earned runs, and 7 walks in 4.2 innings. He did strike out 7 batters as well. On offense, Tony Sanchez went 2-4 with a double. Andrew Lambo went 4-8 with 2 homeruns, a double, and a strikeout. Ivan DeJesus went 3-8 with a double. Next game: 12:00 P.M., 6/20.<br />
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Eliecer Navarro made his first Double-A start in a 5-2 victory over New Hampshire. He pitched well, going 6 innings, giving up 4 hits, 2 runs (1 ER), and 2 walks. Navarro also struck out 5. On offense, Gregory Polanco went 2-3, with a double, triple, and a strikeout. Alex Dickerson went 1-2, with a homerun. Jarek Cunningham and Mel Rojas Jr. both had one extra base hit, with Rojas Jr. hitting a double and a Cunningham a triple. Next game: 7:00 P.M., 6/20.<br />
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Bradenton lost to Jupiter 3-2. Starter Matt Benedict went 5 innings, giving up 6 hits, 2 earned runs, 2 walks, and 1 strikeout. On offense, Alen Hanson went 1-4, with 3 strikeouts. Willy Garcia went 0-2, with 2 walks. Eric Avila went 1-3 with a walk. Next Game: 6:30 P.M., 6/20.<br />
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West Virginia - DNP. Next Game: 7:05 P.M., 6/20.<br />
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Jamestown dropped its contest against Mahoning Valley, 7-6. Dovydas Neverauskas took the mound as the starter and lasted 5 innings, giving up 4 hits, 1 earned run. He struck out 3 batters and walked none. On offense, Jodaneli Carvajal went 2-4 with a double and a walk. Elvis Escobar went 1-5, with a double and 2 strikeouts. Harold Ramirez also had 2 hits, both singles, and 2 strikeouts in 4 at-bats. Danny Collins went 0-3, with a walk and 2 strikeouts. Next game: 7:05 P.M., 6/20.<br />
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GCL - DNP. Next Game: 12:00 P.M., 6/21<br />
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DSL Pirates 1 lost to the DSL Rockies by the score of 8-1. Starter Jose Regalado went 5 innings, giving up 6 hits and 4 runs (3 ER), 0 walks, and 4 strikeouts. On offense Tito Polo went 0-3 with a strikeout. Julio De La Cruz went 0-2 with 2 strikeouts. Yomifer Polanco had 2 hits in 4 at-bats with a strikeout. Next Game: 10:30 A.M., 6/20.<br />
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DSL Pirates 2 won their contest against the DSL Orioles 6-2. Starter Julio Vivas went 5 innings, giving up 4 hits, 2 unearned runs, and 6 strikeouts. Michael De La Cruz went 1-5, with a double and a strikeout. Edgar Figueroa went 4-5 with a double. Carlos Munoz and Steven De La Mota each went 3-5 with Munoz hitting a double and Mota a homerun. Next Game: 10:30 A.M., 6/20.<br />
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<br />McCutchenistheTruthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02540590150310418792noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2037462678642791682.post-47731795781790688642013-06-19T10:43:00.002-04:002013-06-19T10:44:17.199-04:00Treasure Trove: 6/18/2013<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Indianapolis DNP - Rain postponement; The Indians will play a doubleheader on 6/19, with Jeanmar Gomez slated to start the first game and Andy Oliver the second game.<br />
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David Bromberg got the start for the Curve and was very impressive, pitching 7 shutout innings in a 5-4 win over New Hampshire in extra innings. Bromberg gave up 4 hits and 1 walk compared to 7 strikeouts. Gregory Polanco went 0-3 with a walk. Mel Rojas Jr. and Adalberto Santos both went 2-5 with a run scored. Santos added a 2 run homerun for three RBI's total. Alex Dickerson went 1-4 with a double and a strikeout. Altoona plays at 7:00 PM on 6/19 and the starter is TBD.<br />
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Bradenton was defeated by Jupiter 11-5 with starter Zach Dodson taking the loss. He lasted 2.2 innings, giving up 6 hits, 8 runs (2 ER), and 1 walk, with 0 strikeouts. Alen Hanson prolonged 7 run third inning with an error. Hanson was, however, impressive at the plate, finishing 4-5, with a run scored and 2 doubles. He's been fantastic in June. (.953 OPS) Eric Avila went 3-4 with 2 homeruns. Junior Sosa and Dan Gamache had the only other hits, each going 1-4. Matt Benedict will start on 6/19 at 6:35.<br />
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West Virginia DNP - All-star break; The Power will resume play on 6/20 at 7:05. The Power starter is TBD.<br />
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Jamestown won their contest with Mahoning Valley 3-0. Colton Brewer pitched 5 shutout innings giving up 5 hits and a walk. He struck out two batters. Jamestown only managed four hits, with Elvis Escobar, Jin-De Jhang, Danny Collins, and Edwin Espinal having a hit each. Escobar struck out twice and added a walk. Collins walked once. Jhang's hit was a homrun. Harold Ramirez went 0-4 with 2 strikeouts. Davydas Neverauskas will start at 7:05 on 6/19 for the Jammers.<br />
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GCL DNP - Season yet to start; The GCL Pirates will start on 6/21 at 12:00 PM<br />
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The DSL Pirates 1 lost to the DSL Rockies 5-2. Starter Ramon Rodriguez went 5 innings, giving up 6 hits and 2 runs (1ER). He struck out 3 and walked none. Tito Polo went 1-3 with a walk. Julio De La Cruz went hitless in 4 at-bats and struck out twice. Luis Benitez went 2-3 with a K. The DSL Pirates 1 play at 10:30 AM against the DSL Rockies on 6/19.<br />
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The DSL Pirates 2 lost to the DSL Orioles 2 3-2. Starter Omar Basulto pitched 5 innings, giving up 7 hits and 3 earned runs, while striking out 5. 17 year-old relief pitcher Richard Mitchell pitched two scoreless innings in relief, giving up a hit and striking out 2. Michael De La Cruz went 1-3, with 2 walks and a strikeout. Johan Herrera went 0-4 with a walk. Carlos Munoz went 2-5. The DSL Pirates 2 face DSL Orioles 2 at 10:30 AM on 6/19.McCutchenistheTruthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02540590150310418792noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2037462678642791682.post-53279017894169436142013-06-18T10:07:00.001-04:002013-06-18T10:18:29.517-04:00Treasure Trove: 6/17/2013<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Indianapolis beat Norfolk 4-2. Stolmy Pimentel made his first AAA start and pitched very well. He pitched 6 innings, giving up 5 hits, an unearned run and 2 walks. In addition, Pimentel punched out 7 batters. On offense, Matt Hague went 3-4, with a run scored and an RBI. Tony Sanchez continued his impressive season, going 2-4 with a 2B and a homerun. He also scored a run and knocked in two. Ivan DeJesus also had two hits, one run scored, and one RBI, hitting a homerun along with a single. Jean Gomez will pitch against Norfolk on 6/18 at 7:05 PM.<br />
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Altoona - DNP; David Bromberg will take the mound against New Hampshire at 7:05 PM on 6/18<br />
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Bradenton got shut out, dropping their contest with Jupiter 2-0. Adrian Sampson started and gave up 9 hits in 5 innings, along with 2 earned runs. He also struck out 5 batters and walked none. At the plate, the Marauders managed only one extra base hit, a triple by Junior Sosa. Alen Hanson and Jose Osuna also had hits, with each batter going 1-4, with Hanson striking out once. Bradenton will face Jupiter on 6/18 at 6:35 with Zach Dodson on the hill.<br />
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West Virginia - DNP; The Power will resume play at 7:05 PM at 6/20. The Power's starter has yet to be determined. <br />
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Jamestown opened their season with a 5-0 win over Mahoning Valley. Starter Issac Sanchez was excellent, striking out 5 batters and giving up 3 hits over 5 innings. The Jammers finished the contest with 14 hits. 12 were singles, with Harold Ramirez having a double (2-5) and Danny Collins a homerun (2-4). Both batters also struck out once. Elvis Escobar went 3-4 and Jin De Jhang went 2-4. Edwin Espinal added a single in 4 attempts. <br />
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GCL - DNP<br />
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<span id="goog_538033558"></span><span id="goog_538033559"></span>DSL 1 lost to the DSL 2 Mets 4-2. Miguel Ferreras got the start, pitching 5 innings, giving up 5 hits and 3 earned runs. He also walked 0 batters and struck out 6. On offense, one of the youngest players on the team, Tito Polo went 1-4 with a HR. Another young prospect, Julio De La Cruz went 1-4 with a single and a strikeout. DSL plays at 10:30 AM on 6/18.<br />
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DSL 2 lost to the DSL Reds 7-6. Francis Rodriguez started the game, giving up 9 hits and 7 runs, 6 earned, in 3.2 innings. He recorded one walk and one strikeout. Michael De La Cruz had a good game, going 1-3, with 2 walks and a strikeout. Johan Herrera topped him, going 3-4, with a walk. DSL plays at 10:30 AM on 6/18.McCutchenistheTruthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02540590150310418792noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2037462678642791682.post-7315234122270608922013-06-17T10:48:00.000-04:002013-06-17T10:48:29.734-04:00Treasure Trove: 6/16/2013<span id="goog_1019769059"></span><span id="goog_1019769060"></span><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-c1T2LSvybBs/Ub8Yc45u_rI/AAAAAAAAA9s/ZeEagvwF5PI/s1600/Indy+Logo.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-c1T2LSvybBs/Ub8Yc45u_rI/AAAAAAAAA9s/ZeEagvwF5PI/s1600/Indy+Logo.png" /></a>The Indianapolis Indians dropped their game against the Durham Bulls by the score of 5-2. James McDonald took the mound on a rehab start and gave up 8 hits, 3 earned runs, and issued 3 walks, while only striking out 1 batter in 5 innings. He threw 93 pitches and only 52 for strikes. Josh Harrison led off for the Indians and went 2-4 with a triple and a strikeout. Tony Sanchez went 1-4 with a run scored. Newly promoted Andrew Lambo went 1-3, with a 2-run homerun. Stolmy Pimentel will make his AAA debut on 6/17 at 7:05 PM.<br />
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The Altoona Curve won their contest against the Trenton Thunder 2-1. Jameson Taillon started after missing nearly two weeks with stiffness. Taillon pitched very well, going 5 innings, giving up 6 hits and 1 unearned run. He did not walk a batter and struck out 6. Adalberto Santos went 2-3 with a run scored and a walk. Gregory Polanco continued hitting after his promotion, going 2-4. Jarek Cunningham had the lone extra base hit for the Curve, going 1-4, with a double and a strikeout. Altoona has 6/17 off and will play against on 6/18.<br />
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Bradenton - DNP. Bradenton plays 6/17 at 6:35. Adrian Sampson will get the nod as the starter. <br />
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<span id="goog_1019769041">The West Virgina Power squared off against the Greensboro Grasshopers, coming out on the wrong side of a 7-5 score. Joely Rodriguez got the start and got hit around, giving up 11 hits and 7 runs, although only two were earned, in 4.2 innings. He struck out 3 batters while walking one. Barrett Barnes went 2-4, with a walk, a run scored, and 2 strikeouts. Eric Wood went 1-3, with 2 walks, 2 strikeouts, and a grand slam. Max Moroff went 0-2, with 2 walks. Josh Bell missed his second straight game with an allegedly minor knee injury. Stetson Allie also got the day off. </span>The Power will return to action on 6/20 after the South Atlantic League All-Star game. <br />
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<span id="goog_1019769064"></span><span id="goog_1019769065"></span>DSL 1 - DNP. DSL 1 is currently playing today starting at 10:30 A.M. <br />
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DSL 2- DNP. DSL 2 is currently playing today starting at 10:30 A.M. <br />
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<span id="goog_1019769057"></span><span id="goog_1019769058"></span><br />McCutchenistheTruthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02540590150310418792noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2037462678642791682.post-61388106894419350282013-06-16T22:08:00.001-04:002013-06-16T22:09:03.138-04:00Gerrit Cole: Where are the Strikeouts?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Through 12IP, Gerrit Cole has only recorded three outs via punchout. Considering the confirmed importance of strikeouts - batters who never put a ball in play only reach base in the most rare of circumstances - this could be alarming considering the expectations surrounding Cole. The former first overall pick is supposed to come into his own quickly and anchor the Pirates as the best starter to pitch in the steel city in decades, if not possibly ever. A scouting reports suggests Cole could meet these expectations. His stuff is tremendous and he pitched well in 2012, but in 2013 Cole's numbers in AAA were less than inspiring. To date in AAA this year, Cole had only struck out 47 batters in 68 innings compared to 28 walks prior to being called up.<br />
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As outlined earlier, Cole's strikeout numbers haven't picked up with the move to the highest stage in baseball. A strikeout ever fourth inning, calculating out to a K/9 of 2.25 is frankly, terrible. The major league sample size is miniscule at this point, but with the way Cole had trouble striking out batters in AAA, it's safe to say he hasn't totally assuaged any concerns about his K rate so far this year.<br />
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However, there is a narrative to be examined by digging deeper in the stats. Cole has an electric fastball. It can reach triple digits and thus far in the major leagues, Cole has maxed out the pitch at 99.4 miles per hour. Over 2 games, Cole's heater has averaged 96.1 miles per hour. Without directly comparing them, I can guarantee that those numbers are excellent. The pitch has earned 80 grades, and even accounting for the negative criticisms about the pitch's lack of movement and deception, it is a plus-plus offering. <br />
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Cole has thrown that fastball nearly 80% of the time. That's an extremely high use of the fastball. 4 out of 5 pitches Cole has thrown has been a fastball. Throwing that many fastballs isn't going to lead to many strikeouts. However, it has lead to something else Cole has done thus far, which has been a very good signal of future success. He has yet to walk a batter in 12 innings after walking over 3 per 9 innings in the minors so far this year.<br />
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When Cole begins to use his offspeed pitches - he's only thrown his changeup 3.7% of the time and it's a true strikeout pitch; the same can be said about his slider, which he either hasn't used, or he's only used 17% of the time, depending on reports - the strikeouts will most likely come. With his stuff, they could come at exceptional levels. Either way, exceptional or simply solid, Cole will be able to complement his strikeout rate with a great walk rate. One way to do that, which is how Cole has done it thus far, is to just rely on his fastball.<br />
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The question is, will that work. The early returns suggest yes. Cole has only thrown 64 fastball's to date, which is a small sample size, but it's not entirely meaningless and it's what we have to work with. Thus far, Cole's swinging strike rate on his fastball is 10.9%. For comparison, that's better than every pitch I could fathom to have a better rate than Cole except for two. Matt Harvey and Yu Darvish, and those two pitchers barely beat out Cole.<br />
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My conclusion is that Cole has shown an exceptional fastball thus far in the major leagues. It's good enough that he can have solid success - even without the many strikeouts, the fact that he hasn't walked a better makes his success thus far fairly legitimate - while relying on his heater to an extreme degree. That gives Cole a foundation to rely on. He can go to his fastball and simply throw it in the zone and expect a high amount of swings and misses. That allows him to limit the damage of walks by not issuing them while not getting punished for pitching in the zone when required. From that foundation, Cole can add his secondaries, secondaries with immense potential, and start punching out batters via the strikeout, all while keeping that walk rate low. That's the path to being an ace, something the Pirates expected when drafting Cole first overall in 2011.McCutchenistheTruthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02540590150310418792noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2037462678642791682.post-56834662969115573122013-04-23T18:11:00.001-04:002013-04-23T18:13:33.574-04:00The Swing Frequencies of the Pirates Offense<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span lang="EN-US">The 2013
season is 19 games old for the Pittsburgh Pirates; yet hot or cold starts are
still nothing more than that in most cases due to the small sample size of the
season. However, a hitter’s swing rate is something that tends to begin to
stabilize early on in the season (<a href="http://buriedtreasurepirates.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/the-polar-opposites-of-pirates-pitching.html"><span style="color: windowtext;">at around 50 plate appearances</span></a>) and the
Bucs have eight hitters that can be examined using this statistic.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">I have also
added each player’s swinging strike percentage as this statistic would be the
next to stabilize (at around 100 plate appearances); it’s also a good reference
point for the swing percentage – as if a player is swinging more often may
indicate whether the player is controlling that aggression. Conversely, if a
player is swinging at fewer pitches, a reduced whiff frequency can highlight
selectivity. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Looking at
players that are swinging on a more regular basis than 2012, the Pirates have
three hitters with more than 50 plate appearances that would fall into this
category. While <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/j/jonesga02.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">Garrett Jones</a> and <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/m/martest01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">Starling Marte</a> have seen a slight swing increase,
<a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/a/alvarpe01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">Pedro Alvarez</a> has seen a large increase:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoNormalTable" style="background: #BFBFBF; border-collapse: collapse; margin-left: 4.45pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-pattern: gray-25 auto; mso-shading: windowtext; mso-yfti-tbllook: 1184; width: 380px;">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 14.25pt; mso-yfti-firstrow: yes; mso-yfti-irow: 0;">
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.25pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 48.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="64"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US">Season<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.25pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 113.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="151"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US">Player<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.25pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 62.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="83"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US">Swing%<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.25pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 62.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="83"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US">SwStr%<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 1;">
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 48.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="64"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US">2012<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 113.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="151"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span lang="EN-US">Garrett Jones<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 62.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="83"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US">51.3%<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 62.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="83"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US">11.7%<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 2;">
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 48.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="64"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US">2013<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 113.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="151"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span lang="EN-US">Garrett Jones<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 62.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="83"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US">52.2%<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 62.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="83"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US">13.5%<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 3;">
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 48.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="64"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US">2012<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 113.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="151"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span lang="EN-US">Pedro Alvarez<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 62.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="83"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US">48.0%<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 62.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="83"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US">13.6%<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 4;">
