Greybeard Posted April 1, 2018 Posted April 1, 2018 When the last batter in the majors will drop below a 0.400 batting average. I have always considered batting 400 for the year one of the hardest things to do. It hasn't been done since Ted Williams, although a couple of hitters have made a good run at it. So I am going to say the last batter with a 400 average will lose it on May 8th. Note some may climb back over it but this is the first day no one in the majors will have a .400 average. To qualify, at the time the batter has to have the minimum number of at bats to be listed in the MLB stats. Any other takers? As I write this, 39 hitters are at 0.400 or above. Of course at the moment, there are is no minimum at bat requirement.
row_33 Posted April 1, 2018 Posted April 1, 2018 George Brett in 1980 was the last to carry it to September, the 19th or thereabouts? the media crush would be three times what it did to him that year... May 8th is really early but I haven't paid attention, will do so this year...
Greybeard Posted April 3, 2018 Author Posted April 3, 2018 I watch every year but due to a case of CRS, it does not help me with a prediction.
Greybeard Posted April 7, 2018 Author Posted April 7, 2018 After a week and two days, 14 players remain above .400. There are a couple just under that could come back up, Gregorius is close for you Yankee fans. Maybe there are a couple who don't have enough at bats at the moment. I would bet Altuve would make last 5 but at the moment he is at .406 and is 10th.
Greybeard Posted April 14, 2018 Author Posted April 14, 2018 After two weeks and a day, there are only 2 players that are hitting 400 and quality. Cano and Mauer. There are actually 24 hitting 400 but most of those do not have enough at bats. About 5 of those are a couple at bats short of qualifying. To qualify you need 3.1 at bats in the total number of games your team has played. I don't remember the qualifying list being so short last year after just two weeks. I watched a Yankee game on ESPN and whoever the announcer was, was saying how hard it is to leave warm spring training and then have to hit in the cold, with multiple layers of clothes on. Could very well be the reason.
Greybeard Posted April 20, 2018 Author Posted April 20, 2018 Didn't make it three weeks. One of the reasons I believe it will never happen again. Maybe someone gets hot later this year and can break the barrier, but I really believe this is the hardest thing to do in baseball.
row_33 Posted April 20, 2018 Posted April 20, 2018 There is no motivation to hit 400, they’d trade in 50 plate appearances with a strikeout/home run as the only two options over the benefit of scratching out another dozen or so singles. Batters simply don’t care about striking out in this era, a new development over the last decade.
Greybeard Posted April 20, 2018 Author Posted April 20, 2018 4 hours ago, row_33 said: There is no motivation to hit 400, they’d trade in 50 plate appearances with a strikeout/home run as the only two options over the benefit of scratching out another dozen or so singles. Batters simply don’t care about striking out in this era, a new development over the last decade. That is true about a couple of Dodgers. I shutter when they come to back with men on base because it is basically all or nothing. I am surprised more guys don't take advantage of the shift and go the other way, but maybe as you say, they just don't see the incentive in that.
row_33 Posted April 20, 2018 Posted April 20, 2018 (edited) i watch all kinds of games, aim to see at least one whole series on TV in each park each year a few announcers have hammered away at batters taking their stance in the box and refusing to adjust to the count or abhorrent defensive shifts, even when they step out they return like a statue to the same stance and positioning. Hawk Harrelson would say he could name a dozen players of his generation in the Hall of Fame because they would shift their stance constantly for a given plate appearance. the batter is a sitting duck for each pitch as pitcher and catcher hone in on the weakness. Edited April 20, 2018 by row_33
row_33 Posted April 24, 2018 Posted April 24, 2018 Betts started at 391 the other night for a game watched he is turning into a great player...
Gugny Posted April 24, 2018 Posted April 24, 2018 12 minutes ago, row_33 said: Betts started at 391 the other night for a game watched he is turning into a great player... He is en fuego.
TakeYouToTasker Posted May 1, 2018 Posted May 1, 2018 On 04/20/2018 at 11:01 AM, Greybeard said: That is true about a couple of Dodgers. I shutter when they come to back with men on base because it is basically all or nothing. I am surprised more guys don't take advantage of the shift and go the other way, but maybe as you say, they just don't see the incentive in that. It's sabermetrics impact on the game. It isn't going away.
row_33 Posted May 2, 2018 Posted May 2, 2018 saw somewhere April 2018 was the first month in MLB history where strikeouts outnumbered hits.
Greybeard Posted May 6, 2018 Author Posted May 6, 2018 On 5/2/2018 at 3:32 PM, row_33 said: saw somewhere April 2018 was the first month in MLB history where strikeouts outnumbered hits. I saw that also. In the story they blamed every thing except the fact that, as we discussed above, the players are just swinging for the fences.
Alaska Darin Posted May 7, 2018 Posted May 7, 2018 On 4/20/2018 at 10:04 AM, row_33 said: i watch all kinds of games, aim to see at least one whole series on TV in each park each year a few announcers have hammered away at batters taking their stance in the box and refusing to adjust to the count or abhorrent defensive shifts, even when they step out they return like a statue to the same stance and positioning. Hawk Harrelson would say he could name a dozen players of his generation in the Hall of Fame because they would shift their stance constantly for a given plate appearance. the batter is a sitting duck for each pitch as pitcher and catcher hone in on the weakness. The worst is Matt Carpenter for the Cardinals. A few years ago, he was a contact hitter who was tough to get out. Then he started hitting over 20 homers and striking out like crazy (career high is 151). He's now hitting .165 and absolutely refuses to adjust to the shift. I can't believe Matheny keeps trotting him out there at the top of the lineup.
row_33 Posted May 7, 2018 Posted May 7, 2018 22 hours ago, Greybeard said: I saw that also. In the story they blamed every thing except the fact that, as we discussed above, the players are just swinging for the fences. nobody is choking up 8 inches on the bat hoping to hit a single or bunt for a hit
Greybeard Posted May 7, 2018 Author Posted May 7, 2018 18 hours ago, Alaska Darin said: The worst is Matt Carpenter for the Cardinals. A few years ago, he was a contact hitter who was tough to get out. Then he started hitting over 20 homers and striking out like crazy (career high is 151). He's now hitting .165 and absolutely refuses to adjust to the shift. I can't believe Matheny keeps trotting him out there at the top of the lineup. Back then, no one hit Clayton Kershaw like Carpenter did. I expected Carpenter to hit .300 for years.
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