|
86 for 89
2004-04-12 12:16
Adrian Beltre has looked marvelous, by reports from fans on this site and the media, and by my own observations watching Sunday's game on television. He is taking outside pitches to center and right field instead of trying to pull the ball - and jumping all over pitches in his wheelhouse, the inside half of the plate. He has walked only once all season. But amazingly, even for this young season, he has yet to strike out. Beltre has had 25 plate appearances so far this season: 11 hits, one walk and 13 fly-ball or ground-ball outs (including a sacrifice fly and a reached-base-on-error). He has hit on every count there is: Counts on Beltre Plate Appearances, 2004 0-0, 1-0, 2-0 or 3-0: 7 PA, 3 for 6 with two HR and SF I'm not surprised that Beltre has gone to two strikes in 40 percent of his plate appearances (10 out of 25) - but it's pretty shocking that he's made contact in 100 percent of those situations. That's not the image of the Beltre we know, diving at and missing low-and-away pitches, Raul Mondesi-style. Even more remarkably, out of 89 total pitches seen this season, Beltre has swung and missed at only three. Last April, Beltre struck out 17 times. So, yeah, one walk in 25 plate appearance concerns me. But this isn't any ordinary lack of plate discipline. If Beltre can be a power hitter who makes contact, who resists trying to pull a bad outside pitch, he may force pitchers to pitch much more carefully to him. And then, the walks - and in turn, the complete player we've all been waiting for - may yet arrive. Of course, San Diego and Colorado don't offer the most challenging pitching staffs in the world. But Beltre's great first week came in pitching-happy Dodger Stadium, from a hitter who batted .209 at home in 2003 and .225 in 2002. And frankly, there aren't a lot of great pitching staffs in baseball. Who would you pick in the National League: Chicago, Houston, Philadelphia, maybe Florida? Is this Wade Boggs-like bat control by Beltre just a first-week apparition? We'll see what happens, beginning Tuesday in San Diego.
|
Jon Weisman's outlet
for dealing psychologically with the Los Angeles Dodgers and baseball. Hot from the Toaster
BlogAds
Search
Archives
2008 07 06 05 04 03 02 01 2007 12 11 10 09 08 07 06 05 04 03 02 01 2006 12 11 10 09 08 07 06 05 04 03 02 01 2005 12 11 10 09 08 07 06 05 04 03 02 01 2004 12 11 10 09 08 07 06 05 04 03 02 01 2003 12 11 10 09 08 07 06 05 04 03 02 01 2002 09 08 07 About Jon
Jon's other site: Support Dodger Thoughts
Dodger Thoughts T-Shirts * * *
The Best of Dodger Thoughts Click here for more information.
"Dodger Thoughts, like TiVo, is one of those things you can completely do without until you start using it." - Fanerman Dodger Sites
Dodger Resources
Non-Partisan Baseball Sites
Partisan Baseball Sites
Baseball, Among Other Things
Invaluable Resources
Less Dodgers, More L.A.
All in the Family
Other Writing by Jon on the Web
SI.com Variety Also ... More Shameless Self-Promotion
2008 Season
Dodger home record: 22-20 (.524) 1991-2007
Dodgers at home: 745-600 (.554) 2008 Payroll Worksheet
Current Roster with Estimated 2008 Salaries Most figures are estimates (some are wild estimates) but will be updated as information comes in. Corrections welcome. More contract details here. Starting Pitchers (5) Bullpen (6) Starting Lineup (8) Bench (6) Disabled List Also Paying ... Working total: *$113,268,725 *Rough salary estimate The 2008 Dodgers
ESPN BR
BP
Cube Alvarez Selected Recent Ex-Dodgers
ESPN BR BP Cube Alomar Dodger Thoughts Land
Thank You For Not ...
1) using profanity or any euphemisms for profanity Syndication
 
About the Toaster
Baseball Toaster runs on some experimental software called Fairpole. It's still under development. For more information, please visit the Fairpole blog, or read the FAQ. |
Comment status: comments have been closed.