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 48.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="64"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US">2013<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 113.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="151"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span lang="EN-US">Pedro Alvarez<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 62.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="83"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US">53.2%<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 62.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="83"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US">18.9%<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 5;">
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 48.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="64"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US">2012<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 113.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="151"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span lang="EN-US">Starling Marte<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 62.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="83"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US">46.1%<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 62.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="83"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US">12.5%<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 6; mso-yfti-lastrow: yes;">
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 48.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="64"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US">2013<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 113.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="151"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span lang="EN-US">Starling Marte<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 62.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="83"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US">47.1%<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 62.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="83"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US">11.2%<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
When <a href="http://buriedtreasurepirates.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/pedro-alvarezs-early-season-slump.html">I looked at Alvarez last week</a> his swing percentage stood at 50.8%, whiffing on 19.3% of swings; so while he swung more often over the weekend, he at least made more contact (hitting a pair of home runs in the process). </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Jones is continuing his more aggressive approach at the plate this season (2012 was the first season where his Swing% surpassed the 50% mark); however he’s also missing more often. The difference is that he is currently swinging and missing more often outside of the zone, as his O-Contact% has dropped from 66.7% to 52.6% - swinging at some very bad pitches below the zone: </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7aQnyiMcGZA/UXcFOrFLqTI/AAAAAAAAAQw/Mx5eKKAB7LA/s1600/Jones+swinging+early.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7aQnyiMcGZA/UXcFOrFLqTI/AAAAAAAAAQw/Mx5eKKAB7LA/s1600/Jones+swinging+early.png" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
One of Jones’ big misses at the plate was highlighted by <a href="http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/the-worst-of-the-best-the-weeks-wildest-swings/">FanGraphs’ Jeff Sullivan</a>, swinging at a pitch that was located 39.7 inches from the center of the zone: </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9k1j_rYkdcM/UXcFgZRLOKI/AAAAAAAAAQ4/cwhWYmoEPgI/s1600/Jones+wild+swing.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9k1j_rYkdcM/UXcFgZRLOKI/AAAAAAAAAQ4/cwhWYmoEPgI/s1600/Jones+wild+swing.gif" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Of the eight hitters that are swinging on a less frequent basis than in 2012, the difference for <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/m/mccutan01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">Andrew McCutchen</a> and <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/w/walkene01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">Neil Walker</a> has been very small (although McCutchen is making more contact). <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/b/barmecl01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">Clint Barmes</a> is also currently swinging, as well as whiffing, less often, however it hasn’t stopped him from striking out more than he did last year (24.1 K%). Nonetheless, two of the Pirates’ hottest hitters are also part of this group:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoNormalTable" style="background: #BFBFBF; border-collapse: collapse; margin-left: 4.45pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-pattern: gray-25 auto; mso-shading: windowtext; mso-yfti-tbllook: 1184; width: 399px;">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 14.25pt; mso-yfti-firstrow: yes; mso-yfti-irow: 0;">
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.25pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 62.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="83"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US">Season<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.25pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 113.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="151"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US">Player<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.25pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 62.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="83"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US">Swing%<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.25pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 62.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="83"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US">SwStr%<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 1;">
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 62.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="83"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US">2012<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 113.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="151"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span lang="EN-US">Andrew McCutchen<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 62.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="83"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US">46.2%<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 62.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="83"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US">9.8%<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 2;">
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 62.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="83"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US">2013<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 113.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="151"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span lang="EN-US">Andrew McCutchen<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 62.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="83"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US">46.0%<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 62.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="83"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US">9.0%<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 3;">
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 62.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="83"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US">2012<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 113.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="151"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span lang="EN-US">Clint Barmes<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 62.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="83"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US">51.7%<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 62.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="83"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US">10.5%<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 4;">
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 62.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="83"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US">2013<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 113.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="151"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span lang="EN-US">Clint Barmes<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 62.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="83"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US">49.7%<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 62.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="83"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US">9.4%<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 5;">
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 62.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="83"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US">2012<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 113.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="151"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span lang="EN-US">Neil Walker<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 62.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="83"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US">46.0%<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 62.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="83"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US">8.1%<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 6;">
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 62.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="83"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US">2013<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 113.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="151"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span lang="EN-US">Neil Walker<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 62.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="83"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US">45.4%<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 62.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="83"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US">8.3%<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 7;">
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 62.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="83"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US">2012<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 113.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="151"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span lang="EN-US"><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/m/martiru01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">Russell Martin</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 62.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="83"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US">41.6%<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 62.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="83"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US">8.3%<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 62.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="83"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US">2013<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Russell Martin<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">35.6%<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 62.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="83"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US">3.8%<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
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<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 9;">
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<span lang="EN-US">2012<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/snidetr01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">Travis Snider</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">45.8%<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 62.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="83"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US">9.4%<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 10; mso-yfti-lastrow: yes;">
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<span lang="EN-US">2013<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Travis Snider<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 62.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="83"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US">41.7%<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 62.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="83"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US">6.6%<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
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I examined Russell Martin last week and noted how he had been <a href="http://buriedtreasurepirates.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/russell-martins-unfortunate-start-to.html">incredibly selective at the plate</a>. He has since turned a batting line of .103/.205/.154 into .241/.349/.426 with a great series against the Braves, increasing his wOBA 167 points to .344. While he’s not going to continue on the torrid pace that he’s been on over the last week (hitting .526/.609/.947), it should also be noted that Martin’s batting average on balls in play is still a below average .234 – so his overall line does have room for improvement, especially if he maintains his <a href="http://buriedtreasurepirates.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/highlighting-russell-martins-plate.html">current level of plate discipline</a>. </div>
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Travis Snider has been the Pirates’ best hitter on the season overall (.392 wOBA) and a doubles machine. While Martin was sure to see natural regression toward the mean to aid in his improvement, Snider’s .429 BABIP will be unsustainable and will see regression in this department. Nonetheless, not only is he swinging at a lower regularity between last season and this year, his 2012 Swing% was also below his career 49.3% mark. Snider’s whiff frequency is showing a similar trend, almost cut in half from his career 12.0 SwStr%. Like Martin, Snider has only swung at a small number of bad pitches, otherwise showing very strong plate discipline: </div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vDEoJQd6Ga8/UXcFAwjhPhI/AAAAAAAAAQo/l2Q_GphZ00E/s1600/Snider+Swinging+early.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vDEoJQd6Ga8/UXcFAwjhPhI/AAAAAAAAAQo/l2Q_GphZ00E/s1600/Snider+Swinging+early.png" /></a></div>
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Both of Snider’s swing% and swinging strike percentage will be worth monitoring going forward as it could signify a huge difference in Snider’s approach at the plate – especially if Snider starts to see more at-bats against left-handed pitching (only three plate appearances so far), rather than remaining in the right field platoon.</div>
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The season is still early and the Pirates have a 10-9 record and a lot will change – even over the next week. Nonetheless, at this point of the season contributions from all players will now begin to be questioned as to whether they are sustainable going forward as the sample size continues to grow.</div>
Jimmy Coverdalehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10078300085207463090noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2037462678642791682.post-44618052629976867652013-04-19T18:31:00.001-04:002013-04-19T18:31:36.793-04:00Pedro Alvarez's Early Season Slump<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WzSU_t3mRNA/UXG_FJdL9CI/AAAAAAAAAPw/pNYWny1Lc2o/s1600/Alvarez.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="218" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WzSU_t3mRNA/UXG_FJdL9CI/AAAAAAAAAPw/pNYWny1Lc2o/s320/Alvarez.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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After looking at <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/m/martiru01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">Russell Martin</a>’s start to the season, it’s natural that a fellow struggler who hit his first home run of the season against the Braves on Thursday night should follow. Many people saw <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/a/alvarpe01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">Pedro Alvarez</a> as one of <a href="http://triblive.com/sports/dejankovacevic/dejancolumns/3574311-74/alvarez-mcdonald-think#axzz2QwayaLyq">the most important players on the roster</a> if the Pirates are to be successful this season; however Alvarez will need to refine his approach at the plate if he’s going to hit for more than power this season. </div>
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When I looked at Alvarez <a href="http://www.jimmycoverdale.com/2012/03/evaluating-pedro-alvarez.html">prior to the start of last season</a> I stated that even if Pedro did hit for power in 2012 it would likely be accompanied with a low OBP and a ton of strikeouts – and that he may also be better suited for a platoon. Alvarez went on to hit 30 home runs (.223 ISO) with a .317 OBP and 30.7 K% - with a .353 wOBA when facing right handed pitching and a .284 wOBA against lefties. If Alvarez is ever going to surpass those levels he will need to reduce the strikeouts; however the early signs have not been positive. </div>
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Alvarez has opened up the 2013 season hitting .104/.204/.167 over 54 plate appearances. His wOBA sits at .171, which produces a park and league adjusted wRC+ of just 2. While Alvarez has not had a lot of luck (.133 BABIP), he’s struck out on 31.5% of trips to the plate (17 Ks in total, walking six times) and <a href="http://pitchfx.texasleaguers.com/charts/gen/4768832013040120130418AAAAAspray-chart.png">he’s not showing a lot of power</a> – only one of his five hits has gone for extra bases (the homer against the Braves). </div>
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While Russell Martin has been very selective at the plate, swinging at just 36.5% of pitches seen, Alvarez has been aggressive. His swing percentage, a statistic that has <a href="http://buriedtreasurepirates.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/the-polar-opposites-of-pirates-pitching.html">started to stabilize</a>, currently sits at 50.8%, which would be a career high. This aggressive approach at the plate would not be a problem if he was making contact; however Alvarez has whiffed at 19.3% of all pitches seen – the second highest swinging-strike percentage in the majors among hitters that would qualify for the batting title behind <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/r/rasmuco01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">Colby Rasmus</a>' 19.8 SwStr% (and well above his career SwStr% average of 13.5%). He’s swinging at some bad pitches, with an unsurprising cluster of breaking balls over the outside corner – Alvarez’s weakness: </div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DpxV_ZOdBDo/UXG-0tgFITI/AAAAAAAAAPo/OMyTKE7PGv8/s1600/Alvarez+swinging+early.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DpxV_ZOdBDo/UXG-0tgFITI/AAAAAAAAAPo/OMyTKE7PGv8/s1600/Alvarez+swinging+early.png" /></a></div>
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While their overall offensive results have been similar, Pedro Alvarez has almost been the opposite of Russell Martin: he’s swinging and whiffing on a more frequent basis than he has over the course of his career so far; nonetheless his <a href="http://pittsburgh.pirates.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=26389055&c_id=mlb">home run against the Braves</a> again demonstrated his plus power. A high number of strikeouts are now what is expected from Alvarez along with hot and cold streaks; so it could simply be waiting for a hot streak for the strikeouts to be combined with power on consistent basis. Nonetheless, if Alvarez is going to surpass his 2012 numbers, his free-swing approach will need to be harnessed and his pitch recognition will need to improve, as swinging at breaking balls over the outside corner has been a long-standing weakness.</div>
Jimmy Coverdalehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10078300085207463090noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2037462678642791682.post-32525843539456220752013-04-19T14:31:00.000-04:002013-04-19T14:31:32.640-04:00Highlighting Russell Martin's Plate Discipline<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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When I wrote about the start of Russell Martin’s Pirates career at the plate yesterday, I stated that <a href="http://buriedtreasurepirates.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/russell-martins-unfortunate-start-to.html#more">his low batting average on balls in play combined with his plate discipline</a> indicated that he would likely see a turnaround in fortunes. What I didn't expect was to see an immediate example of how his selectivity at the plate will help him break out of his slump. </div>
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Martin hit his first Pirates homer in the second inning against the Braves. He took a first pitch fastball for a strike before taking three straight balls (a curveball sandwiched by a pair of fastballs) that were only just outside the zone. The fifth pitch (another fastball) was deposited into the left field seats: </div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8L7I4Sqip_s/UXGKHEbZkoI/AAAAAAAAAPA/y56kzM8lvx4/s1600/Martin+homer.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8L7I4Sqip_s/UXGKHEbZkoI/AAAAAAAAAPA/y56kzM8lvx4/s1600/Martin+homer.png" /></a></div>
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Martin reached base twice more in the game; he was hit by a pitch in the four and then singled to third in the fifth before grounding out to third in the eighth. He saw 17 pitches in those four plate appearances and swung the bat just three times. The first chart below chart shows the pitches that Martin swung at last night – all three in the heart of the zone (the curveball charted outside the strike zone was actually the pitch that hit him) – while the second shows Martin's called balls and strikes against the Braves: </div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lUDiGbSCPFw/UXGKWZqpq2I/AAAAAAAAAPI/KBGJgWkwfJI/s1600/Martin+v+Braves.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lUDiGbSCPFw/UXGKWZqpq2I/AAAAAAAAAPI/KBGJgWkwfJI/s400/Martin+v+Braves.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-S9zLJucV9tM/UXGLCpAjFFI/AAAAAAAAAPQ/-3oAJDTgUDw/s1600/Martin+balls+and+strikes.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-S9zLJucV9tM/UXGLCpAjFFI/AAAAAAAAAPQ/-3oAJDTgUDw/s400/Martin+balls+and+strikes.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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The hope is that Martin will build on last night’s home run, however for his luck to improve then he’ll need to tap into more of the power seen in his first plate appearance rather than failing to leave the infield with the other two balls that he put in play. Nonetheless, Martin’s plate discipline right now is a big plus, which is highlighted in the above chart, and it's likely to be the key to turning around his fortunes.</div>
