We Don’t Care About Batting Average

[Ron Madden]

"If I wanted to hit .300, I'd hit .300," Astros third baseman Alex Bregman said. "It's an OPS game, though. It's about driving the baseball and getting on base, walks and extra-base hits. If it turned into an average game, I'd get the ball out of the air and hit line drives and hit .330.

"All the hitters care about now is OPS. We don't care about batting average. Some guys do, I guess. Batting average is an old stat that doesn't matter. It's OPS, runs created, WAR. Look at Mike Trout's numbers. There are guys that hit .340. Mike Trout is hitting, what, .300 on the dot? I'd rather have Mike Trout's numbers with all the walks and the damage than the guy who hits .340 [with a bunch of singles]. It's an OPS game."

Indeed, Bregman hits the All-Star break with a .265 batting average but ranks third in the American League in OPS and third in on-base percentage. He's not hitting close to .300, but he's been one of the best run producers in the league. That's what matters.

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/...e?platform=amp

[Larry Schuler]

[BluegrassRedleg]

He's not wrong, but his widely shared viewpoint is also contributing to a game that has been less watchable and adversarial to ticket sales. Players and organizations need to realize that, at the heart of the matter, they are an entertainment product. People aren't willing to shell out big bucks as much these days to watch dudes walk, strike out, and hit 3-4 homers a game, even if the data tells us that's the most efficient way to play. It would not hurt to have a few more high-average guys in the game and more action on the basepaths.

[BCubb2003]

It’s a conundrum. Would fans rather win more, if the games are kind of dry and less interesting, or win less but the team is go-go always doing something (except scoring as many runs).

“Don’t win so much! Be more exciting!”

[Big Klu]

It’s a conundrum. Would fans rather win more, if the games are kind of dry and less interesting, or win less but the team is go-go always doing something (except scoring as many runs).

“Don’t win so much! Be more exciting!”

The big problem is when you do neither.

[Ron Madden]

I want my team to score as many runs as possible.

I’d rather watch a higher scoring game than a 1-0
or 2-1 game, had my fill of those and sac bunts in the 60’s

[RR1971]

Strikeouts are the problem. If they’d quit striking out so much the averages would go up. On base % is highly correlated with batting average so put the ball in play more and OBP will go up. Whatever stat they want to use won’t be helped by 150 strikeouts a year. I get taking a strike or two to try and get a pitch you can hit out if the park but quit guessing and swinging at balls in the dirt with two strikes and quit taking strike 3 on the outside corner.

[Larry Schuler]

My skeptical nature believes that the "try to hit singles" version would be closer to .290 than .330.

That said, he should have gone all the way and said "I could hit .400 if I wanted."

[dfs]

He's not wrong, but his widely shared viewpoint is also contributing to a game that has been less watchable and adversarial to ticket sales. Players and organizations need to realize that, at the heart of the matter, they are an entertainment product. People aren't willing to shell out big bucks as much these days to watch dudes walk, strike out, and hit 3-4 homers a game, even if the data tells us that's the most efficient way to play.

Crowds don't seem to be getting smaller.

It would not hurt to have a few more high-average guys in the game and more action on the basepaths.

You would think that if there was a place for this type of hitter we would see a sprinkling of them in lineups, but that type of hitter left the stage back in the 80's. Everybody is swinging for the fences cause chicks dig the long ball.

[davereds24]

He's not wrong, but his widely shared viewpoint is also contributing to a game that has been less watchable and adversarial to ticket sales. Players and organizations need to realize that, at the heart of the matter, they are an entertainment product. People aren't willing to shell out big bucks as much these days to watch dudes walk, strike out, and hit 3-4 homers a game, even if the data tells us that's the most efficient way to play. It would not hurt to have a few more high-average guys in the game and more action on the basepaths.

I have a feeling the average fans wants to see home runs. Runs have been going up the last 5 years along with defensive shifting, it’s pretty clear that home runs are the way to go if you want to see scoring. He’s crazy to say he could hit .330 if he wanted to with the way defense is played.

[JCM11]

The top 5 OPS guys in MLB all have an average over .300 and 11 of the top 12 are hitting .297 or higher. It looks to me like if you want to be one of the truly elite .950+ OPS guys you need to be hitting around .300.

[Wonderful Monds]

He's not wrong, but his widely shared viewpoint is also contributing to a game that has been less watchable and adversarial to ticket sales. Players and organizations need to realize that, at the heart of the matter, they are an entertainment product. People aren't willing to shell out big bucks as much these days to watch dudes walk, strike out, and hit 3-4 homers a game, even if the data tells us that's the most efficient way to play. It would not hurt to have a few more high-average guys in the game and more action on the basepaths.

I do agree that home run derby baseball is extremely exhausting to watch. Definitely needs to be more balls in play, guys running the bases and having to play defense out in the field is much more exciting than three true outcomes ball.

Unjuice the ball and move the mound back and it’ll fix itself.

[Mutaman]

Crowds don't seem to be getting smaller.
.

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/...-straight-year


https://www.thenation.com/article/wh...d-sox-yankees/

[gagliano]

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/...e?platform=amp

get off my lawn!

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He's not wrong, but his widely shared viewpoint is also contributing to a game that has been less watchable and adversarial to ticket sales. Players and organizations need to realize that, at the heart of the matter, they are an entertainment product. People aren't willing to shell out big bucks as much these days to watch dudes walk, strike out, and hit 3-4 homers a game, even if the data tells us that's the most efficient way to play. It would not hurt to have a few more high-average guys in the game and more action on the basepaths.

was just thinking today that i'm losing interest on baseball. my old friend is leaving me.

[Ren Deagle]

A hitter should:
1. Get on base anyway he can
2. Advance runners anyway he can
3. Drive in runs
And as a bonus, a hitter should be able to wear out a pitcher

Batting average doesn't really measure this