http://cincinnati.com/blogs/reds/201...r-in-triple-a/
Not exactly unexpected, but news nonetheless.
http://cincinnati.com/blogs/reds/201...r-in-triple-a/
Not exactly unexpected, but news nonetheless.
Ugh, comment got deleted after showing as a doublepost.
What's this mean for the AAA OF? Is Lamarre in RF then or back to AA?
Last edited by mdccclxix; 01-24-2013 at 10:17 AM.
Can't wait to see the Bats in LOU and/or IND.
What are the possibilities that he can be effective bunting over the long haul while also keeping a mid .300's OBP? I think of Ichiro's ability to run out infield hits, but he's a generational talent with the bat. Can Hamilton really "steal first" for a long time against MLB competition? How does he compare with Campana in Chicago?“He’ll be playing center field and working on his offense and his overall game,” Jocketty said. “He’s going to probably end up bunting a lot, with his speed. Bunting and running are his two key tools.”
I don't think you need to be a generational talent to be effective bunting for base hits. The best I ever saw at that particular skill, better than Ichiro even, was Brett Butler, and I don't consider him anywhere near a generational talent. Billy just needs to judiciously pick his spots.
Anytime he catches the infield napping by not adjusting their depth when he comes to the plate, he can drop a bunt. Anytime he is facing a pitcher who is notorious for pounding the strikezone with fastballs to get ahead in the count, he can drop the bunt. Anytime he is a facing a team that has a lead glove or a suspect arm playing in the infield, he can drop the bunt. That is what Butler did and was a big part of why he was so successful with it.
Butler had a very nice career indeed. Out of 9545 PA's he had a 5% bunt rate and batted .462 on those attempts. This is a lofty goal for Hamilton, but he could reach it. Perhaps it would be the right path to have him bunt.
Ichiro isn't the bunter I thought. Nor is he the infield hitter. Bunts 1.7% of the time for a .621 average. Bats .151 on infield balls. I think Butler batted .212 when I looked on infield balls, I'm sure due to the larger volume of excellent bunting.
Last edited by mdccclxix; 01-24-2013 at 01:01 PM.
here's a neat break down on bunting with nobody on base:
http://uzrillusion2.blogspot.com/201...g-for-hit.html
There's even a Juan Pierre discussion. And Willie T shows up for his 3 for 22 performance bunting in 2009!
Last edited by mdccclxix; 01-24-2013 at 12:58 PM.
It's awesome seeing the Commerce Comet in the all-time top ten. I wish more of the speedy sluggers in the game today would do the same when they come up with the bases empty. If nothing else, it would force infields to play them farther in and open up more opportunities base hits when they don't bunt.
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