Jimmy Coverdalehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10078300085207463090noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2037462678642791682.post-5573611387122542292013-04-18T18:55:00.000-04:002013-04-18T18:56:37.740-04:00Russell Martin's Unfortunate Start To His Pirates Career<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7zyEmaa_XVk/UXB2Gm6SrtI/AAAAAAAAAOw/61IxAgFwnLA/s1600/Martin2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7zyEmaa_XVk/UXB2Gm6SrtI/AAAAAAAAAOw/61IxAgFwnLA/s320/Martin2.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/m/martiru01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">Russell Martin</a> was the Pirates’ big free agent addition over the winter, signing the largest major league free agent contract in club history. While his Pirates career his started slowly offensively, he has helped the club defensively; FanGraphs’ Jeff Sullivan looked at the impact that Martin has had with his <a href="http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/the-pittsburgh-pirates-have-a-receiver/">pitch framing skills</a> and noted a big change for the Bucs. However, as good as Martin could be defensively he will soon need to offer something at the plate in order for him to have value to the club. </div>
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Martin’s hitting .103/.205/.154 over 44 plate appearances with just two extra base hits (both doubles). His .177 wOBA it the third lowest on the team, which produces a park and league adjusted wRC+ of just 7, only hitting better than <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/b/barmecl01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">Clint Barmes</a> (.150 wOBA, -12 wRC+) and <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/a/alvarpe01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">Pedro Alvarez</a> (.140 wOBA, -18 wRC+). Needless to say, Martin’s had a poor start offensively; although it is too early to make <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/b/barajro01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">Rod Barajas</a> comparisons. </div>
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A closer look does provide a lot of hope for a turnaround. He’s struck out just five times (11.4 K%), so the slow start is largely luck related. Batting average on balls in play is <i>the</i> statistic that many cited when looking at Martin’s potential at surpassing his .211/.311/.403 batting line in 2012. While his .222 BABIP was low last season, it’s made to look lucky by his .118 BABIP so far this season. However, one of the reasons why Martin’s balls in play average is so low is that he’s shown very little power. When balls have left the infield, Martin has failed to show even warning track power: </div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cQrYt7pmi30/UXB15MI8y9I/AAAAAAAAAOo/bqSg17OkEnE/s1600/Martin+spray+chart.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cQrYt7pmi30/UXB15MI8y9I/AAAAAAAAAOo/bqSg17OkEnE/s1600/Martin+spray+chart.png" /></a></div>
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Martin’s BABIP is going to regress towards the mean; although it was always likely to be on the unlucky side given that he’s not had an above average batting average on balls in play since 2008. What Martin has not done in an effort to hit his way out of the early season slump is expand the strike zone; in fact he’s shown remarkable plate discipline given his lack of success at the plate, only swinging at a couple of bad pitches: </div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8sCgtRtCz44/UXB1x2ODcII/AAAAAAAAAOg/_niM9eDNx5c/s1600/Martin+swinging+early.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8sCgtRtCz44/UXB1x2ODcII/AAAAAAAAAOg/_niM9eDNx5c/s1600/Martin+swinging+early.png" /></a></div>
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Martin is rarely swinging the bat (36.6 Swing%) – only ten hitters among those that would qualify for the batting title at this point of the season have swung the bat on a less frequent basis. His selectivity at the plate is further seen in his whiff rate as Martin has swung and missed at 3.8% of pitches seen (only 14 hitters have whiffed less frequently). However, Martin is also seeing fewer pitches than usual; he’s currently seeing 3.59 pitches per plate appearance, which would be a career low (although this statistic is more than 100 plate appearances from <a href="http://buriedtreasurepirates.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/the-polar-opposites-of-pirates-pitching.html">beginning to stabilize</a>). All of this is over the small sample size of the season so far, so it will be interesting to see if Martin's current approach alters at all once his statistics begin to trend upwards.</div>
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While Russell Martin’s Pittsburgh Pirates career has begun slowly at the plate, the positive is that he is at least helping defensively. Regardless of <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/m/mckenmi01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">Michael McKenry</a>’s performance in the backup role, Martin’s salary means that he should see the majority of time behind the plate in any case. Nonetheless, with the low BABIP and controlled strike zone then it’s likely that Martin will soon see a turnaround in fortunes; although he will really need to show more power in the process.</div>
Jimmy Coverdalehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10078300085207463090noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2037462678642791682.post-60330886085682297722013-04-17T20:12:00.000-04:002013-04-17T20:14:25.719-04:00Jonathan Sanchez's Pirates Future<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-usWjJ7vbh2Y/UW851S_KUCI/AAAAAAAAAOI/oULQS7HE4IA/s1600/Jonathan+Sanchez.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-usWjJ7vbh2Y/UW851S_KUCI/AAAAAAAAAOI/oULQS7HE4IA/s320/Jonathan+Sanchez.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Prior to the suspension of Tuesday night’s game against the St Louis Cardinals, <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/sanchjo01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">Jonathan Sanchez</a> had given up two runs (one earned) over two innings – he gave up two hits while striking out three and walking just one hitter (with all the damage done in the first inning). With <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/l/liriafr01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">Francisco Liriano</a>, <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/k/karstje01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">Jeff Karstens</a> and <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/player_search.cgi?results=mortoch02,mortoch01&utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">Charlie Morton</a> either beginning to make rehab outings or close to it, the Pirates rotation has the potential to get overcrowded fairly soon. The question is where this leaves Sanchez in the future with the club. </div>
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Sanchez has made two other starts this season. In his debut against the Dodgers he gave up three earned runs in five innings, giving up six hits, striking out four and walking one. His second start was an ugly one against the Diamondbacks. He lasted just three and a third and gave up nine runs (all earned) on eight hits and four walks, striking out just two in the process. </div>
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While Sanchez has only just surpassed the ten inning mark (unofficially, given that the start against the Cardinals was rained out), he really needs to improve and quickly if he will retain a spot in the rotation when others are healthy. That said, it may still be a losing battle for a starting role; however the bullpen may be better suited for the left-hander in any case. </div>
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Sanchez has been much better when facing a hitter for the first time in a game over the course of his career with opposing batters hitting .220/.333/.364 against him first time up, which rises to .241/.339/.410 and .277/.366/.461 in the second and third plate appearances against him respectively. The shorter outing nature of relieving could help him improve on his numbers - he'd be able to pitch without worrying about fatigue - likely adding heat to his fastball in the process. The average velocity of his fastball/sinker has declined each year since 2009, with the slight increase this season likely due to the season being so young: </div>
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Sanchez is now pitching in the high-80s/low-90s and his fastball has topped out at 92.6 mph so far this season. In comparison, early in his career Sanchez’s average velocity was comfortably in the low 90s and he was able to reach back and hit 96 mph on the gun. </div>
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While pitching out of the pen may help Sanchez find some of the lost speed in his fastball, it would also limit his exposure to right handed hitters. Righties have hit him for a .339 wOBA-against (4.58 FIP) over the course of his career while lefties have a wOBA of .302 when facing Sanchez (3.74 FIP). He also has a career 2.66 strikeouts for every walk when facing a left-hander, compared to 1.63 strikeouts per walk against righties. </div>
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Jonathan Sanchez has always had swing-and-miss stuff, however he’s also always had issues with control. While he’s likely on borrowed time in the Pirates rotation; pitching out of the bullpen could be an option going forward and the move could help him mask his problems with the free passes. He could be an option to take <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/g/gomezje01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">Jeanmar Gomez</a>’s role as the long-man if Gomez’s luck runs out (his current .250 BABIP is driving his 1.29 ERA); while <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/w/wilsoju10.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">Justin Wilson</a> and <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/w/watsoto01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">Tony Watson</a> both have options remaining if the club wants to stick with two lefties in the pen and keep hold of both Sanchez and Gomez. Nonetheless, Sanchez's future in the rotation is likely linked to the rehab schedules of Francisco Liriano, Jeff Karstens and Charlie Morton.</div>
Jimmy Coverdalehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10078300085207463090noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2037462678642791682.post-59095193477027662702013-04-16T17:59:00.003-04:002013-04-16T18:08:23.635-04:00Starling Marte's Hot Start<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZH1gBTxPCHI/UW3HdGWoPTI/AAAAAAAAANg/SYi0M9HcCrg/s1600/Starling+Marte.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="218" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZH1gBTxPCHI/UW3HdGWoPTI/AAAAAAAAANg/SYi0M9HcCrg/s320/Starling+Marte.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span lang="EN-US">Through the
first thirteen games of the season, <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/m/martest01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">Starling Marte</a> has a triple slash line of .370/.404/.519 in 57 plate appearances, picking up 20 hits
– five of which went for extra bases (three doubles, one triple and a home run) - and is currently on a nine-game hitting streak. Marte has been the Pirates’ best hitter so far; his .402 wOBA is almost 50
points higher than <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/snidetr01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">Travis Snider</a>’s .355 wOBA.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Nonetheless,
Marte is unlikely to sustain this level of success as his .487 batting average
on balls in play will eventually <a href="http://www.fangraphs.com/library/principles/regression/">regress to the
mean</a> (although this is fairly obvious). 28.2% of balls that Marte has put in play have been line drives and
he’s been fortunate that many have fallen in front of outfielders. He’s hit few
flyballs (with a FB% of 17.9%) and his extra base hits have come down the lines:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Marte has
been able to reduce his strikeout percentage to 24.6% (14 times in total) from
27.5% in 2012, although this should not be seen as Marte being more patient at the
plate: he’s only walked twice and he’s seen fewer pitches per plate appearance
this season (3.74) than last season (3.91). However, the season is still very
young and at this point the only statistic that has really begun to stabilize
is a player’s swing percentage (which <a href="http://buriedtreasurepirates.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/the-polar-opposites-of-pirates-pitching.html">tends
to become stable after 50 plate appearances</a>).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Marte has
been swinging the bat less frequently this season, down to <a href="http://www.fangraphs.com/statss.aspx?playerid=9241&position=OF#platediscipline">43.4%
from 46.1% in 2012</a>; although it is only a small decrease. This difference
can be found outside the zone, with a 29.5 O-Swing% (down from 34.8% last season), which is right around
the <a href="http://www.fangraphs.com/library/offense/plate-discipline/">league
average rate</a>, and he’s also been able to make contact with 51.6% of pitches that he has swung at outside the zone. While this could be a step towards Marte becoming a
more selective hitter, it will require more data before that conclusion can be
made. He has still expanded the zone at times this season; with the majority of
pitches that Marte has swung at outside the zone have unsurprisingly been changeups
and sliders (two pitches that he was below average against last season <a href="http://www.fangraphs.com/statss.aspx?playerid=9241&position=OF#pitchvalues">according to pitch values</a>):<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">While it’s unlikely
to last at current levels, Starling Marte has been an offensive highlight so
far this season; <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/m/mccutan01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">Andrew McCutchen</a> is the only other regular who has been above
average at the plate (.347 wOBA, 120 wRC+), with platoon players Travis Snider (.355 wOBA) and <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/j/jonesga02.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">Garrett Jones</a> (.349 wOBA) as well as backup catcher <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/m/mckenmi01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">Michael McKenry</a>
(.582 wOBA) being the only other above average Pirates hitters. All of this is
still over a very small sample size; however Marte may well be making progress
at the plate and this possible increased selectivity is something that is worth
monitoring as the season progresses. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
Jimmy Coverdalehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10078300085207463090noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2037462678642791682.post-3652557775190403702013-04-07T14:40:00.000-04:002013-04-07T14:40:02.558-04:00The Polar Opposites of Pirates Pitching and Hitting in a Small Sample Size<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-asfXsl3wcX4/UWG7R-82K-I/AAAAAAAAAMg/r901hEDW6-s/s1600/AJ+Burnett.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-asfXsl3wcX4/UWG7R-82K-I/AAAAAAAAAMg/r901hEDW6-s/s320/AJ+Burnett.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<![endif]-->The Pirates offense has been that bad so far this season that it has overshadowed some very good pitching. The season is still very young and much will change, even over the next week, and not much can be garnered from this small sample size. However, what the early season statistics do show is the polar opposites of the club’s pitching and hitting so far in 2013. </div>
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Starting with the offense, through the five games the Pirates have hit .117/.185/.145. Their weight on-base average is .154, which equates to a -4 wRC+ (that’s minus 4). The Bucs are the only team in baseball without a home run and have shown very little extra base hit power (0.28 ISO). Only the Astros have struck out more frequently than the Pirates’ 28.9 K%. Needless to say, the Pirates have the worst offense in baseball over the first five games of the season. The only positive is that they will get better. </div>
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While the offensive statistics provides miserable reading, the club’s pitchers provides some fun with the small sample size of the season so far. Pirates pitching has essentially been the complete opposite of the offense. As a team, the Bucs have a 2.09 ERA, the second lowest ERA in baseball; a 2.59 FIP, the third lowest in baseball; they have struck out 27.1% of batters faced, the third highest strikeout rate in baseball; and walked only 6.6% of batters faced, tied for the sixth lowest walk percentage in baseball. While the low ERA is partly due to luck, with a .221 BABIP and 83.8 LOB%, the strikeout and walk rates (totalling at 4.09 K/BB) have been impressive thus far. </div>
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Nonetheless, <a href="http://www.fangraphs.com/library/index.php/principles/regression/">regression to the mean</a> should be expected with both the offense and the team’s pitching when the small sample size of the season is considered. A player's start to the season is difficult to judge going forward as statistics have not began to stabilize. Russell Carlton’s research, via <i><a href="http://www.draysbay.com/2010/4/17/1425063/understanding-small-sample-sizes">D-Rays Bay</a></i>, gives an indication as to when statistics become stable at an individual level:</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
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<i><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Offense
Statistics:</span></i><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-left: 72.0pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">50 PA:
Swing%</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-left: 72.0pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">100 PA:
Contact Rate</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-left: 72.0pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">150 PA:
Strikeout Rate, Line Drive Rate, Pitches/PA</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-left: 72.0pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">200 PA: Walk
Rate, Ground Ball Rate, GB/FB</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">250 PA: Fly
Ball Rate</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-left: 72.0pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">300 PA: Home
Run Rate, HR/FB</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-left: 72.0pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">500 PA: OBP,
SLG, OPS, 1B Rate, Popup Rate</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-left: 72.0pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">550 PA: ISO</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-left: 72.0pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<br /></div>
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<i><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Pitching
Statistics:</span></i><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">150 BF -
K/PA, grounder rate, line drive rate</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-left: 72.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">200 BF -
flyball rate, GB/FB</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-left: 72.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">500 BF -
K/BB, pop up rate</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-left: 72.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">550 BF -
BB/PA</span></div>
</blockquote>
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Offensively a hitter's Swing% the first to become stable; and the Pirates as a team currently have a 42.3 Swing% (which was 46.9% in 2012). The strikeout rate is the first to stabilize for a pitcher at 150 plate appearances, with Burnett just under a third of the way towards that total at 47 batters faced. </div>
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There is therefore very little that five games can show in terms of the full season; in fact the most telling lesson from the first five games is how unimportant a pitcher’s win-loss record is. <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/b/burnea.01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">A.J. Burnett</a> has started the season 0-2, despite giving up just four runs over 11 innings; striking out 19 hitters in the process. The only reason why Burnett has been credited with two ‘<i>losses</i>’ has been due to the run support that he’s received over his first two starts to the season, with the Pirates failing to score while he’s been on the mound. </div>
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Five games into the season is not a time to overreact as much as it enough to believe that these results are the true talent level of a player going forward. The offense has completely overshadowed some very good pitching thus far, so the hope will be that the latter can continue. That said an offensive slump to begin the year is not what the management team needed, so it would be interesting to see how much patience the front office have going forward, other than <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/i/ingebr01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">Brandon Inge</a> coming off the disabled list to replace <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/h/harrijo05.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">Josh Harrison</a> on the roster, as a player’s lack of options could play a part in any decision.
