Well May should be an easier month and hopefully warmer

[mjsb2]

Lloyd has always preached being aggressive. Which by all accounts, means swinging at the first pitch. You can see hitters come from other teams (i.e. Peralta) and see there first pitch swinging percentage rise. You can other players leave, and their first pitch swinging percent drops.

I fully understand, statistically speaking, numbers are better on the first pitch. But you have to be selective and not swing at the pitcher's pitch. If it is in your zone, OK, swing.

I just think we have a lousy hitting coach and a bad organizational hitting mindset.

Lloyd was originally the bullpen coach wasn't he?

I know he was brought over as something other than the hitting coach, which doesn't make much sense.

Why not get a hitting coach that, you know, actually specializes in hitting?

And yeah, the Tigers all throughout the minors are riddled with players that don't take pitches, many of their prospects are all tools and no results. High strikeouts, low walk totals.

Other than Avila, have they developed anybody who has a walk rate <10%?

 

[Rebbiv]

Well, Lloyd was only bullpen coach for 2006. He has been hitting coach ever since.

Almost every hitter in baseball has better stats swinging at the first pitch. I get that.

But, when the average MLB hitter swings at the first pitch 26-27% of the time the last few year, then there has to be something there when some of our hitters are above 35%.

Career

Young = 46%
Dirks = 38%
Boesch = 37%

Cabrera = 33% (career high of 39% last year)
Santiago = 31%
Worth = 30%

Laird = 29%
Fielder = 27%
Avila = 27%
Raburn = 27%
V. Martinez = 27%
Peralta = 26% (30% and 31% last 2 years with DET, never above 30 before then)
Kelly = 26%
Jackson = 23% (first pitch swinging has increased each year, including this)
Inge = 22% (career high of 31% last year)


Now if the MLB average is 26-27%, there are plenty of players that swing less than that.

Mauer = 11%
Granderson = 17%
Pujols = 20%
Longoria = 23%
Reyes = 25%
Bourn = 25%

While Vlad Guerrero made a living swinging at the first pitch (47%), he also had the results. He was a very good bad pitch hitter and didn't K that much for a power hitter.

If I were to pitch to Delmon Young and I knew he swung almost 50% of the time at the first pitch, I doubt I would throw him a good first pitch. Game situation dependent. I also know he does not walk much and tends to ground into a lot of double plays.

These are all part of scouting reports. I also would probably groove a first ball strike on Mauer, because he rarely swings at the first pitch. Again, this is all game situation dependent.

And as stated, DET hitters tend to let the opposing pitchers off the hook. Early this year, the first 2 hitters walked on 8 straight pitches. The next 2 hitters were swinging on the first pitch, resulting in no runs scored, 10 pitch inning, and all 3 outs (grounded into double play). I just find that as bad baseball. But that is me.

 

[Rebbiv]

Well, Lloyd was only bullpen coach for 2006. He has been hitting coach ever since.

Almost every hitter in baseball has better stats swinging at the first pitch. I get that.

But, when the average MLB hitter swings at the first pitch 26-27% of the time the last few year, then there has to be something there when some of our hitters are above 35%.

Career

Young = 46%
Dirks = 38%
Boesch = 37%

Cabrera = 33% (career high of 39% last year)
Santiago = 31%
Worth = 30%

Laird = 29%
Fielder = 27%
Avila = 27%
Raburn = 27%
V. Martinez = 27%
Peralta = 26% (30% and 31% last 2 years with DET, never above 30 before then)
Kelly = 26%
Jackson = 23% (first pitch swinging has increased each year, including this)
Inge = 22% (career high of 31% last year)


Now if the MLB average is 26-27%, there are plenty of players that swing less than that.

Mauer = 11%
Granderson = 17%
Pujols = 20%
Longoria = 23%
Reyes = 25%
Bourn = 25%

While Vlad Guerrero made a living swinging at the first pitch (47%), he also had the results. He was a very good bad pitch hitter and didn't K that much for a power hitter.

If I were to pitch to Delmon Young and I knew he swung almost 50% of the time at the first pitch, I doubt I would throw him a good first pitch. Game situation dependent. I also know he does not walk much and tends to ground into a lot of double plays.

These are all part of scouting reports. I also would probably groove a first ball strike on Mauer, because he rarely swings at the first pitch. Again, this is all game situation dependent.

And as stated, DET hitters tend to let the opposing pitchers off the hook. Early this year, the first 2 hitters walked on 8 straight pitches. The next 2 hitters were swinging on the first pitch, resulting in no runs scored, 10 pitch inning, and all 3 outs (grounded into double play). I just find that as bad baseball. But that is me.