Reaching .400
Before getting to some details of today's game, there was a good, brisk discussion in another post yesterday about the possibility of another .400 hitter. Begun in the comments section of the "Pettite Better" post by Jimmy from BY&L (Baseball, the Yankees, and Life, though my self-imposed acronym makes it sound like either a brokerage firm or a railroad) and picked up by Mike from The Sommer Frieze, they rightly made the case that walks are the key to reaching the .400 plateau. Mike mentioned Ted Williams and Bonds and the very high BB totals in 1941, and for Bonds 2002 and 2004 They then included notable exceptions such as Bill Terry (Mike), Carew, Ichiro, and Brett (Jimmy). I would add Tony Gwynn--to me easily the greatest hitter of his time--to that mix. In 1994, the strike-shortened year, Gwynn batted .394 and had a real shot to reach .400, but only drew 48 walks in 110 games. The next year, in 135 games, he batted .368 but drew a mere 35 walks. When he batted .372 in 149 games in 1997, he only drew 43 walks. He did have 82 walks in 157 games in 1987, when he batted .370, but in general he fits that exception.
I think drastically reducing the number of strikeouts is also essential to striving for .400. Clearly, it's an important key to success for any hitter, and realizing that to some degree is somewhat akin to expecting lettuce in one's salad. Yet there are a couple points to make about that. There is a clear pattern to how well hitters are seeing the ball in years when they have flirted with .400 and the very low number of strikeouts. Bonds, who drew a ton of walks, struck out only 47 times in 2002 and 41 times in 2004, anomalous for most of his career. Williams never struck out much, especially for a power hitter, but fanned only 27 times in 1941 when he hit .406. Gwynn, on the other hand, never drew a ton of walks but also struck out remarkably little in his career. In nine years, his strikeout totals were in the teens, including 1994 and 1995, and 28 in 1997. Walks matter a lot, for some hitters more than others. Low strikeout totals are also indicative of not just how well batters are seeing the ball, and how hot they're hitting, but I'd also argue plate discipline. Walks show that, but so do strategies within at-bats that produce hits instead of walks, such as laying off close pitches, fouling off others, taking the ball the other way, which Gwynn did so well, and realizing what to do with a certain pitch in a certain place. All of these lead to narrowing the parameters to a couple possibilities for hitters regarding what pitches and location they can expect, and knowing what to do before it happens--making hitting into science.
If Cano, the person Jimmy mentioned to begin the discussion, can do this and/or draw a lot more walks, he can flirt with .400. He'll need to improve walk numbers and plate discipline, definitely related, to continue to improve. I think he's a good person to focus on, and not just because of his torrid Spring, though he is hitting a ******** .464 and, while it's Spring, it's also torrid at .464. Cano requires patience, and needs more plate patience, but the kid is on fire. He's making us think of big possibilities.
"Cano is making us think of big possibilities"...
Hey, Jason!
Excellent analysis on a very interesting topic, "Reaching .400"...
Also, great way to end the post, by reflecting on how "Cano is making us think of big possibilities"...
There are so many great things to love about the "Game of Baseball"; and, 'thinking of big possibilities' is what drives our passions...as fans of: our favorite team [the Yankees], our favorite players, and just as fans of the great game of baseball, itself!
Of course, it's more than just the beauty of the game. It's the numbers; the nuances; the intangibles; the strategies; and, "the game within the game", that all make Baseball fun to watch and follow!
I would suggest that it's similiar to hearing a great piece of music...the beautiful sounds we hear are really created by the "space in between the notes" - the quiet pauses, that if they were not there, would just make the music sound like a loud, unpleasant noice!
That's the same with Baseball !
The moments in time, in which we pause to reflect on and discuss interesting possibilities, such as: "if there will ever be another .400 hitter in Baseball again" [as well as, countless other baseball debates]...are as stimulating as the many pauses that take place during a baseball season...pauses, during each game, each inning, each batter; and, in between, each pitch, each hit, each out, and, really, in between, many other infinite pauses that take place in a game, and before and after a game! All these pauses connect baseball fans to the past, present, and, future of the great aesthetics of the "Game of Baseball" !!!
I think, the mere fact that baseball is not controlled by a time clock [which in theory would mean that any one game can go on indefinitely], is in a way a great metaphor for the Game itself...
All the discussions and debates we have about many aspects of the game can also go on indefinitely!
Will we ever see another .400 hitter in the Major Leagues again? I don't know! But, we all agree that Robinson Cano is certainly a player to watch...
Because of his ability, Cano will continue to improve over the next few years, and the .400 plateau will be in his sight. Taking more pitches each at bat, walking more, striking-out less, working hard to stay in shape, and being blessed to stay healthy, are all factors that will help in Cano's pursuit of .400 !!!
In our quiet times, when we pause to think about what the future holds for Robinson Cano; and, also, the many other possibilities that are part of the game of baseball...these are the times it becomes perfectly clear why we love Baseball so much!
The beautiful "music" of baseball that we hear, is found hidden deep inside our hearts, as we contemplate all the possibilities during the pauses in time when the games are not being played...
And, the beauty of [and, our passion for] baseball, is always being played out in our hearts and minds, as we dream of all the possibilities that can only happen on a Baseball Field...
It all starts with just two words. Play Ball !!!
Jason, "Reaching .400" is a tremendous Post! Thanks for including my name, Blog name, and comments in the Post !!!
Jimmy
http://baseballtheyankeesandlife.mlblogs.com/
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Many thanks, Jimmy. You're too kind. If you don't mind, I just might stick to BY&L just to save time, but will be sure that people know that the blog is yours. I think the comparison of baseball to music is a very good one. I've long likened basketball to jazz. Your analogy and description remind me of a great symphony, though you might have some other genre in mind. Come to think of it, I find my mind wandering to Jimi Hendrix, Blues Traveler, and Frank Zappa...baseball as jam session.
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