</div>
Jimmy Coverdalehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10078300085207463090noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2037462678642791682.post-66056463010204666322013-04-06T20:33:00.000-04:002013-04-06T20:36:22.141-04:00The Current Focus on Splits in Clint Hurdle's Line-Ups<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VTzzk6JkrN8/UWC6slP8ThI/AAAAAAAAAMQ/SsYqFo4ar64/s1600/Pirates+Logo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VTzzk6JkrN8/UWC6slP8ThI/AAAAAAAAAMQ/SsYqFo4ar64/s200/Pirates+Logo.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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Clint Hurdle’s line-ups so far this season have had a focus on spits (with a lefty-righty balance against right-handed pitching). For example, the clean-up spot has been filled by <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/a/alvarpe01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">Pedro Alvarez</a> against right-handers and <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/sanchga01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">Gaby Sanchez</a> against lefties, with <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/j/jonesga02.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">Garrett Jones</a> and <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/w/walkene01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">Neil Walker</a> hitting second against righties and <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/m/martiru01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">Russell Martin</a> against lefties (although Walker will hit second against <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/k/kershcl01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">Clayton Kershaw</a> tonight). The only consistencies have been <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/m/martest01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">Starling Marte</a> leading off, <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/m/mccutan01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">Andrew McCutchen</a> hitting third and <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/b/barmecl01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">Clint Barmes</a> eighth. </div>
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When <a href="http://buriedtreasurepirates.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/a-look-at-current-batting-order.html">looking at the line-up</a> in my last post, it stuck me how few above average hitters that the Pirates have that have provided an above-average contribution against right-handed pitching, especially when the focus is on-base percentage, as well as a lack of power when facing left-handed pitching. Nonetheless, setting up line-ups with a player’s splits in mind could help the club progress towards having a league average offense (despite the slow start). </div>
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The league average batting line in 2012 was .255/.319/.405 (a .315 wOBA), which dropped slightly to .254/.318/.400 in the National League. Against right-handed pitching, the average triple-slash line was .255/.320/.406 in 2102 (.255/.320/.400 in the NL), which dropped to .253/.317/.404 (.251/.314/.401 in the NL) against left-handed pitching. </div>
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There is good reason for this split focused offense. Looking at Pirates hitters when facing left-handed pitching in comparison to the league average batting line of .253/.317/.404 in 2012, the club had seven hitters with an above average on-base percentage, with just four above average sluggers (<a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/i/ingebr01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">Brandon Inge</a>, <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/player_search.cgi?results=mcdonjo03,mcdonjo01&utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">John McDonald</a> and <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/m/mckenmi01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">Michael McKenry</a> would make it a group of seven) – with <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/snidetr01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">Travis Snider</a> and Starling Marte’s statistics coming with small sample size warnings:</div>
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<br />
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoNormalTable" style="background: #BFBFBF; border-collapse: collapse; margin-left: 4.45pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-pattern: gray-25 auto; mso-shading: windowtext; mso-yfti-tbllook: 1184; width: 488px;">
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<tr style="height: 14.9pt; mso-yfti-firstrow: yes; mso-yfti-irow: 0;">
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.9pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 115.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="153"><br /></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.9pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 50.2pt;" valign="bottom" width="67"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">PA</span></div>
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<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.9pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 50.2pt;" valign="bottom" width="67"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">BB%</span></div>
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<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.9pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 50.2pt;" valign="bottom" width="67"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">OBP</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.9pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 50.2pt;" valign="bottom" width="67"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">SLG</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.9pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 50.2pt;" valign="bottom" width="67"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">wOBA</span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 14.9pt; mso-yfti-irow: 1;">
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.9pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 115.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="153"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Andrew McCutchen</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.9pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 50.2pt;" valign="bottom" width="67"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">151</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.9pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 50.2pt;" valign="bottom" width="67"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">11.3%</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.9pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 50.2pt;" valign="bottom" width="67"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">.467</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.9pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 50.2pt;" valign="bottom" width="67"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">.677</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.9pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 50.2pt;" valign="bottom" width="67"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">.471</span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 14.9pt; mso-yfti-irow: 2;">
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.9pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 115.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="153"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Travis Snider</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.9pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 50.2pt;" valign="bottom" width="67"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">34</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.9pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 50.2pt;" valign="bottom" width="67"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">2.9%</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.9pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 50.2pt;" valign="bottom" width="67"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">.382</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.9pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 50.2pt;" valign="bottom" width="67"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">.727</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.9pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 50.2pt;" valign="bottom" width="67"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">.469</span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 14.9pt; mso-yfti-irow: 3;">
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.9pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 115.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="153"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Clint Barmes</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.9pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 50.2pt;" valign="bottom" width="67"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">110</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.9pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 50.2pt;" valign="bottom" width="67"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">11.8%</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.9pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 50.2pt;" valign="bottom" width="67"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">.373</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.9pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 50.2pt;" valign="bottom" width="67"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">.368</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.9pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 50.2pt;" valign="bottom" width="67"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">.331</span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 14.9pt; mso-yfti-irow: 4;">
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.9pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 115.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="153"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Starling Marte</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.9pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 50.2pt;" valign="bottom" width="67"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">50</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.9pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 50.2pt;" valign="bottom" width="67"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">8.0%</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.9pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 50.2pt;" valign="bottom" width="67"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">.360</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.9pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 50.2pt;" valign="bottom" width="67"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">.682</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.9pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 50.2pt;" valign="bottom" width="67"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">.423</span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 14.9pt; mso-yfti-irow: 5;">
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.9pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 115.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="153"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Russell Martin</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.9pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 50.2pt;" valign="bottom" width="67"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">149</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.9pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 50.2pt;" valign="bottom" width="67"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">15.4%</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.9pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 50.2pt;" valign="bottom" width="67"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">.356</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.9pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 50.2pt;" valign="bottom" width="67"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">.524</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.9pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 50.2pt;" valign="bottom" width="67"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">.379</span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 14.9pt; mso-yfti-irow: 6;">
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.9pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 115.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="153"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Gaby Sanchez</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.9pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 50.2pt;" valign="bottom" width="67"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">111</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.9pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 50.2pt;" valign="bottom" width="67"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">11.7%</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.9pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 50.2pt;" valign="bottom" width="67"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">.333</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.9pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 50.2pt;" valign="bottom" width="67"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">.396</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.9pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 50.2pt;" valign="bottom" width="67"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">.316</span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 14.9pt; mso-yfti-irow: 7;">
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.9pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 115.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="153"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/t/tabatjo01.shtml"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Jose Tabata</span></a></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.9pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 50.2pt;" valign="bottom" width="67"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">93</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.9pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 50.2pt;" valign="bottom" width="67"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">8.6%</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.9pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 50.2pt;" valign="bottom" width="67"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">.326</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.9pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 50.2pt;" valign="bottom" width="67"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">.380</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.9pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 50.2pt;" valign="bottom" width="67"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">.313</span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 14.9pt; mso-yfti-irow: 8;">
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.9pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 115.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="153"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Neil Walker</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.9pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 50.2pt;" valign="bottom" width="67"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">138</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.9pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 50.2pt;" valign="bottom" width="67"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">9.4%</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.9pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 50.2pt;" valign="bottom" width="67"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">.314</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.9pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 50.2pt;" valign="bottom" width="67"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">.288</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.9pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 50.2pt;" valign="bottom" width="67"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">.271</span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 14.9pt; mso-yfti-irow: 9;">
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.9pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 115.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="153"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Pedro Alvarez</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.9pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 50.2pt;" valign="bottom" width="67"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">152</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.9pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 50.2pt;" valign="bottom" width="67"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">7.2%</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.9pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 50.2pt;" valign="bottom" width="67"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">.270</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.9pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 50.2pt;" valign="bottom" width="67"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">.379</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.9pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 50.2pt;" valign="bottom" width="67"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">.284</span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 14.9pt; mso-yfti-irow: 10; mso-yfti-lastrow: yes;">
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.9pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 115.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="153"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Garrett Jones</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.9pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 50.2pt;" valign="bottom" width="67"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">81</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.9pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 50.2pt;" valign="bottom" width="67"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">6.2%</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.9pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 50.2pt;" valign="bottom" width="67"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">.235</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.9pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 50.2pt;" valign="bottom" width="67"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">.297</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.9pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 50.2pt;" valign="bottom" width="67"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">.234</span></div>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
The larger sample size (<a href="http://www.fangraphs.com/leaders.aspx?pos=all&stats=bat&lg=all&qual=0&type=1&season=2012&month=13&season1=2010&ind=0&team=27&rost=1&age=0&filter=&players=0&sort=9,d">link</a>) offers similar results in terms of numbers; although it does highlight the potential contribution that Sanchez could provide when the club faces a lefty. Onto looking at Pirates hitters when facing left-handed pitching in comparison to the league average batting line of.255/.320/.406 in 2012, the Bucs have just four everyday players that provided an above average offensive contribution in 2012 (although McKenry would have joined the list if he was not Martin’s deputy behind the plate):</div>
<br />
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoNormalTable" style="background: #BFBFBF; border-collapse: collapse; margin-left: 4.45pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-pattern: gray-25 auto; mso-shading: windowtext; mso-yfti-tbllook: 1184; width: 493px;">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 14.2pt; mso-yfti-firstrow: yes; mso-yfti-irow: 0;">
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.2pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 107.25pt;" valign="bottom" width="143"><br /></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.2pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="70"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">PA</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.2pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="70"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">BB%</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.2pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="70"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">OBP</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.2pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="70"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">SLG</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.2pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="70"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">wOBA</span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 14.2pt; mso-yfti-irow: 1;">
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.2pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 107.25pt;" valign="bottom" width="143"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Andrew McCutchen</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.2pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="70"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">522</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.2pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="70"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">10.2%</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.2pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="70"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">.381</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.2pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="70"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">.518</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.2pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="70"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">.385</span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 14.2pt; mso-yfti-irow: 2;">
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.2pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 107.25pt;" valign="bottom" width="143"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Neil Walker</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.2pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="70"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">392</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.2pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="70"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">8.7%</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.2pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="70"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">.352</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.2pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="70"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">.472</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.2pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="70"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">.356</span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 14.2pt; mso-yfti-irow: 3;">
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.2pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 107.25pt;" valign="bottom" width="143"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Pedro Alvarez</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.2pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="70"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">434</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.2pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="70"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">10.6%</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.2pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="70"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">.334</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.2pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="70"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">.499</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.2pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="70"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">.353</span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 14.2pt; mso-yfti-irow: 4;">
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.2pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 107.25pt;" valign="bottom" width="143"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Garrett Jones</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.2pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="70"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">434</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.2pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="70"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">6.5%</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.2pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="70"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">.332</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.2pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="70"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">.556</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.2pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="70"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">.374</span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 14.2pt; mso-yfti-irow: 5;">
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.2pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 107.25pt;" valign="bottom" width="143"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Jose Tabata</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.2pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="70"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">281</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.2pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="70"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">7.5%</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.2pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="70"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">.312</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.2pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="70"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">.339</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.2pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="70"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">.291</span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 14.2pt; mso-yfti-irow: 6;">
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.2pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 107.25pt;" valign="bottom" width="143"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Travis Snider</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.2pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="70"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">151</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.2pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="70"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">10.6%</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.2pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="70"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">.305</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.2pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="70"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">.290</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.2pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="70"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">.270</span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 14.2pt; mso-yfti-irow: 7;">
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.2pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 107.25pt;" valign="bottom" width="143"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Russell Martin</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.2pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="70"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">336</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.2pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="70"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">8.9%</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.2pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="70"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">.290</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.2pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="70"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">.352</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.2pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="70"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">.287</span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 14.2pt; mso-yfti-irow: 8;">
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.2pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 107.25pt;" valign="bottom" width="143"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Starling Marte</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.2pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="70"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">132</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.2pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="70"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">3.0%</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.2pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="70"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">.277</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.2pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="70"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">.350</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.2pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="70"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">.275</span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 14.2pt; mso-yfti-irow: 9;">
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.2pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 107.25pt;" valign="bottom" width="143"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Gaby Sanchez</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.2pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="70"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">215</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.2pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="70"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">5.6%</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.2pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="70"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">.251</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.2pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="70"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">.315</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.2pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="70"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">.250</span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 14.2pt; mso-yfti-irow: 10; mso-yfti-lastrow: yes;">
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.2pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 107.25pt;" valign="bottom" width="143"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Clint Barmes</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.2pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="70"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">383</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.2pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="70"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">1.8%</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.2pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="70"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">.243</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.2pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="70"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">.308</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.2pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="70"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">.240</span></div>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Looking at the larger sample size (<a href="http://www.fangraphs.com/leaders.aspx?pos=all&stats=bat&lg=all&qual=0&type=1&season=2012&month=14&season1=2010&ind=0&team=27&rost=1&age=0&filter=&players=0">link</a>), Jose Tabata has had an above average on-base percentage; however that’s the only difference between the smaller and larger sample sizes when it comes to above and below average hitters against right-handed pitching. What both splits show is that the club has limited above average offensive options (especially when facing right-handed pitching), with fewer options when it comes surpassing a .350 on-base percentage against either sets of pitchers. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
On the current 25-man roster, the Pirates have just five hitters that were above average overall in 2012 – McCutchen (158 wRC+), Jones (123 wRC+), Alvarez (112 wRC+), Walker (111 wRC+) and McKenry (108 wRC+) – and it’s the same number when looking since 2010, with McKenry replaced with Gaby Sanchez (103 wRC+). What the above splits prove is that McCutchen is likely to be the only hitter (health permitting) that should provide an above average contribution against both left and right handed pitching, with first base also a possibility if Hurdle reverts back to the Jones/Sanchez platoon. <br />
<br />
The offense has had a miserable start to the season, with the club hitting just .127/.195/.161 through the first four games of the season (.164 wOBA, 7 wRC+). It should be noted that the club’s offense also had a terrible start to the season last year (offensively the club looked <a href="http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/index.php/the-pittsburgh-pirates-offensive-catastrophe/">historically bad in late-May</a> and ended up hitting .243/.304/.395 (.304 wOBA) as a team by the end of the season), I would consider a heightened appreciation of splits as a sign of progression. The only problem is that the Pirates currently do not necessarily have the options to provide the amount of improvement that is required for the offense to become league average; however setting up the batting order with a player’s splits in mind is a step in the right direction - with a heightened focus on platoon situations being the next step.</div>
Jimmy Coverdalehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10078300085207463090noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2037462678642791682.post-14673132613364240922013-04-03T19:01:00.000-04:002013-04-03T19:04:23.991-04:00A Look At The Current Batting Order<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MxVN3-RImwE/UVywTeg3IRI/AAAAAAAAAMA/YVD6nCEi8MY/s1600/Hurdle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="131" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MxVN3-RImwE/UVywTeg3IRI/AAAAAAAAAMA/YVD6nCEi8MY/s200/Hurdle.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Clint Hurdle has elected to continue with the Opening Day
line-up for the second game of the season, despite the Pirates offense struggling in the
season opener with Cubs right-hander <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/samarje01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">Jeff Samardzija</a> on the mound. While much of
the focus centered around <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/sanchga01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">Gaby Sanchez</a>’s presence ahead of <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/snidetr01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">Travis Snider</a>,
I believe that Hurdle’s line-up is really the bigger issue.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<a name='more'></a><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
The main reason why I am looking at the batting order is due
to Hurdle’s comments prior to Monday’s game. As I noted in <a href="http://buriedtreasurepirates.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/notes-after-opening-day.html#more"><span style="color: windowtext;">my post after the game</span></a>, I’m sure that I’m
not the only one that was surprised to see the <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/j/jonesga02.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">Garrett Jones</a> hitting second due
to his performance against right-handed pitching experiment continuing into the
regular season. With Hurdle citing Jones’ OPS as the reason behind the decision
– stating that he’s “trying to find the best combination to get men on base in
front of Andrew [McCutchen], and stretch out the lineup, top to bottom” – he
failed to mention his lead-off hitter as well as differentiating between OPS
and on-base percentage.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/m/martest01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">Starling Marte</a> is a speedy guy, however he’s not suited for
the lead-off spot (at least right now). His low walk rate will likely prevent
an above average on-base percentage. Placing Marte at the top of the order,
especially against right-handed pitching, is really contradictory to attempting
to “find the best combination to get men on base in front of Andrew [McCutchen]”.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Now onto Jones. His .888 OPS when facing right-handed
pitching in 2012 was boosted by his slugging percentage. The fact is, Hurdle’s
second best on-base threat (after <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/m/mccutan01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">Andrew McCutchen</a>) against right-handed
pitchers is currently batting sixth in the order:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>2012:</b></div>
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoNormalTable" style="background: #BFBFBF; border-collapse: collapse; margin-left: 4.45pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-pattern: gray-25 auto; mso-shading: windowtext; mso-yfti-tbllook: 1184; width: 493px;">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 14.2pt; mso-yfti-firstrow: yes; mso-yfti-irow: 0;">
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.2pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 107.25pt;" valign="bottom" width="143"><br /></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.2pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="70"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">PA</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.2pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="70"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">BB%</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.2pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="70"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">OBP</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.2pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="70"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">SLG</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.2pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="70"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">wOBA</span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 14.2pt; mso-yfti-irow: 1;">
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.2pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 107.25pt;" valign="bottom" width="143"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Andrew McCutchen</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.2pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="70"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">522</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.2pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="70"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">10.2%</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.2pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="70"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">.381</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.2pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="70"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">.518</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.2pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="70"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">.385</span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 14.2pt; mso-yfti-irow: 2;">
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.2pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 107.25pt;" valign="bottom" width="143"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/w/walkene01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">Neil Walker</a></span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.2pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="70"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">392</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.2pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="70"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">8.7%</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.2pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="70"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">.352</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.2pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="70"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">.472</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.2pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="70"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">.356</span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 14.2pt; mso-yfti-irow: 3;">
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.2pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 107.25pt;" valign="bottom" width="143"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/a/alvarpe01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">Pedro Alvarez</a></span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.2pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="70"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">434</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.2pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="70"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">10.6%</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.2pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="70"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">.334</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.2pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="70"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">.499</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.2pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="70"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">.353</span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 14.2pt; mso-yfti-irow: 4;">
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.2pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 107.25pt;" valign="bottom" width="143"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Garrett Jones</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.2pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="70"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">434</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.2pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="70"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">6.5%</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.2pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="70"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">.332</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.2pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="70"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">.556</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.2pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="70"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">.374</span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 14.2pt; mso-yfti-irow: 5;">
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.2pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 107.25pt;" valign="bottom" width="143"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/t/tabatjo01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">Jose Tabata</a></span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.2pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="70"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">281</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.2pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="70"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">7.5%</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.2pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="70"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">.312</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.2pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="70"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">.339</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.2pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="70"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">.291</span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 14.2pt; mso-yfti-irow: 6;">
