Jay Bruce - pulled walk off single.
Jay Bruce - pulled walk off single.
redsmetz (04-18-2013)
First thing that popped into my head when i heard Bruce's single won the game was this thread. weird huh ?
Jay Bruce is a pulling machine today.
If you look at Jay's hitting stats on Fangraphs, there is one glaring change this year so far.
Jay has a 25% line drive rate. A 30% fly ball rate. A 45% ground ball rate.
It's early, but this is way different than the norm for Jay. IMO, it shows serious improvement although in a small sample.
Jay's fly ball rate has always been too high. The uppercut causes a lot of pop flies. Sure, it helps with homers, but it's not the best balance.
I doubt he will continue with a 45% grounder rate. But if Jay can keep the LD rate up and keep the FB rate down, I think this will make he a better hitter overall.
That last one was another one of those professional ABs we're seeing more of lately. Again, good call, OP.
Thanks. The hallmark of professional hitter is that he adjusts his approach to suit the game situation and the type of pitches he is getting. Jay is definitely doing this much better in this area thus far this season.
I stand by my original post and by the belief that the original responder was engaging in a convenient misrepresentation of the point of my original post.
PS Thanks for reiterating my original point and for your support of sanity in general.
Bruce now has 28 strikeouts in 82 ABs this season. He has 6 extra base hits, and a .350 slugging percentage.
Not to repeat myself, but him going the other way early in the year is not a sign of him being a better (or more professional) hitter. He's completely screwed up at the plate.
I'm still not worried and I'm still not ripping him, but the "going the other way means Jay Bruce is a professional hitter" narrative needs to die. He's not driving anything, and he's striking out more than usual. No part of this is good.
I never said "going the other way = professional hitter."
You pulled that "thesis" out of your own ear.
I assumed that people would understand that when I guy who has been a dead pull hitter his whole career shows that he HAS ADDED TO HIS ARSENAL the weapon of going the other way WHEN THE SITUATION OR PITCH WARRANTS it is evidence of advancement in his ability to hit situationally or "professionally."
You're just about the only guy who didn't get it.
Maybe you should read posts with sufficient care to actually glean the author's meaning.
Last edited by smixsell; 04-23-2013 at 12:29 AM.
Is it possible for you to make a post without personally attacking somebody?
I personally hope Bruce stops hitting singles to the opposite field, stops striking out 34% of the time, and actually starts driving balls.
He has a .653 OPS with RISP this year, compared to a .798 RISP in his career. He's been a worse hitter in just about all situations this year than over the course of his career. To imply he's doing anything better as a hitter is incorrect. He's been a worse hitter in every situation.
To make a conclusion that he's a better situational hitter this year is simply not true. There is nothing to back that up. It's not like anybody can sit here and say Bruce has been unlucky this year, his BABIP is north of .400. He's simply just not hitting for any power and is striking out a ton.
RedEye (04-22-2013)
I'm not attacking you. I'm just pointing out that you excel at constructing straw men. So far, you've done nothing but argue against points that I've never made. The funny thing is, I'm honestly not sure whether you're doing it on purpose or not. In any event, since we're obviously not communicating, I'm done. I hope you've enjoyed arguing with yourself.
Hoosier Red (06-18-2013)
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