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.2pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 107.25pt;" valign="bottom" width="143"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Travis Snider</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.2pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="70"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">151</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.2pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="70"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">10.6%</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.2pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="70"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">.305</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.2pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="70"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">.290</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.2pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="70"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">.270</span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 14.2pt; mso-yfti-irow: 7;">
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.2pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 107.25pt;" valign="bottom" width="143"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/m/martiru01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">Russell Martin</a></span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.2pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="70"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">336</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.2pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="70"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">8.9%</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.2pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="70"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">.290</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.2pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="70"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">.352</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.2pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="70"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">.287</span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 14.2pt; mso-yfti-irow: 8;">
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.2pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 107.25pt;" valign="bottom" width="143"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Starling Marte</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.2pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="70"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">132</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.2pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="70"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">3.0%</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.2pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="70"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">.277</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.2pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="70"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">.350</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.2pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="70"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">.275</span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 14.2pt; mso-yfti-irow: 9;">
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.2pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 107.25pt;" valign="bottom" width="143"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Gaby Sanchez</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.2pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="70"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">215</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.2pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="70"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">5.6%</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.2pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="70"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">.251</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.2pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="70"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">.315</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.2pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="70"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">.250</span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 14.2pt; mso-yfti-irow: 10; mso-yfti-lastrow: yes;">
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.2pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 107.25pt;" valign="bottom" width="143"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/b/barmecl01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">Clint Barmes</a></span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.2pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="70"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">383</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.2pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="70"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">1.8%</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.2pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="70"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">.243</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.2pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="70"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">.308</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.2pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="70"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">.240</span></div>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Since 2010:</b></div>
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoNormalTable" style="background: #BFBFBF; border-collapse: collapse; margin-left: 4.45pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-pattern: gray-25 auto; mso-shading: windowtext; mso-yfti-tbllook: 1184; width: 489px;">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 14.55pt; mso-yfti-firstrow: yes; mso-yfti-irow: 0;">
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.55pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 106.4pt;" valign="bottom" width="142"><br /></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.55pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.1pt;" valign="bottom" width="69"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">PA</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.55pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.1pt;" valign="bottom" width="69"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">BB%</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.55pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.1pt;" valign="bottom" width="69"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">OBP</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.55pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.1pt;" valign="bottom" width="69"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">SLG</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.55pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.1pt;" valign="bottom" width="69"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">wOBA</span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 14.55pt; mso-yfti-irow: 1;">
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.55pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 106.4pt;" valign="bottom" width="142"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Andrew McCutchen</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.55pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.1pt;" valign="bottom" width="69"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">1525</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.55pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.1pt;" valign="bottom" width="69"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">11.2%</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.55pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.1pt;" valign="bottom" width="69"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">.365</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.55pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.1pt;" valign="bottom" width="69"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">.458</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.55pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.1pt;" valign="bottom" width="69"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">.359</span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 14.55pt; mso-yfti-irow: 2;">
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.55pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 106.4pt;" valign="bottom" width="142"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Neil Walker</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.55pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.1pt;" valign="bottom" width="69"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">1229</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.55pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.1pt;" valign="bottom" width="69"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">8.3%</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.55pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.1pt;" valign="bottom" width="69"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">.346</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.55pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.1pt;" valign="bottom" width="69"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">.452</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.55pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.1pt;" valign="bottom" width="69"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">.347</span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 14.55pt; mso-yfti-irow: 3;">
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.55pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 106.4pt;" valign="bottom" width="142"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Garrett Jones</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.55pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.1pt;" valign="bottom" width="69"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">1268</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.55pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.1pt;" valign="bottom" width="69"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">9.1%</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.55pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.1pt;" valign="bottom" width="69"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">.335</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.55pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.1pt;" valign="bottom" width="69"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">.488</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.55pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.1pt;" valign="bottom" width="69"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">.354</span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 14.55pt; mso-yfti-irow: 4;">
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.55pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 106.4pt;" valign="bottom" width="142"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Jose Tabata</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.55pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.1pt;" valign="bottom" width="69"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">904</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.55pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.1pt;" valign="bottom" width="69"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">7.2%</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.55pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.1pt;" valign="bottom" width="69"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">.334</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.55pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.1pt;" valign="bottom" width="69"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">.368</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.55pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.1pt;" valign="bottom" width="69"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">.314</span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 14.55pt; mso-yfti-irow: 5;">
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.55pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 106.4pt;" valign="bottom" width="142"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Pedro Alvarez</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.55pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.1pt;" valign="bottom" width="69"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">914</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.55pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.1pt;" valign="bottom" width="69"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">10.0%</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.55pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.1pt;" valign="bottom" width="69"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">.321</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.55pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.1pt;" valign="bottom" width="69"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">.453</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.55pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.1pt;" valign="bottom" width="69"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">.335</span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 14.55pt; mso-yfti-irow: 6;">
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.55pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 106.4pt;" valign="bottom" width="142"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Russell Martin</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.55pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.1pt;" valign="bottom" width="69"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">968</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.55pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.1pt;" valign="bottom" width="69"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">9.9%</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.55pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.1pt;" valign="bottom" width="69"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">.318</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.55pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.1pt;" valign="bottom" width="69"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">.370</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.55pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.1pt;" valign="bottom" width="69"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">.307</span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 14.55pt; mso-yfti-irow: 7;">
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.55pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 106.4pt;" valign="bottom" width="142"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Gaby Sanchez</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.55pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.1pt;" valign="bottom" width="69"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">1201</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.55pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.1pt;" valign="bottom" width="69"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">8.6%</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.55pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.1pt;" valign="bottom" width="69"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">.313</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.55pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.1pt;" valign="bottom" width="69"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">.395</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.55pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.1pt;" valign="bottom" width="69"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">.312</span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 14.55pt; mso-yfti-irow: 8;">
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.55pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 106.4pt;" valign="bottom" width="142"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Travis Snider</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.55pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.1pt;" valign="bottom" width="69"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">568</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.55pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.1pt;" valign="bottom" width="69"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">8.1%</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.55pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.1pt;" valign="bottom" width="69"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">.309</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.55pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.1pt;" valign="bottom" width="69"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">.404</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.55pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.1pt;" valign="bottom" width="69"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">.312</span></div>
</td>
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<tr style="height: 14.55pt; mso-yfti-irow: 9;">
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.55pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 106.4pt;" valign="bottom" width="142"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Clint Barmes</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.55pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.1pt;" valign="bottom" width="69"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">1039</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.55pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.1pt;" valign="bottom" width="69"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">5.1%</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.55pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.1pt;" valign="bottom" width="69"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">.278</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.55pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.1pt;" valign="bottom" width="69"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">.346</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.55pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.1pt;" valign="bottom" width="69"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">.274</span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 14.55pt; mso-yfti-irow: 10; mso-yfti-lastrow: yes;">
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.55pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 106.4pt;" valign="bottom" width="142"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Starling Marte</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.55pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.1pt;" valign="bottom" width="69"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">136</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.55pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.1pt;" valign="bottom" width="69"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">3.7%</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.55pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.1pt;" valign="bottom" width="69"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">.276</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.55pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.1pt;" valign="bottom" width="69"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">.341</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 14.55pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 52.1pt;" valign="bottom" width="69"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">.272</span></div>
</td>
</tr>
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<br /></div>
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Walker's OBP was 20 points higher than Jones' in 2012. He's better suited for the top of the order, with Jones batting behind both Walker and McCutchen. Some argue that the batting order matters very
little, although this is dependent to the personnel involved. The gap
between the most and least optimized line-ups is generally quite
small, according to <i>Baseball Between The Numbers </i>it amounts to 26
runs over the course of a season (worth around 2.5 wins, which could turn out
to be useful later in the year – especially to a GM appearing to be fighting
for his job). <span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Hurdle’s
line-ups essentially match the standard line-ups as described by Scott McKinney
for <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Beyond The Box Score</i> when he
looked at a <a href="http://www.beyondtheboxscore.com/2011/4/14/2110082/why-dont-sabermetric-gms-have-sabermetric-managers-and-shouldnt-they"><span style="color: windowtext;">sabermetric guide to management</span></a>:</span></div>
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/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
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<br />
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoNormalTable" style="background: #BFBFBF; border-collapse: collapse; margin-left: 4.45pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-pattern: gray-25 auto; mso-shading: windowtext; mso-yfti-tbllook: 1184; width: 521px;">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-firstrow: yes; mso-yfti-irow: 0;">
<td style="border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 28.7pt;" valign="bottom" width="38"><br /></td>
<td style="border-left: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 156.55pt;" valign="bottom" width="209"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span class="MsoSubtleEmphasis"><span style="color: windowtext; font-style: normal; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Standard</span></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-left: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 205.55pt;" valign="bottom" width="274"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span class="MsoSubtleEmphasis"><span style="color: windowtext; font-style: normal; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Optimized</span></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 1;">
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 28.7pt;" valign="bottom" width="38"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span class="MsoSubtleEmphasis"><span style="color: windowtext; font-style: normal; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">1</span></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 156.55pt;" valign="bottom" width="209"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span class="MsoSubtleEmphasis"><span style="color: windowtext; font-style: normal; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Speedy
guy</span></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 205.55pt;" valign="bottom" width="274"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span class="MsoSubtleEmphasis"><span style="color: windowtext; font-style: normal; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">One
of the three best hitters (high OBP)</span></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 2;">
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 28.7pt;" valign="bottom" width="38"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span class="MsoSubtleEmphasis"><span style="color: windowtext; font-style: normal; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">2</span></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 156.55pt;" valign="bottom" width="209"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span class="MsoSubtleEmphasis"><span style="color: windowtext; font-style: normal; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Good
bat handler</span></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 205.55pt;" valign="bottom" width="274"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span class="MsoSubtleEmphasis"><span style="color: windowtext; font-style: normal; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">One
of the three best hitters</span></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 3;">
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 28.7pt;" valign="bottom" width="38"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span class="MsoSubtleEmphasis"><span style="color: windowtext; font-style: normal; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">3</span></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 156.55pt;" valign="bottom" width="209"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span class="MsoSubtleEmphasis"><span style="color: windowtext; font-style: normal; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Best
hitter</span></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 205.55pt;" valign="bottom" width="274"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span class="MsoSubtleEmphasis"><span style="color: windowtext; font-style: normal; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">5th
best hitter</span></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 4;">
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 28.7pt;" valign="bottom" width="38"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span class="MsoSubtleEmphasis"><span style="color: windowtext; font-style: normal; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">4</span></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 156.55pt;" valign="bottom" width="209"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span class="MsoSubtleEmphasis"><span style="color: windowtext; font-style: normal; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Best
power hitter</span></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 205.55pt;" valign="bottom" width="274"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span class="MsoSubtleEmphasis"><span style="color: windowtext; font-style: normal; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">One
of the three best hitters (high SLG)</span></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 5;">
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 28.7pt;" valign="bottom" width="38"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span class="MsoSubtleEmphasis"><span style="color: windowtext; font-style: normal; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">5</span></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 156.55pt;" valign="bottom" width="209"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span class="MsoSubtleEmphasis"><span style="color: windowtext; font-style: normal; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Second
best (contact) hitter</span></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 205.55pt;" valign="bottom" width="274"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span class="MsoSubtleEmphasis"><span style="color: windowtext; font-style: normal; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">4th
best hitter</span></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 6;">
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 28.7pt;" valign="bottom" width="38"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span class="MsoSubtleEmphasis"><span style="color: windowtext; font-style: normal; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">6</span></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 156.55pt;" valign="bottom" width="209"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span class="MsoSubtleEmphasis"><span style="color: windowtext; font-style: normal; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Best
remaining power hitter</span></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 205.55pt;" valign="bottom" width="274"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span class="MsoSubtleEmphasis"><span style="color: windowtext; font-style: normal; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">6th
best hitter</span></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 7;">
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 28.7pt;" valign="bottom" width="38"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span class="MsoSubtleEmphasis"><span style="color: windowtext; font-style: normal; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">7</span></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 156.55pt;" valign="bottom" width="209"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span class="MsoSubtleEmphasis"><span style="color: windowtext; font-style: normal; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">7th
best hitter</span></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 205.55pt;" valign="bottom" width="274"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span class="MsoSubtleEmphasis"><span style="color: windowtext; font-style: normal; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">7th
best hitter</span></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 8;">
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 28.7pt;" valign="bottom" width="38"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span class="MsoSubtleEmphasis"><span style="color: windowtext; font-style: normal; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">8</span></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 156.55pt;" valign="bottom" width="209"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span class="MsoSubtleEmphasis"><span style="color: windowtext; font-style: normal; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">8th
best hitter</span></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 205.55pt;" valign="bottom" width="274"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span class="MsoSubtleEmphasis"><span style="color: windowtext; font-style: normal; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Pitcher</span></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 9; mso-yfti-lastrow: yes;">
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 28.7pt;" valign="bottom" width="38"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span class="MsoSubtleEmphasis"><span style="color: windowtext; font-style: normal; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">9</span></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 156.55pt;" valign="bottom" width="209"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span class="MsoSubtleEmphasis"><span style="color: windowtext; font-style: normal; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">9th
best hitter</span></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 205.55pt;" valign="bottom" width="274"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span class="MsoSubtleEmphasis"><span style="color: windowtext; font-style: normal; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">8th
best hitter</span></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
The Pirates could take the optimized batting
order a step further by having one line-up for when the club faces a
right-hander and one for when a left-handed pitcher is on the mound. As can be
seen above, hitting Walker sixth isn’t supported by his career numbers and
should hit in either of the top two spots when facing right-handers (depending
on McCutchen’s spot in the order); however against left-handed pitching the
batting order could look very different:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Since 2010:</b></div>
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoNormalTable" style="background: #BFBFBF; border-collapse: collapse; margin-left: 4.45pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-pattern: gray-25 auto; mso-shading: windowtext; mso-yfti-tbllook: 1184; width: 487px;">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 13.9pt; mso-yfti-firstrow: yes; mso-yfti-irow: 0;">
<td nowrap="" style="height: 13.9pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 115.4pt;" valign="bottom" width="154"><br /></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 13.9pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 49.95pt;" valign="bottom" width="67"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">PA</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 13.9pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 49.95pt;" valign="bottom" width="67"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">BB%</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 13.9pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 49.95pt;" valign="bottom" width="67"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">OBP</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 13.9pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 49.95pt;" valign="bottom" width="67"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">SLG</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 13.9pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 49.95pt;" valign="bottom" width="67"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">wOBA</span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 13.9pt; mso-yfti-irow: 1;">
<td nowrap="" style="height: 13.9pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 115.4pt;" valign="bottom" width="154"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Andrew McCutchen</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 13.9pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 49.95pt;" valign="bottom" width="67"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">483</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 13.9pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 49.95pt;" valign="bottom" width="67"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">12.0%</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 13.9pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 49.95pt;" valign="bottom" width="67"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">.413</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 13.9pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 49.95pt;" valign="bottom" width="67"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">.579</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 13.9pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 49.95pt;" valign="bottom" width="67"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">.421</span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 13.9pt; mso-yfti-irow: 2;">
<td nowrap="" style="height: 13.9pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 115.4pt;" valign="bottom" width="154"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Gaby Sanchez</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 13.9pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 49.95pt;" valign="bottom" width="67"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">433</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 13.9pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 49.95pt;" valign="bottom" width="67"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">12.5%</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 13.9pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 49.95pt;" valign="bottom" width="67"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">.387</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 13.9pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 49.95pt;" valign="bottom" width="67"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">.480</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 13.9pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 49.95pt;" valign="bottom" width="67"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">.377</span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 13.9pt; mso-yfti-irow: 3;">
<td nowrap="" style="height: 13.9pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 115.4pt;" valign="bottom" width="154"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Starling Marte</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 13.9pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 49.95pt;" valign="bottom" width="67"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">50</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 13.9pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 49.95pt;" valign="bottom" width="67"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">8.0%</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 13.9pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 49.95pt;" valign="bottom" width="67"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">.360</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 13.9pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 49.95pt;" valign="bottom" width="67"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">.682</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 13.9pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 49.95pt;" valign="bottom" width="67"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">.423</span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 13.9pt; mso-yfti-irow: 4;">
<td nowrap="" style="height: 13.9pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 115.4pt;" valign="bottom" width="154"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Jose Tabata</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 13.9pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 49.95pt;" valign="bottom" width="67"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">294</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 13.9pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 49.95pt;" valign="bottom" width="67"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">10.9%</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 13.9pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 49.95pt;" valign="bottom" width="67"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">.347</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 13.9pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 49.95pt;" valign="bottom" width="67"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">.384</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 13.9pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 49.95pt;" valign="bottom" width="67"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">.326</span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 13.9pt; mso-yfti-irow: 5;">
<td nowrap="" style="height: 13.9pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 115.4pt;" valign="bottom" width="154"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Clint Barmes</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 13.9pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 49.95pt;" valign="bottom" width="67"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">383</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 13.9pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 49.95pt;" valign="bottom" width="67"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">10.4%</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 13.9pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 49.95pt;" valign="bottom" width="67"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">.342</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 13.9pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 49.95pt;" valign="bottom" width="67"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">.370</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 13.9pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 49.95pt;" valign="bottom" width="67"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">.313</span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 13.9pt; mso-yfti-irow: 6;">
<td nowrap="" style="height: 13.9pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 115.4pt;" valign="bottom" width="154"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Russell Martin</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 13.9pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 49.95pt;" valign="bottom" width="67"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">384</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 13.9pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 49.95pt;" valign="bottom" width="67"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">14.3%</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 13.9pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 49.95pt;" valign="bottom" width="67"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">.341</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 13.9pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 49.95pt;" valign="bottom" width="67"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">.418</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 13.9pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 49.95pt;" valign="bottom" width="67"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">.335</span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 13.9pt; mso-yfti-irow: 7;">
<td nowrap="" style="height: 13.9pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 115.4pt;" valign="bottom" width="154"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Neil Walker</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 13.9pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 49.95pt;" valign="bottom" width="67"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">436</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 13.9pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 49.95pt;" valign="bottom" width="67"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">7.6%</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 13.9pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 49.95pt;" valign="bottom" width="67"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">.325</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 13.9pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 49.95pt;" valign="bottom" width="67"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">.363</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 13.9pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 49.95pt;" valign="bottom" width="67"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">.303</span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 13.9pt; mso-yfti-irow: 8;">
<td nowrap="" style="height: 13.9pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 115.4pt;" valign="bottom" width="154"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Pedro Alvarez</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 13.9pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 49.95pt;" valign="bottom" width="67"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">324</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 13.9pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 49.95pt;" valign="bottom" width="67"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">8.3%</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 13.9pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 49.95pt;" valign="bottom" width="67"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">.281</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 13.9pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 49.95pt;" valign="bottom" width="67"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">.353</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 13.9pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 49.95pt;" valign="bottom" width="67"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">.281</span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 13.9pt; mso-yfti-irow: 9;">
<td nowrap="" style="height: 13.9pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 115.4pt;" valign="bottom" width="154"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Travis Snider</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 13.9pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 49.95pt;" valign="bottom" width="67"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">139</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 13.9pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 49.95pt;" valign="bottom" width="67"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">2.2%</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 13.9pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 49.95pt;" valign="bottom" width="67"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">.252</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 13.9pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 49.95pt;" valign="bottom" width="67"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">.422</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 13.9pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 49.95pt;" valign="bottom" width="67"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">.290</span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 13.9pt; mso-yfti-irow: 10; mso-yfti-lastrow: yes;">
<td nowrap="" style="height: 13.9pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 115.4pt;" valign="bottom" width="154"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Garrett Jones</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 13.9pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 49.95pt;" valign="bottom" width="67"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">383</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 13.9pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 49.95pt;" valign="bottom" width="67"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">5.0%</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 13.9pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 49.95pt;" valign="bottom" width="67"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">.240</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 13.9pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 49.95pt;" valign="bottom" width="67"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">.331</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 13.9pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 49.95pt;" valign="bottom" width="67"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">.251</span></div>
</td>
</tr>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Andrew McCutchen again tops the group in terms of on-base percentage; however the platoon splits show that a separate batting order against left-handed pitching could be beneficial.
While potential platoons (Jones/Sanchez, Snider/Tabata) should carry the
caution that some players do struggle in a part time role, everyday players
like Alvarez, Martin and Barmes have been expectedly stronger against opposite-handed
pitching and the switch-hitting Walker has been a better hitter against
righties. The downside to two separate line-ups would come later in close
games; when the club reaches bullpens later in the games then the batting order
would not suit the relievers. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
An optimized batting order is something that should probably
not be expected; nonetheless the set-up against right-handed starters should
have Neil Walker hitting towards the top of the order. It will be interesting
to see if there will be much of a difference in the batting order when the Pirates face Travis
Wood, a left-handed starting pitcher, in the third game of the season given
that the numbers support Clint Hurdle juggling the line-up to take the platoon advantage (as well as the personnel
in some cases). Hurdle’s line-ups seem to be frequently debated, with Gaby Sanchez picking up plate appearances against right-handers
Travis Snider situation receiving the most attention early this season (at
least on twitter); however batting order so far this season does raise some questions - especially after Hurdle's statistical justification to bat Garrett Jones second.</div>
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Jimmy Coverdalehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10078300085207463090noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2037462678642791682.post-4294251138281194042013-04-01T19:25:00.000-04:002013-04-01T19:26:59.009-04:00Notes After Opening Day<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cpTO_b9fJr4/UVoThGoF9PI/AAAAAAAAALw/NQy2hf6jvuo/s1600/Pirates+Logo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cpTO_b9fJr4/UVoThGoF9PI/AAAAAAAAALw/NQy2hf6jvuo/s200/Pirates+Logo.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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The 2013 season did not begin in an ideal fashion for the Pittsburgh Pirates, dropping the opener to the Cubs while offering little at the plate. Nonetheless, one defeat doesn’t mean that the Pirates are going to struggle, much like a win today wouldn’t have meant that the Bucs were going to be contenders. The Pirates have a shot at bouncing back on Wednesday night, with <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/r/rodriwa01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">Wandy Rodriguez</a> getting the start against <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/j/jacksed01.shtml">Edwin Jackson</a>. Drawing conclusions on how the season is likely to pan out would be nothing more than a knee-jerk reaction at this point; however there are some noteworthy items after today's game:</div>
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<a name='more'></a><br />
<ul>
<li>While <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/snidetr01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">Travis Snider</a> did look lost at the plate when he struckout pinch hitting in the 8th, <a href="http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20130401&content_id=43616006&notebook_id=43616020&vkey=notebook_pit&c_id=pit">Clint Hurdle stating</a> that “it’s either second or sixth for Jones” does sound like the <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/sanchga01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">Gaby Sanchez</a> at first base and <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/j/jonesga02.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">Garrett Jones</a> in right field line-ups would be a common occurrence. Hurdle cited Sanchez’s spring training statistics as the reason why he was in the line-up, despite the poor career numbers against right handed pitching (.313 wOBA). The status of the platoons will likely be seen in the coming games, however the only reason for Jones to ever hit as low as sixth in the order would be if a left-hander was on the mound (but that’s when he should be benched in any case). </li>
</ul>
<br />
<ul>
<li>I’m sure that I’m not the only one that was surprised to see the Garrett Jones hitting second due to his performance against right-handed pitching experiment continuing into the regular season, however Hurdle cited Jones’ OPS as the reason behind the decision – stating that he’s “trying to find the best combination to get men on base in front of Andrew [McCutchen, the No. 3 hitter], and stretch out the lineup, top to bottom”. Unfortunately, the on-base percentage part of Jones’ .888 OPS last season only amounted to a .332 OBP; meaning that <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/w/walkene01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">Neil Walker</a> would still be better suited for that role (.352 OBP) and a slugger like Jones being a better fit hitting behind a big on-base threat like <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/m/mccutan01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">Andrew McCutchen</a>. </li>
</ul>
<br />
<ul>
<li>Building bullpens has been one of Neal Huntington’s strengths and the Pirates bullpen has a shot at being very good again. <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/w/wilsoju10.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">Justin Wilson</a> (1.1 innings, 2 Ks), <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/h/hugheja02.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">Jared Hughes</a> (1 inning, 1 K) and Pirates debutant <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/m/melanma01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">Mark Melancon</a> (1 inning, 2 Ks) were impressive in relief of a very strong <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/b/burnea.01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">A.J. Burnett</a> start (who also picked up 10 strikeouts). </li>
</ul>
<br />
The offense simply wasn’t there today, with the Pirates picking up 10 strikeouts. It wasn’t until <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/m/marmoca01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">Carlos Marmol</a> attempted to close it out for the Cubs before the Bucs managed to score a runs. Still, it’s only one game and conclusions cannot be made at this point. There was not a lot to note from the line-up; McCutchen was the only player to pick up an extra base hit and reached base twice; <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/m/martiru01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">Russell Martin</a> may have gone 0-4 but he was the only starter to avoid striking out; and <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/m/martest01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">Starling Marte</a> picked up a walk. The Pirates will have to be more patient at the plate, however, as after a 22 pitch first inning <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/samarje01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">Jeff Samardzija</a> only needed 88 pitches to get through the rest of his eight-inning outing – averaging at 12.5 pitches per inning. </div>
Jimmy Coverdalehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10078300085207463090noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2037462678642791682.post-9205880158787563732013-04-01T10:06:00.000-04:002013-04-01T10:06:12.223-04:00Pittsburgh's 25-Man Roster Set For Opening Day<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cI2ztTIjZ7Q/UVmPkVaB3ZI/AAAAAAAAALg/LbHT4K3LBIo/s1600/Pirates+Logo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cI2ztTIjZ7Q/UVmPkVaB3ZI/AAAAAAAAALg/LbHT4K3LBIo/s200/Pirates+Logo.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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The Pirates have
finalised their 25-man roster ahead of today’s opener against the Chicago
Cubs.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<a name='more'></a><div style="text-align: justify;">
As expected, <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/player_search.cgi?results=mortoch02,mortoch01&utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">Charlie Morton</a>, <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/l/liriafr01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">Francisco Liriano</a>,
<a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/k/karstje01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">Jeff Karstens</a> and <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/i/ingebr01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">Brandon Inge</a> will begin the year on the disabled list, with
Inge retroactive to March 26<sup>th</sup> and the others retroactive to March
22<sup>nd</sup>. This means that Inge must remain on the DL until April 10<sup>th</sup>,
with the others eligible to return on April 6<sup>th</sup>.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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The Pirates had
appeared to have no left-handed hitters on the bench (when the club faced a
right-handed starting pitcher), however <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/j/jonesga02.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">Garrett Jones</a> is getting the Opening
Day start in right field with <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/sanchga01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">Gaby Sanchez</a> at first base – leaving <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/snidetr01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">Travis Snider</a> on the bench:<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<ol>
<li>LF: <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/m/martest01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com">Starling Marte</a></li>
<li>RF: Garrett Jone</li>
<li>CF: <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/m/mccutan01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com">Andrew McCutchen</a></li>
<li>3B: <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/a/alvarpe01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com">Pedro Alvarez</a></li>
<li>1B: Gaby Sanchez</li>
<li>2B: <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/w/walkene01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com">Neil Walker</a></li>
<li>C: <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/m/martiru01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com">Russell Martin</a></li>
<li>SS: <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/b/barmecl01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com">Clint Barmes</a></li>
<li>SP: <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/b/burnea.01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com">A.J. Burnett</a></li>
</ol>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Whether Sanchez is
the everyday first baseman remains to be seen. Nonetheless, the Opening Day roster
will probably look very different at the end of the month, let alone the end of
the season. Brandon Inge will likely replace <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/h/harrijo05.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">Josh Harrison</a> on the bench when he
comes off the DL, with Jeff Karstens and Francisco Liriano joining the rotation
when healthy. Furthermore, the <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=cole--001ger&utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">Gerrit Cole</a> watch will begin early in the
season; however I assume that he will follow the same timetable that Starling
Marte did last season if all goes to plan. </div>
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><u>Opening Day
Roster</u></b><b>:</b><br />
<br />
<b>Rotation:</b><br />
<ol>
<li>AJ Burnett</li>
<li><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/r/rodriwa01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">Wandy Rodriguez</a> (L)</li>
<li><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/m/mcdonja03.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com">James McDonald</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/sanchjo01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">Jonathan Sanchez</a> (L)</li>
<li><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/l/lockeje01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com">Jeff Locke</a> (L)</li>
</ol>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Bullpen:</b><br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/g/grillja01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com">Jason Grilli</a> (Closer)</li>
<li><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/m/melanma01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com">Mark Melancon</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/w/watsoto01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com">Tony Watson</a> (L)</li>
<li><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/h/hugheja02.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com">Jared Hughes</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/w/wilsoju10.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com">Justin Wilson</a> (L)</li>
<li><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/l/lerouch01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com">Chris Leroux</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/g/gomezje01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com">Jeanmar Gomez</a></li>
</ul>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Catchers</b>:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<ul>
<li>Russell Martin</li>
<li><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/m/mckenmi01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com">Michael McKenry</a></li>
</ul>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Infielders:</b><br />
<ul>
<li>Pedro Alvarez</li>
<li>Clint Barmes</li>
<li>Josh Harrison</li>
<li>Garrett Jones</li>
<li><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/player_search.cgi?results=mcdonjo03,mcdonjo01&utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">John McDonald</a></li>
<li>Gaby Sanchez</li>
<li>Neil Walker</li>
</ul>
</div>
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<b>Outfielders</b>:<br />
<ul>
<li>Starling Marte</li>
<li>Andrew McCutchen</li>
<li>Travis Snider</li>
<li><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/t/tabatjo01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com">Jose Tabata</a></li>
</ul>
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Jimmy Coverdalehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10078300085207463090noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2037462678642791682.post-26345718266098045052013-04-01T09:10:00.000-04:002013-04-01T09:10:01.273-04:00Projecting The Offense: Right Field<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yzJdb67eWIU/UVmDlvxo7gI/AAAAAAAAALI/oZyExLVivcU/s1600/Travis+Snider.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="220" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yzJdb67eWIU/UVmDlvxo7gI/AAAAAAAAALI/oZyExLVivcU/s320/Travis+Snider.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Right field is the toughest position to project; the Pirates entered Spring Training appearing to give the majority of playing time to <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/snidetr01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">Travis Snider</a>, who is attempting to stick in the majors for the sixth time, with <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/t/tabatjo01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">Jose Tabata</a> backing him up – perhaps in a platoon. However, <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/j/jonesga02.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">Garrett Jones</a> will get the Opening Day start, with both Snider and Tabata on the bench. What is almost certain is that right field is a position that will be in a state of flux for the first half of the season at least.</div>
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<b>Travis Snider</b>: </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>2012 (Minors)</b>: 246 PA, 16 doubles, 0 triples, 13 home runs, .335/.423/.598, .435 wOBA, 2 stolen bases </div>
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<b>2012 (Majors)</b>: 185 PA, 7 doubles, 1 triple, 4 home runs, .250/.319/.378, .307 wOBA, 2 stolen bases </div>
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<b>2013 Projections</b>: </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b><strong>Bill James</strong></b>: 312 PA, 19 doubles, 1 triple, 11 home runs, .278/.345/.468, .352 wOBA, 5 stolen bases </div>
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<b>ZiPS</b>: 497 PA, 27 doubles, 1 triple, 13 home runs, .253/.312/.403, .310 wOBA, 9 stolen bases </div>
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<b>Oliver</b>: 482 PA, 23 doubles, 2 triples, 15 home runs, .255/.319/.421, .320 wOBA, 9 stolen bases </div>
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<a name='more'></a><br /></div>
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<b>Summary</b>: Snider has a .248/.309/.415 batting line (.316 wOBA) in 1062 plate appearances in the majors. Both ZiPS and Oliver forecasts that Snider can match these numbers, while Bill James has the most aggressive projection (like with <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/m/martest01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">Starling Marte</a>) and representing the upside, driven by the highest walk rate (9.0 BB%), lowest strikeout percentage (21.8 K%) and better luck (.332 BABIP). Snider is a .333/.412/.565 batting line in 797 Triple-A plate appearances and the hope will be that some of this minor league success will translate to the majors.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uFoiK06VNEU/UVmDv5z3VII/AAAAAAAAALQ/tbFiLbiWlQU/s1600/Jose+Tabata.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="230" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uFoiK06VNEU/UVmDv5z3VII/AAAAAAAAALQ/tbFiLbiWlQU/s320/Jose+Tabata.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>Jose Tabata</b>: </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>2012 (Minors)</b>: 173 PA, 9 doubles, 0 triples, 0 home runs, .297/.353/.354, .327 wOBA, 5 stolen bases </div>
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<b>2012 (Majors)</b>: 374 PA, 20 doubles, 3 triples, 3 home runs, .243/.315/.348, .296 wOBA, 8 stolen bases </div>
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<b>2013 Projections</b>: </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Bill James</b>: 353 PA, 19 doubles, 2 triple, 3 home runs, .278/.345/.377, .316 wOBA, 12 stolen bases </div>
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<b>ZiPS</b>: 580 PA, 31 doubles, 4 triple, 5 home runs, .262/.330/.366, .308 wOBA, 19 stolen bases </div>
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<b>Oliver</b>: 552 PA, 25 doubles, 4 triples, 8 home runs, .271/.338/.387, .319 wOBA, 19 stolen bases </div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Summary</b>: While Oliver projects a small power increase, all three forecast that his luck will change – with his batting average on balls in play approaching his career .315 mark from the .287 BABIP in 2012. Bill James is the most aggressive in this respect (.319), resulting in the highest batting average and on-base percentage of the three systems. </div>
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Garrett Jones’ Opening Day start in right field is likely a result of <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/sanchga01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">Gaby Sanchez</a> outperforming both Snider and Tabata during Spring Training. Sanchez hit .302/.415/.651 with four home runs, with Tabata (.269/.304/.442 with 1 homer) and Snider (.255/.333/.362 without a home run) lagging behind. Nonetheless, I'd expect the club will likely revert back to Snider as the primary option at some point; he's out of options so should be given the opportunity to stake a claim to regular playing time.</div>
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If Jones is given the majority of starts against right-handed pitching in right field, Snider’s role is likely to be limited – with Tabata receiving a playing time boost given Jones’ need to be platooned. Snider could therefore see some time as Marte’s backup in left field and in right field when Sanchez is given days off (with Jones deputizing at first base). The situation first base/right field will likely develop further as the season progresses, especially if this is a case where Sanchez is given the first opportunity for everyday plate appearances. </div>
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The problem with the projections for both Tabata and Snider is that only Bill James’ Snider prediction offers any sort of breakout – and a breakout from either Tabata or Snider (or Sanchez at first base) will be required to claim to the position on a full time basis at some point in the season. If any of these players struggle, <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/sandsje01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">Jerry Sands</a> and <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/p/preslal01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">Alex Presley</a> represent the primary depth at Triple-A level and either player could force their way into the mix for starts with a strong start to the season. The concern is that both Snider and Tabata are out of options, which would mean exposing them to waivers if the club were to make a change. </div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
The Pirates could use a host of different options in right field this season. Whereas Garrett Jones gets the Opening Day start, both Travis Snider and Jose Tabata will see time at the position. Injuries or a lack of production from any of these players will see others receive a chance at the position, with the Pirates potentially using five or six players in right this season. The hope is that Sanchez will breakout at first base or someone will claim the right field job as their own; however entering the season it does appear to be the position to strengthen at the deadline if the Pirates are in contention.</div>
Jimmy Coverdalehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10078300085207463090noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2037462678642791682.post-72746430238387871412013-03-31T12:41:00.001-04:002013-03-31T12:41:56.256-04:00Projecting The Offense: Center Field<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5auRVkIEZ8U/UVhmisJfwQI/AAAAAAAAAK4/jDUa6Qmv3r0/s1600/Andrew+McCutchen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="223" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5auRVkIEZ8U/UVhmisJfwQI/AAAAAAAAAK4/jDUa6Qmv3r0/s320/Andrew+McCutchen.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Out of all of my <i>Projecting the Offense</i> series, this post is the easiest. <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/m/mccutan01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">Andrew McCutchen</a> is the club’s best hitter and will lead the offense again in 2013. The only thing that could hold him back from being a prominent player in the MVP conversation is his team mates – given the BBWAA’s preference for players to win the award being members of contending teams. </div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>2012</b>: 673 PA, 29 doubles, 6 triples, 31 home runs, .327/.400/.553, .403 wOBA, 20 stolen bases </div>
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<b>2013 Projections</b>: </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b><strong>Bill James</strong></b>: 675 PA, 34 doubles, 6 triples, 24 home runs, .286/.372/.483, .363 wOBA, 22 stolen bases </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>ZiPS</b>: 673 PA, 31 doubles, 6 triples, 24 home runs, .283/.372/.480, .365 wOBA, 23 stolen bases </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Oliver</b>: 626 PA, 29 doubles, 5 triples, 25 home runs, .290/.374/.500, .375 wOBA, 23 stolen bases </div>
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<a name='more'></a><br /></div>
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<b>Summary</b>: All three projection systems predict regression towards McCutchen’s career .290/.374/.484 batting line rather than a continuation of his 2012 season. His .375 batting average on balls in play is not something that is sustainable; however he has the speed to maintain an above average BABIP, just not to that level. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
McCutchen took a positive step forward in 2012, hitting for more power than at any level during his career (.226 ISO). The combination of the power spike and high BABIP makes it understandable as to why many would predict regression; however, as <a href="http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/index.php/andrew-mccutchens-controlled-aggression/">Jack Moore of FanGraphs</a> points out, McCutchen swung at more pitches over the plate than he had over the course of his major league career. Controlling his aggression will be essential for McCutchen in 2013, as he will face spells where he will be pitched around. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
McCutchen’s 19.9 home-run-to-fly-ball ratio was not only career high but also the 19th highest HR/FB in the majors last season, although this figure is bloated due to a career low 34.3 FB%. Looking at ESPN’s Hit Tracker, only four of McCutchen’s 31 home runs were classified as <i><a href="http://hittrackeronline.com/homeruns_special.php?league=NL&type=JE">just enough</a> </i>(in comparison <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/player_search.cgi?results=braunry02,braunry01&utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">Ryan Braun</a> led the NL with 14 just enough home runs); so that combined with a career high 21.9 LD% does point to a sustainable ISO of around .200. While McCutchen may not surpass 30 home runs in 2013, he will certainly approach that level at the very least. </div>
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The only problem the Pirates have is that they need another Andrew McCutchen (or a team full). He’s the club’s best option for the lead-off spot and to hit in the heart of the order. While many would want McCutchen in a position to drive in runs, he needs men to be on base in order to do so. My personal preference would be to <a href="http://www.jimmycoverdale.com/2012/11/time-to-move-mccutchen-to-lead-off-spot.html">have McCutchen leading-off</a> as his on-base percentage will be at least 50 points higher than what <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/m/martest01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">Starling Marte</a> is likely to manage. Furthermore, the difference in the number of plate appearances for each spot in the order is usually around 18 trips to the plate which could be very useful later in games – and more Andrew McCutchen can never be a bad thing for the Pirates. </div>
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Whichever way you want to spell it out, Andrew McCutchen is the Pirates’ best hitter and one of the league’s top players. His BABIP does point to signs of regression overall as that will likely drop, so he will need to reduce his strikeouts (19.6 K% in 2012) and increase his walk rate (10.4 BB% in 2012) to maintain an on-base percentage of around .400. Each projection system listed above provides reasonable predictions for 'Cutch, especially when his career before 2012 is considered, although it would surprise no one if McCutchen surpassed these levels in 2013.</div>
Jimmy Coverdalehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10078300085207463090noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2037462678642791682.post-51226535173484247462013-03-30T20:25:00.000-04:002013-03-30T20:25:24.541-04:00Projecting The Offense: Left Field<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-eQ_ZXIMyWVU/UVd_lI20JRI/AAAAAAAAAKo/7wAy0NrN6bU/s1600/Starling+Marte.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="218" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-eQ_ZXIMyWVU/UVd_lI20JRI/AAAAAAAAAKo/7wAy0NrN6bU/s320/Starling+Marte.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
When <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/m/martest01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">Starling Marte</a> finally arrived in the big leagues last summer, he became the <a href="http://www.baseball-almanac.com/feats/feats6.shtml">28th player in major-league history</a> to go deep on his first pitch seen. Marte really came as advertised; power, speed and great defense combined with little patience at the plate. While Clint Hurdle’s old-school approach to building a line-up will likely force Marte into a role that his skillset is not really suited for, he should still continue to develop into one of the more dynamic Pittsburgh Pirates hitters. </div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>2012 (Minors)</b>: 431 PA, 21 doubles, 13 triples, 12 home runs, .286/.347/.500, .372 wOBA, 21 stolen bases </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>2012 (Majors)</b>: 182 PA, 16 doubles, 6 triples, 5 home runs, .257/.300/.437, .316 wOBA, 12 stolen bases </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>2013 Projections</b>: </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b><strong>Bill James</strong></b>: 551 PA, 28 doubles, 11 triples, 15 home runs, .297/.336/.479, .350 wOBA, 31 stolen bases </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>ZiPS</b>: 578 PA, 27 doubles, 14 triples, 11 home runs, .264/.311/.428, .317 wOBA, 24 stolen bases </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Oliver</b>: 602 PA, 27 doubles, 9 triples, 16 home runs, .268/.317/.436, .325 wOBA, 27 stolen bases </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a name='more'></a><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Summary</b>: All three projection systems predict plenty of power from Marte; however his on-base percentage will be luck dependant. Bill James has the most aggressive projection, driven by the highest walk rate (5.3 BB%), lowest strikeout percentage (21.4 K%) and better luck (.360 BABIP). Oliver likely forecasts the most reasonable projection for Marte, with Bill James’ being the upside.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Starling Marte enters the season as one of the offensive question marks. He was solid in his major league debut, but that was over a small sample size of just 182 plate appearances. That said, he did demonstrate the skills that forced his call up to the majors. He showed good power (.180 ISO), both for extra bases and the long ball. His speed was also as advertised; hitting six triples and stealing twelve bases (although he was caught stealing on five occasions). However, the biggest issue with Marte is his plate discipline, which limits his offensive performance.<br />
<br />
Marte has never been a player that walks a lot; his highest walk percentage was at Triple-A last season (6.5%) – not surpassing the 5% mark at any other level. He also combines this with a strikeout percentage above 20% (with the 17.5 K% at Double-A in 2011 being the outlier). It means that Marte will require luck with balls in play for his on-base percentage to be above average, signalling that he would likely be better suited to hit lower down the order (despite his speed). The problem is that the Pirates really do lack a an alternative not named <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/m/mccutan01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">Andrew McCutchen</a> to fill the lead-off spot, although Clint Hurdle does tend to send out more <a href="http://www.beyondtheboxscore.com/2011/4/14/2110082/why-dont-sabermetric-gms-have-sabermetric-managers-and-shouldnt-they">conventional line-ups</a> and Marte is his best speed option for the role. </div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
He did show a rather big platoon split, but again the small sample size has to be considered. Marte had a .423 wOBA against left-handers over 50 plate appearances, with a triple slash line of .318/.360/.682, which dropped to .236/.277/.350 (.275 wOBA) in 132 plate appearances when facing right-handers. Looking at his minor league splits (from <a href="http://minorleaguecentral.com/player?pid=516782&split=3000">Minor League Central</a>); Marte has shown very little platoon splits over the last two years in the minors:</div>
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v L<o:p></o:p></div>
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<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 36.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="48"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
253<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 36.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="48"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
.211<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 36.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="48"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
.360<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 36.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="48"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
20.9%<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 36.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="48"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
6.3%<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 36.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="48"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
.302<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 36.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="48"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
.348<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 36.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="48"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
.513<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 36.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="48"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
.861<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 2; mso-yfti-lastrow: yes;">
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 36.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="48"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
v R<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 36.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="48"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
755<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 36.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="48"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
.178<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 36.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="48"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
.373<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 36.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="48"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
18.5%<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 36.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="48"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
4.5%<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 36.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="48"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
.314<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 36.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="48"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
.362<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 36.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="48"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
.492<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 36.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="48"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
.854<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
While Marte had a little more luck and struck out less when facing right-handed pitching aiding the higher batting average and on-base percentage, he displayed more power against left-handed pitching (which shouldn't be surprising as hitters typically to perform better against opposite-handed pitchers). What the above does indicate is that some <a href="http://www.fangraphs.com/library/index.php/principles/regression/">regression towards the mean</a> should be expected against both right and left handed pitching. </div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
With his power and speed combination, Marte will likely be one of the club’s more dynamic and exciting hitter this season. After a solid arrival in the major leagues, if Starling Marte can breakout in 2013 he can possibly hit his way to contract extension discussions - with the Bill James projections being a distinct possibility.</div>
Jimmy Coverdalehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10078300085207463090noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2037462678642791682.post-46706765233106928382013-03-29T11:59:00.000-04:002013-03-29T11:59:08.657-04:00Projecting The Offense: Shortstop<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KL-KHJd9HS8/UVW2rcdsAFI/AAAAAAAAAKY/RQTscg2hV3g/s1600/Barmes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="207" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KL-KHJd9HS8/UVW2rcdsAFI/AAAAAAAAAKY/RQTscg2hV3g/s320/Barmes.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/b/barmecl01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">Clint Barmes</a> will enter the season in his final year of the two year, $10.5M contract that he signed in November 2011. With no obvious internal replacement and a weak free agent market at shortstop next winter, he could very easily play his way into a contract extension. However, in order to do so, Barmes will have to provide more of an offensive contribution that he managed in 2012. </div>
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<b>2012</b>: 493 PA, 16 doubles, 1 triple, 8 home runs, .229/.272/.321, .260 wOBA, 0 stolen bases </div>
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<b>2013 Projections</b>: </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b><strong>Bill James</strong></b>: 441 PA, 21 doubles, 1 triple, 9 home runs, .233/.286/.353, .273 wOBA, 2 stolen bases </div>
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<b>ZiPS</b>: 475 PA, 26 doubles, 1 triple, 9 home runs, .237/.291/.353, .280 wOBA, 3 stolen bases </div>
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<b>Oliver</b>: 502 PA, 20 doubles, 1 triple, 10 home runs, .234/.297/.349, .283 wOBA, 3 stolen bases </div>
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<br />
<a name='more'></a><b>Summary</b>: All three projection systems forecast improvement at the plate for Barmes in 2013, although that’s not really a bold prediction. Still, with a sub-.300 OBP likely this season from Barmes, he’ll have little overall offensive value. </div>
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Clint Barmes joined the club as a defense-first shortstop. He was signed to provide a big improvement over <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/c/cedenro02.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">Ronny Cedeno</a>, after the club declined his $3M option; however that did not prove to be the case in Barmes’ debut season. While he shone defensively (10.6 UZR), as expected, he was a downgrade offensively (Cedeno’s wOBA in 2011 was .276). FanGraphs and Baseball Reference disagree over which player was more valuable (Cedeno in 2011 or Barmes in 2012); FanGraphs version of WAR indicated a slight downgrade (Cedeno 1.1 fWAR, Barmes 1.0 fWAR), while Baseball Reference shows a decent upgrade (Cedeno 0.82 rWAR, Barmes 1.29 rWAR). Either way, Barmes’ bat prevented him from providing the type of value that the Pirates require; limiting him to right around market value (and the Bucs need more than market value per WAR). </div>
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While many did predict an offensive decline from the .244/.312/.386 he hit with the Houston Astros in 2011, due to him being a pull hitter moving to a ballpark with such an expansive left field, I doubt that many would have predicted how bad Barmes' was at the plate in 2012. Out of 265 players with at least 300 plate appearances in 2012, only three had a lower wOBA (<a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/r/ryanbr01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">Brendan Ryan</a>, <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/g/gordode01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">Dee Gordon</a> and <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/t/tholejo01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">Josh Thole</a>). Furthermore, only ten players had a lower walk rate than Barmes’ 4.1 BB% and he was in the bottom 25 in isolated power (.092 ISO). He’s destined to be the club’s number eight hitter in the line-up this season; however the numbers are not all negative from an offensive standpoint. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Barmes' splits in 2012 do offer some offensive hope - at least on a part time basis. He hit .274/.373/.368 (.331 wOBA) against left-handed pitchers last season (110 PA), walking on 11.8% of trips to the plate. In comparison, Barmes hit .217/.243/.308 (.240 wOBA) when facing right-handed pitching (383 PA), taking the free pass on just 1.8% of trips to the plate. Over the course of his career he has a fairly big platoon split (a .339 wOBA against lefties and a .285 wOBA against righties), which would have likely pushed him to a platoon if it was not for his defensive prowess at shortstop. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The <a href="http://buriedtreasurepirates.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/pirates-acquire-john-mcdonald.html">acquisition</a> of <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/player_search.cgi?results=mcdonjo03,mcdonjo01&utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">John McDonald</a> is a curious one in that respect; adding a backup shortstop with a worse bat than Barmes seems like a flawed approach. A switch or left-handed hitting shortstop would have been an ideal addition over the winter (such as <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/i/izturma01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">Maicer Izturis</a>), even if the club elected against a full time platoon; although after the market thinned out then the club could have elected to give <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/m/mercejo03.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">Jordy Mercer</a> the opportunity to <a href="http://buriedtreasurepirates.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/the-case-for-jordy-mercer.html">audition for the full time</a> role at short next season. At some point in the season, the club may look to find an offensive improve at the position at least on a part time basis, so Mercer, <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/d/darnach01.shtml">Chase d’Arnaud</a> or <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/d/dejesiv02.shtml">Ivan De Jesus Jr</a> could force their way to Pittsburgh (or the club could look externally for an upgrade). </div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
The depth of the Pirates line-up is going to depend on the opposition’s starting pitcher and it is largely up to Clint Barmes to prevent the bottom of the order becoming the black hole it was in 2012. It’s hard not to expect some regression towards the mean against righties from Barmes this season – it would be almost impossible for him to walk less and he could receive more luck with balls in play (.266 BABIP against right-handers in 2012). That said, Barmes is a below average hitter who was acquired for his defense – so his offensive contribution is going to be limited.</div>
Jimmy Coverdalehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10078300085207463090noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2037462678642791682.post-1407000775352216612013-03-27T20:01:00.004-04:002013-03-27T20:01:55.161-04:00Projecting The Offense: Third Base<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AE_pLoInJ4U/UVOEZ-tWgyI/AAAAAAAAAKI/lvUw94-8G6k/s1600/Alvarez.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="217" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AE_pLoInJ4U/UVOEZ-tWgyI/AAAAAAAAAKI/lvUw94-8G6k/s320/Alvarez.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/a/alvarpe01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">Pedro Alvarez</a> took a step forward in 2012 after a miserable 2011, hitting 30 home runs on his way to becoming one of the strongest hitters in the Pirates line-up. While it appears that Alvarez will begin the season as the Pirates clean-up hitter, he will need to continue to progress at the plate this season if he is going to find success in this role.</div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>2012</b>: 586 PA, 25 doubles, 1 triple, 30 home runs, .244/.317/.467, .335 wOBA, 1 stolen base</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>2013 Projections</b>:</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b><strong>Bill James</strong></b>: 597 PA, 29 doubles, 2 triples, 29 home runs, .257/.336/.481, .349 wOBA, 2 stolen bases</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>ZiPS</b>: 610 PA, 26 doubles, 2 triples, 29 home runs, .236/.315/.451, .327 wOBA, 2 stolen bases</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Oliver</b>: 548 PA, 24 doubles, 2 triples, 22 home runs, .234/.313/.427, .320 wOBA, 2 stolen bases</div>
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<a name='more'></a><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Summary</b>: The projections are split for Alvarez. Bill James predicts a step forward while ZiPS and Oliver forecast regression. Both Bill James and ZiPS anticipate that his home run power can approach the 30 homer mark again, while Oliver projects a decline.</div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
Inconsistent projections are a sign of Alvarez’s career so far: solid debut in 2010, forgettable 2011, power-driven bounce back 2012. He was very streaky last season, which is one of the issues that he needs to iron out this season – especially if he is to settle into the clean-up role. While Alvarez has a noticeable career platoon split with .335 wOBA when facing right-handed pitching (.353 wOBA in 2012), dropping to a wOBA of .281 against lefties (.284 wOBA in 2012); if he is going to make significant steps forward Alvarez will have to reduce his strikeout numbers. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Alvarez has struck out on 30.7% of trips to the plate and swung-and-missed on 13.3% of pitches seen over the course of his career; although he has taken the free pass on 9.6% of trips to the plate. His plate discipline splits highlight his problems when facing left-handed pitching: in 2012 his strikeout percentage was 38.2%, more than 10% higher than his 28.1 K% when facing right-handers, and he walked less frequently against southpaws (10.6 BB% against righties and 7.2 BB% against lefties). </div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
Alvarez swung at 47.0% of pitches and made contact with 70.9% of them – the eighth lowest contact percentage among qualified hitters in the majors last season. Below is a chart of pitches and locations that Alvarez swung at last season, with chasing many pitches well below the strike zone:</div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dtWmKXM_CbI/UVOD45aUWGI/AAAAAAAAAKA/4ROYPigMdqw/s1600/Alvarez+swings+2012.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dtWmKXM_CbI/UVOD45aUWGI/AAAAAAAAAKA/4ROYPigMdqw/s1600/Alvarez+swings+2012.png" /></a></div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
The below swing-and-miss PITCHf/x hitter profiles from Baseball Prospectus add context to the above. They highlight that high fastballs, low breaking pitches and changeups on the outside corner were Alvarez’s biggest problems – highlighting that his problem pitches in 2012 were the same as <a href="http://www.jimmycoverdale.com/2012/03/evaluating-pedro-alvarez.html">his issues in 2011</a>:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<b>Fastballs:</b><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe frameborder="0" height="500" src="http://www.baseballprospectus.com/pitchfx/hitter_cards/scout_table.php?player=476883&inf=&month=&year=2012&throws=&pi_type=fast&report=whiff&color=&normType=&iFrame=1" width="500"></iframe>
</div>
<br />
<b>Offspeed pitches:</b><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe frameborder="0" height="500" src="http://www.baseballprospectus.com/pitchfx/hitter_cards/scout_table.php?player=476883&inf=&month=&year=2012&throws=&pi_type=off&report=whiff&color=&normType=&iFrame=1" width="500"></iframe>
</div>
<br />
<b>Breaking pitches</b>:<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe frameborder="0" height="500" src="http://www.baseballprospectus.com/pitchfx/hitter_cards/scout_table.php?player=476883&inf=&month=&year=2012&throws=&pi_type=break&report=whiff&color=&normType=&iFrame=1" width="500"></iframe>
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Whereas the number of strikeouts will likely limit Alvarez's production, the positive is that when Alvarez makes contact he hits for a lot of power. His .223 isolated power ranked 24th among qualified hitters in the majors last season (albeit only third on the team behind <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/j/jonesga02.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">Garrett Jones</a> and <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/m/mccutan01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">Andrew McCutchen</a>). He is entering the 2013 season in a much different fashion to this time last year; there are fewer question marks and no debate over whether he belongs in the majors. Nonetheless, if he cannot reduce the strikeouts then Alvarez will have to rely on luck with balls in play and an increased walk rate to have an above average on-base percentage and progress further at the the plate in 2013. </div>
Jimmy Coverdalehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10078300085207463090noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2037462678642791682.post-58760099036700627682013-03-25T18:11:00.000-04:002013-03-25T18:16:14.805-04:00Projecting The Offense: Second Base<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UPGELRzwScU/UVDJf016NGI/AAAAAAAAAJw/5mLpnD3DJzc/s1600/Neil+Walker.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="177" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UPGELRzwScU/UVDJf016NGI/AAAAAAAAAJw/5mLpnD3DJzc/s320/Neil+Walker.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/w/walkene01.shtml">Neil Walker</a> is firmly entrenched as the Bucs second baseman and he’s accumulated 8.5 wins above replacement since he converted to the position in 2010. Offensively, only four second basemen that would have qualified for the battle title surpassed Walker’s park adjusted wRC+ of 111 in 2012, only dropping to seventh on the list over the 2010-2012 period with a 112 wRC+ (.336 wOBA). While Walker has become a solid contributor offensively, there is an area where he could improve. </div>
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<b>2012</b>: 530 PA, 27 doubles, 14 home runs, .280/.342/.426,.334 wOBA, 7 stolen bases </div>
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<b>2013 Projections: </b></div>
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<b>Bill James</b>: 647 PA, 40 doubles, 2 triples, 17 home runs, .275/.337/.435,.336 wOBA, 9 stolen bases </div>
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<b>ZiPS</b>: 617 PA, 35 doubles, 3 triples, 16 home runs, .270/.332/.430, .328 wOBA, 8 stolen bases </div>
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<b>Oliver</b>: 584 PA, 29 doubles, 3 triples, 15 home runs, .270/.332/.423, .331 wOBA, 8 stolen bases </div>
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<b>Summary</b>: The projections for Walker are fairly safe; they’re right around his career numbers. Interestingly, all three projection systems are predicting a little more isolated power from Walker in 2013; however they are also predicting a slightly lower on-base percentage – due to a little less luck with balls in play. </div>
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If Walker is going to provide more value than the 3.3 wins above replacement (according to FanGraphs) that he was worth in 2012, he has two areas where he can improve: defense and performance against left-handed pitchers. Walker has progressed immensely at second base since he moved to the position on a full time basis in 2010 – both visually and statistically. UZR rated him as above average for the first time in 2012 (1.4 UZR), although this statistic is prone to year-to-year fluctuations and he’s still not had an above average season according to DRS. If he can remain around average defensively, he's probably a lock for a three win season.</div>
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Walker’s power numbers took a nice step forward overall in 2012 and his HR/FB ratio jumped to 11.2%; however all of his home run power came when facing right-handed pitching. He could still make strides offensively if he can get close to eliminating his platoon split – or the club could improve the offense as a whole by sitting the switch-hitting Walker against some left-handers. Walker hit just .246/.314/.288 from the right side of the plate in 2012 (.271 wOBA), with a batting line of .267/.323/.360 (.301 wOBA) over the course of his career when facing lefties (in comparison, Walker’s wOBA when facing right-handed pitching was .356 in 2012, with a career wOBA of .345). </div>
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Looking closer to Walker’s 2012 splits highlights how finding power when facing left-handers is the key to his improvement. He may have also hit for a lower batting average when facing southpaws; however luck played a big part. His batting average on balls in play dropped from .342 against right-handers to .279 against left-handers. He also walked more (9.4 BB% v 8.7 BB%) and struck out less (13.8 K% v 21.3 K%) when facing left-handed pitching. While he also didn't hit for a lot of power in 2011 (1 home run, .081 ISO), Walker did hit left-handers for power in 2010 (.170 ISO with 3 home runs). </div>
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FanGraphs recently ranked Pirates second basemen sixth in their <a href="http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/index.php/positional-power-rankings-second-base-2/#6">Positional Power Rankings</a>, highlighting how good Neil Walker has been in comparison to other Bucs second basemen over the past 25 years. Walker has been very solid at the plate since he arrived in Pittsburgh for good in 2010, however he could take a further step forward if he can improve his numbers when facing left-handed pitching. Nonetheless, second base is one of the few areas of concern for the Pirates – in 2013 and beyond.</div>
Jimmy Coverdalehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10078300085207463090noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2037462678642791682.post-52364773405574738002013-03-24T12:18:00.000-04:002013-03-24T14:22:37.556-04:00Projecting The Offense: First Base<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lIU0W6eRpjg/UU8jjCaUPgI/AAAAAAAAAJY/YeJfbL2iu1w/s1600/Garrett+Jones.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="159" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lIU0W6eRpjg/UU8jjCaUPgI/AAAAAAAAAJY/YeJfbL2iu1w/s200/Garrett+Jones.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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The Pirates will begin the year with <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/j/jonesga02.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">Garrett Jones</a> platooning with <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/sanchga01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">Gaby Sanchez</a> at first base. If Spring Training line-ups are anything to go by, Sanchez projects to hit in the clean-up spot when the club faces a southpaw, with Jones hitting in the fifth spot against righties. It’s a situation that could provide the club with a lot of value if both players can produce in the role, with Sanchez being the bigger question mark as Jones is will begin his third year in a platoon role.</div>
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<b>Garrett Jones</b>: </div>
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<b>2012</b>: 515 PA, 28 doubles, 3 triples, 27 home runs, .274/.317/.516, .352 wOBA, 2 stolen bases</div>
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<b>2013 Projections</b>: </div>
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<b><strong>Bill James</strong></b>: 445 PA, 27 doubles, 1 triple, 20 home runs, .254/.315/.454, .331 wOBA, 4 stolen bases</div>
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<b>ZiPS</b>: 482 PA, 29 doubles, 2 triples, 20 home runs, .253/.313/.446, .324 wOBA, 5 stolen bases</div>
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<b>Oliver</b>: 483 PA, 28 doubles, 2 triples, 20 home runs, .253/.318/.443, .328 wOBA, 4 stolen bases</div>
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<b>Summary</b>: All three projection systems predict a power drop from Jones in 2013. His home run to fly ball ratio spiked to 17.1% in 2012 from 11.0% and 11.2% in 2011 and 2010 respectively, so a decline probably should be expected - although it should be noted that he performance against southpaws dragged his HR/FB ratio down a little. Jones picked up 81 plate appearances against left-handers last season due to injuries and lack of production from other players forcing him into a full time role, which may drop in 2013 if Gaby Sanchez can settle into a platoon role. It’s also worth noting that Jones’ career line against right-handers is .279/.348/.504 (.365 wOBA), so there is room for Jones to outperform his projections.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-64iH1gphKrA/UU8jseenC2I/AAAAAAAAAJg/40eGfmuHfyU/s1600/Gaby+Sanchez.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-64iH1gphKrA/UU8jseenC2I/AAAAAAAAAJg/40eGfmuHfyU/s200/Gaby+Sanchez.jpg" width="175" /></a></div>
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<b>Gaby Sanchez:</b></div>
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<b>2012</b>: 326 PA, 16 doubles, 7 home runs, .217/.279/.341, .272 wOBA, 1 stolen base</div>
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<b>2013 Projections:</b> <br />
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<b>Bill James</b>: 394 PA, 22 doubles, 11 home runs, .263/.343/.418, .330 wOBA, 3 stolen bases</div>
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<b>ZiPS</b>: 541 PA, 29 doubles, 1 triple, 14 home runs, .254/.326/.405, .318 wOBA, 3 stolen bases</div>
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<b>Oliver</b>: 564 PA, 29 doubles, 1 triple, 17 home runs, .258/.333/.422, .329 wOBA, 2 stolen bases</div>
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<b>Summary</b>: All three projection systems predict an all round improvement, although Bill James probably gets the closest to the number of plate appearances. Sanchez will enter 2013 in a full-time platoon for the first time, so unless either he or Jones are moved or Jones picks up an injury, reaching 500 plate appearances seems impossible right now.</div>
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<b>Why the first base platoon may find success: </b></div>
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Quite simply, players generally hit opposite handed pitchers better and both Jones and Sanchez have a history of hitting opposite handed pitchers much better. As noted above, Jones has a career .365 wOBA against right-handers and Sanchez has a career line of .291/.385/.484 (.377 wOBA) against left-handed pitchers (as opposed to a .248/.314/.398 triple-slash line (.313 wOBA) when facing righties). Both players have weighted on-base averages above .360 over the course of their careers, so noting that only 10 first basemen (11 with Jones) that would have qualified for the batting title had a wOBA above .350 last season indicates the potential that a successful first base platoon would have.</div>
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<b>Why the first base platoon may not find success: </b></div>
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While Jones is entering his third season in a platoon and proved that he can produce in this role, it’s Sanchez’s first. The Pirates will be hoping that he can also end the year in a platoon, something that he’s been unable to do in each of the last two seasons – first with <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/d/diazma02.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">Matt Diaz</a> in 2011 and then <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/m/mcgehca01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">Casey McGehee</a> last season. Many players struggle in a part time role, so Sanchez’s adjustment to the platoon will be key to the success of the platoon. The Pirates know full well how that adjustment could negatively affect the performance of the hitter, as seen with McGehee, Diaz and <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/p/pearcst01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">Steve Pearce</a> (among others).</div>
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Sanchez may also face some right-handers when the designated hitter is introduced during the four road series in AL ballparks (the first being against the Detroit Tigers at the end of May). There currently projects to be no left-handed hitters on the bench (although there may be by the end of May) and he’s the better defensive first basemen of the pair (with a career 3.6 UZR/150 compared to Jones’ -8.6 UZR/150 at first base), so Sanchez could very well pick up some plate appearances with Jones as the DH, while I’d expect Jones to remain on the bench with a left-hander on the mound.</div>
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The potential is certainly there for the Pirates to have one of the more productive first basemen in the league, albeit in a tandem. Sanchez already began to bounce back after a miserable start to his 2012 season with the Miami Marlins, hitting .241/.323/.397 after the trade. He now has to adjust to playing on a part-time basis; if he has success then the Pirates will finally find value from a platoon at third attempt.
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Jimmy Coverdalehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10078300085207463090noreply@blogger.com2